The joys of being a CompSci.

My best friend doesn't understand me at all (I agree with him when he says I'm weirder and geekier after every term) and I don't want to tell my housemates because they'll take from what I don't really want them to; I just want to harp on about how fantastic life is at the moment, really.

For those of you who don't know (or are new), I'm currently halfway through my Computer Science degree at a University in England. My god, halfway through... gah, I feel old.

Last year was a bit pants - it was basically A-Level. I've already got an A-Level in Computing (a nice solid A, dont'cha know - I was the best in college! ), so I didn't particularly want to do it again. But I did. Plus some new things, which were alright.

This year is a lot more interesting - the range of learning is much greater, and we've learnt new languages. The workload is a bitch - I spent the second half of last term shut up in my room working, and I didn't sleep for the first five days of the first week of this term. Should have done the work before the deadline I suppose, but building a completely working system in 60 hours over five days and getting a very good mark from it (76% - a solid first, and only 8% behind the top of the class. Score!) ain't bad.

But that's now what makes me love my course. Heavens no. If I got a hard-on for every good mark, I'd have my own permanent coathook. It's being able to read about the latest technological advances and know what's going on. It's being able to read about Google's search algorithm and actually understanding how they do it, and laughing at the walls they came up against; "mike siwek lawyer mi" is absolutely amazing!

What I really enjoy is the people who ask you for help. Now, some of them are just spongers. I never ask for payment. Never. I have a skill that some people find useful, so I make use of it. Having said that, if I don't get anything back, then I just send them elsewhere next time they ask me for a favour.

The really great bit about the people who ask you for help is meeting the people and making friends.

No, that's a lie. I tolerate most of them, because I get something back (free drinks for a week or so if I see them in the bar, or bags of Crunchies - shit me, I love Crunchies!). A few of them are friends already, and I enjoy conversing as I turn off underline in Word, or reset their router. But that's not what I love about being a CompSci.

It's that girl you see around College. That girl that you get talking to because you're both in the same band. That girl who learns you're a whizz with computers. That girl who takes you aside and asks, slightly embarrassed, for help with a program. That girl you stay up a few hours longer for, trying to find answers for. That girl you e-mail in the early hours of the morning, triumphant! That girl who stops you in the street the next day and positively gushes with thanks.

Yes, she's cute. No, she's not another Corridor Girl. Yes, I definitely would. No, she's the year above, but we graduate at the same time because she's on a four year degree. Nope - not even over my dead body. Names are private, pictures even more so.

I've made so many mistakes in the past... gods, half of them I documented on these boards, ignoring any and all advice. The same here would be terrible... but I digress.

I love being a Computer Scientist. I love the sheer speed of the industry and the breakthroughs. I love the things that can be done with raw code. I love being stopped in the bar and the street by a cute girl because I can help and, indeed, did.

I haven't smiled from pure joy like I did yesterday for years. I honestly cannot remember the last time I felt so happy, the last time I felt so good about myself.

I implore all of you to take up a skill that benefits others - plumbing, carpentry, accounting, whatever; mine is Computers. The joy you might get from it is unparalleled!

Becoming a CompSci was one of the best choices I've made in life. Yes, the hours can be shit. Yes, some of the lectures can be boring. Yes, I do feel used by some people. Yes, my activity has dropped and the days of 100% are far behind me but, in the midst of it all... well, I've got a new task on my Google Tasks list - a program she uses keeps giving her error messages, can I give it a look?

Great story Lenny!

Hmm, so you found a girl recently? Congrats.

I wouldn't say recently - I've known her for nearly a year and a half. It's only been within the last month or so that I've really started speaking to her. We've chatted before, but not much. Now if we see each other in the street, or around college, we'll say "Hi" and have a bit of a chat.

I think I can afford to take my time - we've both got a year left, and we both want to return after graduation as postgrads (her simply for a PhD as she gets an undergrad Masters out of her course, and me for a postgrad Masters and a PhD).

As for the course - five deadlines in the next three weeks. Big woop...

Then I've got five weeks to blitz C (writing one of my assignments in C with OpenGL), write two essays and start my revision. Then it's another three weeks of revision, a few weeks of exams, and three weeks of doing nothing in the sun before term ends.

