1. Try to do at least one internship before you graduate. Internships solve the chicken-and-egg problem of entry-level full-time roles requiring experience, s

1. Try to do at least one internship before you graduate. Internships solve the chicken-and-egg problem of entry-level full-time roles requiring experience, since the internship will provide this experience. When I was an undergrad at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the late 2000s, I noticed that most of the students whose first jobs after graduation were at top companies did internships at comparable companies. These students often did interesting work, such as ending up on the Windows and Mac OS X teams, for example. The students who didn’t do internships ended up at less prestigious companies often working on CRUD apps. 2. If you are interested in pursuing a career in computer science research or advanced software development, I’d highly consider minoring in mathematics. Machine learning, which is the rage right now, leans heavily on linear algebra, as well as probability and calculus. Some extra linear algebra, real analysis, and measure theory would be helpful for doing research in ML. In more traditional CS topics, combinatorics, abstract algebra, and category theory will go a long way, especially if you fall in love with programming languages and get deep into the woods of theory. The nice thing about studying mathematics in university is that you’ll have a structured environment for learning. It’s much harder trying to pick up abstract algebra, for example, when you’re working a 9-5 job and when you’re limited to nights and weekends for extra studying. Not minoring in math is the biggest regret that I have. 3. Take advantage of your youth and the resources that your university provides. You never know where life will take you, and you may discover something fascinating that you never considered.