You nailed it! I have been doing this since 23 years old. I am now 64. I had a great career at it. I have coded just for the fun of it. You are correct when you say you have to be driven by it. I can tell you it has got much harder over the years. I spend a lot more time learning than I ever had. If I did not love this I would have retired already. I am still working in my field and find joy in it. Good luck to you...
I have been programming since 10 years old now that i'm 26 and about to be a father my passion for coding for a living has been fading away, maybe it's time to try something different and only code for fun.
@@p19shelt for the past ten years and most likely the next 10 if I regain my passion for it I started with game and web development then slowly moved into making desktop apps and now I make crypto security tools for traders
It's not the main point of this video but . . . The thing is that many people think that CS = Coding only or CS makes you a programmer, just that. So, Studying Computer Science is much more than just programming. I am a network engineer from CS university. Am I a programmer? ofc not. I only know what my field wants me to know and that's it. But in order to be able to choose what I want to do I had to study programming very seriously, did i like it?, nope. Could I skip that? ofc not. Were the first 2.5 years in university that means those classes was mandatory for everyone. But higher goals need some higher sacrifices. Don't forget, nowadays EVERYTHING needs some code in it. Even if you are CS student, even if you are Electrical or Electronic Engineering student, etc. Also, nowadays if you don't love CS in general and you like only the aspect of programing you don't need to spend 4 or 5 years in a college or a university, you can learn yourself and get a very good job. There are too many companies that look at projects rather than a developer's degree and that's a fact. If your only goal is programming you don't need college, all you need is discipline, time, good study and a lot of practice. So, Computer Science studies cover a wide range of subjects and skills: 1. Algorithms and Data Structures: These are the foundations of CS. Programming is just a TOOL used to implement and test algorithms. 2. Computer Theory: This area looks at the limits of what computers can and cannot do. It involves understanding the mathematical foundations of algorithms and computation. 3. Operating Systems: Here we learn how computers manage resources and communicate with each other. This knowledge is essential to understanding the infrastructure behind the internet and the applications we use every day. 4. Information Security: This field deals with protecting data and systems from attacks and breaches. It includes cryptography, security networks and ethical issues (AND MATH!). 5. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: These areas look at how we can build systems that can "learn" from data and make decisions. 6. Software Development and Software Engineering: These areas focus on the methodologies and tools used to design, develop and maintain large and complex software systems. 7. Databases: The management and analysis of large volumes of data is critical in many areas of industry and science. 8. Computer networks: This field deals with how computers communicate and connect with each other through various networking technologies. It includes an understanding of network protocols, network topologies and network security (AND WAY MORE MATH). 9. Mathematics: Mathematics is fundamental to Computer Science. They are used in many areas such as algorithms, computational theory, cryptography, modeling and data analysis. Mathematics provides the basis for understanding and developing theories and technologies in Computer Science. 10. and more. Beyond Programming: Programming is important and fundamental, but it is only one piece of the puzzle. Studying Computer Science provides the skills and knowledge to solve complex problems, design new technologies and improve processes in the world around us. At the end of the day, we all have to follow our passion but with logic and discipline~
That was great, I am an electronics and communication student I love coding a lot. I made many projects on my own. The problem is no one recognises my work.
@@AshwithRai-qs8ob Yeap, that's true. People tend to divide these fields such as "electronic or electrical engineer is the same as technicians" or what so ever, or "CS degree = repairing pcs" or something. Your field is difficult and needs a lot of parts from different sciences such as math, cs, physics, etc., especially in comms or telecoms witch are parts of my field. Keep studying and working with a discipline and I'm sure you will ACE them and try not to care about of what the others think about your work, you know better yourself and what you're going through~
Thing is most folks who don't like coding don't like most of these related things Data structure and algorithm is not even coding and he didn't like it. I can't imagine how many on this list will irritate him
I had the inverse happen to me with pre-med. i finished every pre-med pre-req and the realized i dont wanna be a doctor. Since then, ive been a programmer and love every second of it. Youll figure it out. Best of luck!
By the end of my pre-reqs, i realized that a large amount of time you spend as a physician will be memorizing percentages and ranges of different metrics. Sure, you of course engage with problem solving when doing diagnosis, but it's far more time spent reading and memorizing numbers than solving problems. I found that medicine is far less learning by doing and more learning by memorization. With programming on the other side, I am constantly building things. Trying out solutions, refactoring those solutions, and in the process, learning by doing. For me, I felt it far more natural and fulfilling to build projects and build things than it was to deduce what might be causing an issue in a patient given ranges, and then prescribe a treatment. I'd rather being deducing a problem in a codebase, and then building the solution itself.
One aspect that I have been missing on the programming side that I am trying to facilitate, is the sense of helping another person. That is something that is really compelling and powerful about medicine. But I've been making side hustles and business ideas to do just that with programming.
