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> What ought to be my main focus? Develop your technical skills during the week, develop your social skill during the weekend. A lot are only doing the first,

> What ought to be my main focus? Develop your technical skills during the week, develop your social skill during the weekend. A lot are only doing the first, even on the weekend (or only the second, even during the week). While raw skill is cool, it's important that you can work in a team, that your boss likes you and your colleagues can work with you. Attend parties, talk to strangers, learn how to do some small-talk. A lot of it is really just practice and confidence. It also helps you in your personal life, you have to survive adulthood too. You might move into a new city and need to make friends, or your girlfriend/boyfriend could leave you and you might need to talk up somebody at a bar. University is really ideal for this, there's a lot of interaction during your day. Adulthood can be very lonely. Really try to make some friends that are NOT studying computer science (I can't stress this enough, huge error on my part when I started). During the week, I would take university seriously and augment it by doing some practical stuff at home. A lot of universities are theoretical, they don't really let you built stuff. Or you could built something during your holidays. I always had some project ready that I could pursue if I found the time. This combines both worlds. Also, hackathons are fun. Since you're in your first year, really nail down linear algebra and calculus, it's the basics for all your future academic endeavours. Try to be a tutor for either or both in the second year, it helps to fortify your skill.

bradfa 5y ago
I second this, and also look into activity-based clubs (sports, crafts, hobby-interests, drama, music, etc) that your school (or the town/city) might offer. These can be a great way to meet new people outside of your line of study and to have an easy ice-breaker for conversation as it's much easier to make new friends if you have a common interest. They can also offer a great and easy path to leadership. In my experience no one wants to be the club leader so it's easy to step up and be that role which can look great for future employment or as a resume/CV builder.
FooBarBizBazz 5y ago
I would agree with this. Your first goal absolutely has to be that you successfully complete your degree. I know a person who failed to do this, and the results are bad. Finish! However -- most people do. So if you're reasonably conscientious you'll be fine. After that: Work to get an internship every semester you have off (maybe unless you're traveling abroad, as recommended next). You'll make some money; you'll try different things; you'll add to your resume. I would strongly advise against heading off to do a startup immediately. You will be clueless and will not know that you are clueless. Almost nobody should be an entrepreneur. I'm not; you probably shouldn't be. But if you do think that's something you might do, even then -- work in the field first. People like to go "I'm my own boss", but that's a liability. Have some bosses who'll tell you what to do for a few years. Also, consider some study-abroad, as others have suggested. But my final piece of advice would be: Really value the people you meet there. There's a tendency to lose touch with people, to just move on with your life. A tendency to end relationships, to not solve the "two body problem". That's all a serious mistake. If by the end of college you've found someone you really like, marry them.
- MisterSandman 5y ago
  This is a bit of a gut-punch to read, I just finished half of my degree, and have made virtually no friends. Obviously that is because of deeper social issues I have.
  - FooBarBizBazz 5y ago
    Don't feel too bad. You're still young. I'd originally written a long post here, but it was a little too identifiable, so let me just suggest: 1. "Hi, I'm $NAME" goes a long way. 2. So does "hey, anybody want to grab lunch later?" 3. If you cook, "hey, I'm making $WHATEVER" is also a good one. 4. If possible, try a living situation with roommates. It won't solve everything, but it helps a little. 5. People in real life tend to be better than they are on the Internet.
PatentlyDC123 5y ago
LeanderK makes a great point. Social skills and clear communication are extremely valuable. A great way to tie them into your studies is with study groups. Try meeting up at the library or computer lab with different groups from different classes. Meet people outside your field as well. You never know, you might be working on software systems tied directly to an industrial hardware project and it would be helpful to know how your skills fit in with the mechanical, electrical engineering, and project management/business needs of the project.
hvaoc 5y ago
Cannot agree with this more. University is a perfect training ground for the real world. Make as many mistakes as you can so can learn from it in an error-friendly ecosystem. Host / Organize or volunteer events best way to work with others, socialize. Establish groups for long rewarding networks. Remember the folks who are walking around your campus are going to go around and take many leadership roles not to far out in the future. If you are in tech, real usefulness of Tech is with the non-tech folks usage pattern. Ex: There are more brains working on ADs than medical imaging. Talk to them, help them apply tech into their workflows. Your simple tech tool can be a significant productivity tool for them. Strike healthy relationships with other genders beyond dating. Helps you relate better with other genders and will help in the future in your personal and professional life.
NiagaraThistle 5y ago
Came here to say basically this. This is great advice.

