5 ms·
My advice might be controversial, but here are some thoughts I have... My big piece of advice: Major in something useful (CS, check!), minor in something fun.
by Jemaclus 6y ago
My advice might be controversial, but here are some thoughts I have...
My big piece of advice: Major in something useful (CS, check!), minor in something fun. A lot of the computer science classes you take will be boring AF, or you'll start to bang your head against the desk wondering why you have to know how operating systems work when you just want to make iOS apps (or vice versa!). Some of the classes will be deeply math heavy. It can and will seem overwhelming at times. So minor in something fun. Pick something that has no bearing on your chosen career path. Minor in Theater or Music or Art or Literature or Physical Education. The best part about minors is that you generally get to take all the fun classes and not the terrible ones! You'll meet a whole bunch of people with diverse interests that aren't solely computer nerds.
As far as the CS stuff is concerned, focus on absorbing as much as you can. Contrary to what other people said, don't sweat the details. You should have a fundamental understanding of all the big areas (databases, languages, algorithms), but you don't need to be an expert in any of those things to get a job. In fact, 90% of the subject matter you learn in college won't be relevant to whichever job you get. BUT... the act of learning is important, and the fact that you have fundamental understandings of those things will get your foot in the door
Think of your college degree as a ticket to an interview, and your first job as the real education. Your degree is proof of two things: 1) that you can learn, and 2) that you can start, stick with, and complete a large, multi-year project. Nobody expects someone with a Bachelor's degree to be an expert programmer, but they _do_ expect critical thinking skills and the ability to learn. You'll learn more on the job in the first 6 months than you will in 4+ years of college education... so don't put too much stress on yourself there.
So... take it seriously, but not too seriously. Study hard, but take fun classes too. Make connections in your computer classes, but make friends across a wide variety of interests. Learn the fundamentals, but don't sweat the details.
(Also, pro tip: nobody gives a shit about your GPA. A 4.0 doesn't get you anything in the real world except a rude awakening. By all means, try to get all A's if you can, but don't burn yourself out by trying to get perfect grades.)
- LifeIsBio 6y agoI read through this waiting to get to the controversial part and never found it. This is good advice not only for CS but for any rigorous degree. One of my favorite classes in undergrad was Ultimate Frisbee because it ensured I got some aerobic exercise each week and I got to experience playing UF with some really good people. There are lots of other critical points casually shoved in here that could probably be expanded to book chapters if you wanted. The point about making connections is huge. Arguably the biggest difference between a state school and Ivy League education is the network available to you. Regardless of where you’re at, establishing connections is a major part of undergrad.
- cableshaft 6y agoI took a Weight Training class as an elective and likewise found it really useful to improve my health. It forced me to work on strength training for 3 hours a week and I got stronger and dropped 20 lbs over the course of the semester. Except for a handful of classes it was mostly just letting us lift weights for an hour, but the instructor helped improve my form and I learned how to prepare my own weight training program. A good amount of it has stuck with me 10 years later, although I'm out of the habit of doing it regularly now (kinda hard to get back into it now because of the pandemic, too, except a couple of kettlebells I own).
- tsumnia 6y ago> minor in something fun I agree. I double majored in CS and Acting specifically because I enjoy both topics and wanted to get better. It does take some dancing around with your schedule, but if you take the time to create some different alternative schedules it can be done. There were some semesters where I was more CS heavy, and others more Theatre heavy. I was able to walk out with both degrees in 4.5 years.
- Jemaclus 6y agoDespite my advice above, I actually did it the other way around. My major was Theater (Acting/Directing) and my minor was CS. I'm quite successful as a software engineer, so I don't really regret it, but if I could do it all over again, I would have majored in CS and minored in Theater... But yes, agree 100%
- fish45 6y agoI've been thinking of minoring in physics or something, but maybe I'll try Art
- Jemaclus 6y agoIf Physics is fun for you, go for it!
- ivan_ah 6y ago+1 for Physics. It's not easy, but you'll be learning some very powerful tools for thought and modelling complex systems, so totally worth it. In case this is help, here is a short printable tutorial on mechanics fundamentals: https://minireference.com/static/tutorials/mech_in_7_pages.pdf https://minireference.com/static/tutorials/mech_in_7_pages.p... which is a condensed summary extracted from the No Bullshit Guide to Math & Physics a short book on mechanics and calculus. You can see an extended preview and sample chapter of it here: https://minireference.com/static/excerpts/noBSguide_v5_preview.pdf https://minireference.com/static/excerpts/noBSguide_v5_previ...
- BeetleB 6y ago> Also, pro tip: nobody gives a shit about your GPA. Well, no one except for grad programs.
- mkoryak 6y agoI have found during my career that not many people people cared if you had your Masters or you didn't.
- Jemaclus 6y agoI guess I could clarify as "nobody outside of academia", but I thought that was a given... And in the CS field, a Masters doesn't really do much for you, unless you're an immigrant looking for a green card (and if that's the case, my advice is totally different...)