I graduated with a computer engineering degree in 2022. I loved computer hardware and built computers since I was in middle school. Once I graduated the only jobs that I could find in my area were software engineering jobs. I've been in the industry for 2 1/2 years and working on a computer all day has killed me. I don't think I'm fit for the software engineering world but I have no clue where else to go so I'm here. 😕
I produced music for 15 years, but ultimately the validation stopped coming and the desire to create disappeared entirely. I simply didn't enjoy it in the way I'd tried to convince myself I did. Now I'm developing the video game idea that's been kicking around my head all that time, and I feel like this is my actual purpose. It's even motivated me to create music for it.
6 years in the corporate developer world - I still only "sorta" like it - I cannot at all stand the workplace culture. Life feels... horrible and inhumane being in an office politics environment. It's not just the occasional stress or harassment, just the entire thing inherently is foreign and unsustainable. I can compare it to hiking 15-20 miles on the weekends, such a social group hike is phenomenally more energizing and authentic. The social part is so terrible I've been doing my own contract work the past 2 years and still feel a massive dred at the memories of being in an office environment, particularly from the not-so-social aspects that feel like a massive waste of time, waste of civilization to be some polarized and limited in perspectives of modern paradigms lacking fanaticism to truly speak from within. Drinking and distracting on the weekends to compensate for such a void of human nature and expression in an exploitation and economic slavery covered up in facades of productive grind and "is what it is (do not question it, do not engage human potential to remain curious and more driven to seek proper meaning and authenticity)." I wouldn't mind designing my own app entirely though that could align with enhancing how our subconscious habits work on an individual level and gradually guiding us towards goals we actually want to achieve.
Coding in corporate is feels so off compared to making that side project, that homework assignment with your mates, or your own solution, a product. I will never do corporate software engineering or anything programming related ever again. As you said, it is not sustainable and feels fucking inhumane. For me, it was going through loops and so many unnecessary office politics, to get a single line change or even refactoring changes.
Hey man, my passion for computer science is almost the opposite to yours but this was still a good watch. No idea why it popped up on my recommended but glad it did. Cool to get the other perspective :) Hope you find something that truly makes you passionate.
Any focused discipline in CS, hardware engineering, cloud platforms, coding, etc. will be a constant life of evolution. If you want to be competitive in the market, if you want to stay relevant and acquire decent paying jobs, you will always have to be learning on your private time while you try and apply your skill set at work. Young single people may have the freedom to this but they will get burned out quickly. What you might learn today will likely be irrelevant inside 5 years. It's a roller coaster.
Nah, programming languages are very similar and systems work the way they've always worked. I've been programming python and Javascript for 10 years mostly. The job market is tough and the interviews are a joke but once you get that job is chill and hopefully remote
@@ragnork645 It's sort of ridiculous, imo, to learn many different languages, especially if they all have similar syntax. Like you said programing languages all work pretty similar - so if I have, for example, 3 years of Java experience, that should translate pretty smoothly to a C# job - of course they have their own nuances, but it's all the same at the end of the day. Personally, I try to keep fluent in multiple languages that have a somewhat distinct syntax - right now, that looks like C#, Python, and recently Ruby.
I remember when I started as a programmer in 2014, AngularJS (v1) was all the rage. There was a large body of knowledge one had to learn in order to use this framework effectively. Today, this is a deprecated, dead framework that nobody uses. Just an example of how technology changes and you have to keep learning new things to stay relevant.
For CS these days you don't have to go to college or university. If I'm in 1st world countries, I'd just learn everything I wanted from books, RUclips, and then do real DIY projects for a few years before applying to any college. Wish you the best man.
I’ll challenge this by saying that everything productive in life requires enduring things you do not enjoy. If you choose to pursue medicine, you will still find yourself in lectures and textbooks that you neither enjoy nor understand. You will never change the world if you’re always changing your mind. I know so many people these days that get stuck jumping between professional pursuits because they quit as soon as they need to learn anything that can’t be captured in the form of TikToks.
Yes the system needs to change. It's not about not understanding not enjoying the lectures, it's about finding no purpose behind it. This system is focused on quantity over quality. system is unnecessarily stretched, with irrelevant subjects to fill up the time. That time should have been allocated for practical learning which is the real way of learning. "Don't make mistakes", "don't change your minds" "stick to one thing because that's how life is" no it isn't. System is the way it is because of people laziness that will just comply with anything they are told to do. What a mindwashed society
@ The fact that it takes thousands of hours of learning to be a master at something is not a “system”, its reality. The education system is not perfect, but even if it was, it wouldn’t remove mental strain from the process of mastery. I think the current approach to education too often starts with the solution instead of the problem, e.g. explaining good design patterns for building software before the student has attempted to build software without good design patterns. It’s not surprising that many students find the solution pointless when they have never encountered the problem. So I agree that education should start more practically, but in many fields like software engineering and medicine you will eventually need to get into the more abstract aspects of the field, and this is where most people give up.