Good luck with the girl Lenny, and the tests! When are you going to muster up the courage to ask her out on a date?

Lenny knows he's a big enough pimp that she'll ask him eventually.

I find a bitchslap and a command is often quicker.

But seriously, I haven't the foggiest. Work comes before hos, and my calendar is pretty full. Having said that, I'm taking next weekend off from working to take part in a College production, which she's also doing - both of us in the pit band. No, I'm not following her - I wanted to do it last year, but couldn't find the time, so I'm doing it this year. Just so happens that she had the same idea.

Well that's good to hear, keep us posted. I'm sure if you play your cards right she'll fall right into your elaborate pla---er, she'll give you a chance.

Hmmm... I know what I'm going to say etc, but I've not seen her for a few days.

There are only two weeks of term left and I'm up to my ears in deadlines, so I want to ask her soon. I suppose I'll see her at the weekend, but that's four days away - that's a whole chance to grab a coffee. Maybe two!

Damn you, education!

Go get em Lenny! You and her can have little mutant ostrich babies.

Bah... I do hate some people. Wonderful chance to talk to her alone tonight...if it weren't for the dick who was trying to hold a conversation with me about mice. So what if I'm a CompSci? I don't want to talk to you about mice! Piss off! And the number of times I told him I'd meet him in the bar in a moment... prick.

Doubt I'll bump into her tomorrow. At the earliest it will be Friday evening in the bar... which is a bitch because I've got all of Friday free. My last free day until next Wednesday, and that's too far away. However, I will be seeing her all weekend, which should give me a couple of opportunities.

Share a pint with her and see how the chemistry between you two fares with some social lubricant.

Share a pint with her and see how the chemistry between you two fares with some social lubricant.

Grav has the right idea! If I were you though Lenny, I wouldn't let it be an unresolved issue for a long time and worry myself sick over it. There's a lot of fish in the sea so if you can get some sort of answer out of it then that will be very nice for you. Although you seem to already be doing this, I just figured I'd reinforce the idea.

There are three rules when it comes talking to women. Number one, ask questions, don't say anything, because women, all they wanna do is talk about themselves so you're just gonna let them do that. Two, be cool and three, be kind of a dick. Look be like David Caruso in "Jade".

here's some advice.

Don't worry, I've learnt to talk to women - University is actually useful for something!

Welllll, nearly... I've got points one and two sorted, but I'm not a dick. If a comment can be taken a different way (and I'm flirting a bit) then I'll tease them about it with a smirk, but I'm too relaxed and cheerful to be a dick.

Getting her alone is proving very hard. I'm slowly building a mental index of times and places it's most likely to happen (what? I've got a very good memory. I catalogue details about everything... I'm one of those annoying bastards who always knows my timetable the day after getting it, can tell you what any one of my housemates are doing at any one time, and uses Google Calendar simply so other people have a way of seeing what my schedule is).

Who is David Caruso, and what was his performance in Jade like?

Who is David Caruso, and what was his performance in Jade like?

I'm sorry, can I ask the part where that's relevant?

You dare question me in my own thread?

Apparently being like David Caruso in Jade is how one should talk to girls.

Just pull her aside sometime and persuade her to meet up with you for coffee like you've said. Be spontaneous, don't worry about scheduling or anything, just do it.

Well that's that - finished my final CompSci deadline. After my benchtest tomorrow, I'm free from work (for a week or so, then I get to learn C and using OpenGL for an assignment due in the week I return).

I've not been able to get the girl alone and ask her - there's always people around. Bloody annoying, if you ask me. I still might get the chance to speak to her and invite her out for coffee tomorrow, but it might be pushing it a bit, seeing as we finish term on Friday, and I'm returning home on Sunday.

Looks like that part of life will have to be put on hold until after Easter. If I can get somewhere before exams, then the last three weeks of term can be spent in the sun. We'll see quite a bit of each other then, anyway - the band we're in is holding a Jazz and Swing night at the local student union, and we need to learn and practice enough songs to fill a three hour set.

Dude, sounds like everything will be okay!