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Ask HN: Should I minor in computer science, or work more on side projects?
It's time to pick classes for next semester, and I'm still not exactly sure what to do. I am going for a double major in Physics and Economics, the Elon Musk route (still not sure if I plan on going the full 4 years), and I have thought about also going for a minor in computer science or maybe something else.
If I minored in CS or something, I would want to start down that road now, rather than later. I'm already pretty experienced with programming and computers. I know PHP, Javascript, HTML, and learning Python at the moment. I don't know these extremely well, but I can do anything fairly easily with them if I use Google (by the way, does this count as knowing the language well?)
I always have some sort of side project going, and have tons of ideas floating around in my head that I want to build (not necessarily involving computers). If I minored in CS or something, I would have less time to work on side projects because of increased workload.
Is minoring in CS (or something else you suggest) worth it in this situation? Will I learn anything, and does it mean anything when applying for a job at a startup/other company, especially if I tell them I learned how to program decently on my own?
Thanks!
- benwerd 14y agoYes. Get the CS minor. It means something to a lot of employers, so is worth it for that alone, and you'll probably pick up algorithmic techniques that you might not have thought about. There will be plenty of time for side projects afterwards. (And I'll bet you'll still find some time to build stuff.)
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- gusgordon 14y agoWhat if I don't want to be an engineer? Does that change anything? But thanks for the advice.
- cyrusradfar 14y agoI'd agree w/ @benwerd, I think that an understanding of CS is a helpful background in understanding computing. Think of it as an equivalent of taking US History before practicing law. Although I barely use much of the low level coding that I learned, I find that a deeper understanding is invaluable.
- gusgordon 14y agoWhat if I'm probably not going to be an engineer? Like I'm more interested in the logistics and theory of things.
- cyrusradfar 14y agoEngineers respect people who get engineering. Also, whatever role you are, if you have to decide on planning/prioritization it's helpful to have an understanding if people are bs'ing on time estimates. You can't really understand the complexity of a feature or shift in direction without the computing background.