Pathway
Software & Computing
Building the things people use on screens, apps, games, tools, systems. Mostly problem-solving, and much more collaborative than the stereotype suggests.
Majors
- Computer Science
- Software Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Information Systems
- Game Design
Jobs people do
- Software developer
- Web developer
- Mobile app developer
- QA / test engineer
- Site reliability engineer
- Game programmer
Watch out
The choices that quietly close a door here
Taking Statistics instead of Precalculus junior year.
It's a common swap because stats reads as easier, and it removes Calculus from senior year. That's the single most common way students land in a CS program a semester behind in math.
Instead Take Precalculus junior year and Statistics senior year alongside Calculus, or in place of a free period.
Assuming AP CS Principles and AP CS A are the same class.
Principles is broad and concept-level; A is the one that's actually a programming course. Colleges read them differently and some only grant credit for A.
Instead Take Principles early if you want a soft start, but get to CS A before you graduate.
Skipping Physics because it isn't required for a CS major.
True for pure CS at most schools, but it *is* required for computer engineering, and switching between the two is common in freshman year.
Instead Take Physics junior year to keep both doors open. It costs you one elective slot.
Course ladder
Grade by grade
Course names differ at every school, and graduation requirements differ by state. Take this list to your counselor so the two of you are working from the same page.
Grade 8
- Algebra ILoad-bearing
Taking this in 8th grade is what makes a calculus-by-senior-year sequence possible. If it's not offered, ask about a summer or online option before 9th.
- Any intro computing or coding electiveWorth doing
Even a semester of Scratch or Python is enough to find out if you like it.
Grade 9
- Geometry (or Algebra I if you didn't take it in 8th)Load-bearing
- Intro to Computer Science / AP CS PrinciplesWorth doing
CS Principles is the friendlier entry point; it is not a prerequisite for CS A.
- BiologyLoad-bearing
Standard 9th-grade lab science almost everywhere.
- English 9Load-bearing
Grade 10
- Algebra IILoad-bearing
- AP Computer Science A (Java)Worth doing
The one that maps most directly to a first college CS course.
- ChemistryLoad-bearing
- World language, year 2Worth doing
Grade 11
- PrecalculusLoad-bearing
This is the gate. Precalculus junior year is what makes Calculus senior year possible.
- PhysicsWorth doing
Required for computer engineering, useful everywhere else.
- Second CS course or dual-enrollment programmingWorth doing
- World language, year 3Worth doing
Grade 12
- Calculus (AB, BC, or dual enrollment)Load-bearing
Most CS programs expect it. Not having it rarely blocks admission, but it usually costs you a semester of catch-up math in college.
- AP StatisticsWorth doing
Genuinely useful for anything data- or ML-adjacent.
- Advanced CS, cybersecurity, or a capstoneIf you have room
Outside class
Hackathons
Weekend events where you build something from nothing. MLH runs high-school-friendly ones, and many are free and online.
From grade 9
Programming contest team (USACO, ACSL)
USACO has four divisions and starts genuinely beginner-friendly at Bronze. Good if you like the puzzle side.
From grade 9
Robotics team (FRC / FTC / VEX)
The software subteam is real programming, and you get a hard deadline and a working team.
From grade 9
Build and maintain something for a real group
A scheduling tool for your team, a site for a local nonprofit. One shipped thing with actual users beats five tutorials.
From grade 10
Paid or volunteer tech support at school
Unglamorous, but it's real experience and it's often the only tech job open to a 16-year-old.
From grade 10
Things to build
Ship one thing that other people use
Not a tutorial clone. Something small that solves an annoyance you actually have. Put it on GitHub.
From grade 9
Contribute a fix to an open-source project
Even a docs fix. It teaches you how real code review works, which no class covers.
From grade 11
Teach a coding club at a middle school or library
Explaining it is how you find out what you actually understand.
From grade 10
Is this actually a fit for you?
Ten minutes of questions, and Bearing turns this into a plan that starts from the grade you're in.
Take the survey