bradfa 5y ago

I second this, and also look into activity-based clubs (sports, crafts, hobby-interests, drama, music, etc) that your school (or the town/city) might offer. These can be a great way to meet new people outside of your line of study and to have an easy ice-breaker for conversation as it's much easier to make new friends if you have a common interest. They can also offer a great and easy path to leadership. In my experience no one wants to be the club leader so it's easy to step up and be that role which can look great for future employment or as a resume/CV builder.

FooBarBizBazz 5y ago

I would agree with this. Your first goal absolutely has to be that you successfully complete your degree. I know a person who failed to do this, and the results are bad. Finish! However -- most people do. So if you're reasonably conscientious you'll be fine. After that: Work to get an internship every semester you have off (maybe unless you're traveling abroad, as recommended next). You'll make some money; you'll try different things; you'll add to your resume. I would strongly advise against heading off to do a startup immediately. You will be clueless and will not know that you are clueless. Almost nobody should be an entrepreneur. I'm not; you probably shouldn't be. But if you do think that's something you might do, even then -- work in the field first. People like to go "I'm my own boss", but that's a liability. Have some bosses who'll tell you what to do for a few years. Also, consider some study-abroad, as others have suggested. But my final piece of advice would be: Really value the people you meet there. There's a tendency to lose touch with people, to just move on with your life. A tendency to end relationships, to not solve the "two body problem". That's all a serious mistake. If by the end of college you've found someone you really like, marry them.

MisterSandman 5y ago
This is a bit of a gut-punch to read, I just finished half of my degree, and have made virtually no friends. Obviously that is because of deeper social issues I have.
- FooBarBizBazz 5y ago
  Don't feel too bad. You're still young. I'd originally written a long post here, but it was a little too identifiable, so let me just suggest: 1. "Hi, I'm $NAME" goes a long way. 2. So does "hey, anybody want to grab lunch later?" 3. If you cook, "hey, I'm making $WHATEVER" is also a good one. 4. If possible, try a living situation with roommates. It won't solve everything, but it helps a little. 5. People in real life tend to be better than they are on the Internet.

PatentlyDC123 5y ago

LeanderK makes a great point. Social skills and clear communication are extremely valuable. A great way to tie them into your studies is with study groups. Try meeting up at the library or computer lab with different groups from different classes. Meet people outside your field as well. You never know, you might be working on software systems tied directly to an industrial hardware project and it would be helpful to know how your skills fit in with the mechanical, electrical engineering, and project management/business needs of the project.

hvaoc 5y ago

Cannot agree with this more. University is a perfect training ground for the real world. Make as many mistakes as you can so can learn from it in an error-friendly ecosystem. Host / Organize or volunteer events best way to work with others, socialize. Establish groups for long rewarding networks. Remember the folks who are walking around your campus are going to go around and take many leadership roles not to far out in the future. If you are in tech, real usefulness of Tech is with the non-tech folks usage pattern. Ex: There are more brains working on ADs than medical imaging. Talk to them, help them apply tech into their workflows. Your simple tech tool can be a significant productivity tool for them. Strike healthy relationships with other genders beyond dating. Helps you relate better with other genders and will help in the future in your personal and professional life.

NiagaraThistle 5y ago

Came here to say basically this. This is great advice.