why I chose to major in computer science

For many teenagers, deciding what to major is a daunting task because most of us don't know exactly what we want to do in the future. I for one went back and forth trying to decide which major I really wanted to study. When I chose to study computer science, I got a ton of questions, such as "isn't sitting behind a computer coding all day a little boring," or the standard "only guys study computer science and most of them are nerds". Every major comes with stereotypes and a basketball playing, African American girl doesn't really fit that stereotypical, CS major mold.

For starters, I've always loved computers and technology. There is a picture of me at 2 years old, sitting at a massive desk in my dad's home office, banging on a dial-up desktop computer that probably weighed more than me. There has always been a level of fascination with how computers worked and how I got to play my online games on Disney Channel and Club Penguin. In short, I just asked a lot of "how" and "why" questions. With all of that being said, you'd probably think that choosing computer science would be a no-brainer, but surprisingly I never really considered CS until I was about 16  years old.

Here is what prompted me to pursue computer science:

1. Endless possibility. Every field needs computers and that's not stopping anytime soon. 
2. Independent projects. Learning how to code will allow you to create anything you want. A website. An app. The possibilities on what you can make are really endless.
3. Impact. I always wanted to have a job that would help people in one way or another. You can make everyday tasks more efficient, and you can make things that people can use on a daily basis.
4. Fun! I get excited when I get the code to run the way I want it to and it turns out the way I thought it would.
5. Test scores. After taking my ACT's and SAT's I noticed that the math section of every test I took was always MUCH higher than the reading and writing portions. While computer science isn't all math, it is still required and my results in the English section kind of steered me away from some of the other majors I was considering. Due to the fact that it was obvious that I had a natural aptitude for math.

Benefits of majoring in computer science:

1. Encouragement of critical thinking. Even if you aren't majoring in computer science it might help to take a class or two in it. Throughout the process of learning some programming languages, I've noticed that my problem-solving skills had improved substantially and that can really help in all majors and aspects of life. 
2. Solve your own problems. For example, if you wanted to start a website or a blog, why pay for someone to make a website for you when you can do it yourself? Computer science will teach you how to make it yourself instead of relying on other people to do it for you.
3. Change the world. People who have studied computer science, are currently creating software that will test genes and blood to see what diseases people have... so you could really end up changing the world or at least one person's life and I think that is one of the best parts of this field.

Overall, what you major in is completely up to you and you shouldn't let people influence or persuade you to change your mind. However, don't stress about picking a major! You normally don't declare a major until the second or third year so don't go into college thinking you have to have it all figured out! I also encourage y'all to study different things, take classes that are fun and that you wouldn't normally think about studying. For example, for the fall semester, I am taking four classes: a Spanish class, intro to computer science, identity politics, and hopefully a class about yoga and meditation, but that hasn't been confirmed yet. As of right now, I want to major in Computer Science with a minor in Spanish and hopefully I'll study abroad in Spain during my junior year!