I think for some people, a love of learning is needed or even a desire for consistent challenge. Computer Science is a field of constant innovation, new ideas, technology and techniques, which force you to always improve. Eventually you get to a point of knowing so much, that you can decipher anything new. Im an AI major currently and i love it.
I recently left CS too. I switched to MIS (Management Information Systems) and I couldn't be happier. I still love computers and tech but the pain of CS is not worth it.
I’m currently majoring in Data Science but considering switching to that or Cybersecurity. These math and programming classes are taking everything out of me
Honestly might've figured this out about myself recently. I don't think I'm really enjoying computer science anymore. The complexity of it just turns me away from it. I think IT might be my best bet as well/ I can still work with computers and technology just not overly abstracted and confusing.
@@littlejoestar4 Math can actually be cool to learn though when applied to things you like. Maybe switch to a stats major and take only the relevant programming classes you want. If you don't like data sci or cs its unlikely youd enjoy cybersec. Learning something traditional like stats is still hard but far more straightforward than a million scatterbrained buzzwords, frameworks, leetcode grinds, testing, arbitrary projects etc. Learning stats is actually cool cause you can go into finance/insurance, pharmaceuticals, clinical trials, study design, research consulting, casinos/gaming, etc. You can even do more applied specific cs stuff if you want like machine learning. Learning "cs" is overrated because it is largely a shallow survey of many completely different topics. Whereas in math things will build upon each other based on the domain you chose (like stats). I say this as someone who studied cs but wish I had more depth in stats.
You're right, i've loved programming since i was 12. I graduated with a Computer Science Degree and considered getting a Masters/PHD but decided to go the entrepreneurial route instead. You gotta do what you love especially in STEM fields. I love all of it man. Great advice, I hope you can find what you love too man.
i also gradudated with a computer science degree and knew programming wasn't for me. But with a computer science degree, i was able to easily land an IT job doing IT/desktop/network support back in the 90's and 2000's. IT is a big field: IT support, IT project management, database administer, network administrator, cybersecurity, data scientist etc. Computer science is not just for programming or software developer. Why didn't you pivot to other IT field? Computer science opens the door for me.
Too many people are going into computer science for money or for jobs when the path was always for only passionate people. There’s many careers that don’t necessarily require such passion but generally stem related careers require passion because STEM was always created by passionate people.
I work with people who somehow cheated their way through comp six or barely made it. They apply theoretical comp sci and over engineered concepts to simple practical problems. They also implement those poorly and don’t unit test well. They over emphasize their degree when challenged by self taught but experienced devs. These guys are in this for the money.
great video bro. our education system should have basic wisdom like this covered from day 1 in high school. it's insane how disconnected new and old money is.
I have a list of multiple private projects, cs still wasn't for me. Also for some reason, the teaching quality wasn't that good back when I was in uni. Maybe it was because it was hard to get the skilled people when back then FAANG was on a hiring spree. Your questions are good. Back then, I intentionally tried to settle, because I didn't believe, I could make it in the stuff that I really wanted to do, but also, I knew I could still drop it midway, hoping to have become good at cs in the meanwhile.
Go plant lettuce. Everytime I'm done with coding or studying (like, I give up for today). I go outside and start working in the garden. Then again, I just love computer science and I'm no longer working, I just study for the fun of it.
i too was enticed by the alure that is the computer science/software engineer. Took me 10 years after high school to get a degree in cybersecurity pivoting from what I knew I couldn't stand to do (coding). don't feel like your time was wasted, most if not all of us have done the same - trying to follow some path that isn't meant for us. Best of luck in whatever you decide to do - you can make a big impact with people in software engineering, health care, and everything else if that's your intent. Follow your passion - that's what I did 😁
Your questions just made me like CS even more! I was expecting a slap in the face for choosing something so early on, and guess not. Hopefully you can understand my comment, but I'm still a young guy, and choosing a career path is NOT easy as it seems. Once you begin to question yourself and go through the roots, it's truly scary, but when the questions kept coming they didn't seem like a nightmare. It even made me more motivated and possibly find more joy in it.
You're too young for a cubicle job. Go climb the highest mountains. Work onboard ship and travel to the continents. Meet exciting, adventurous young people and live.
@@tidjane2001 You have to live and work as you travel. When you find a job, you work until you have the money you need to move on to your next destination. This type of living is called adventure, with misadventure not far behind. It's not safe or sure, but it beats being a young debt slave in a cubicle being irradiated. Working on board ship is one way to earn money and travel. Climb the mountain in your life. There's plenty of time when you're 40, to dream of the life you never had.
The job market has become garbage for CS too lately in the past few years with what seems like nearly half a billion in competition with the current remote roles. I've had a few roles in it - the CS workplace has hilariously leaned away from the usual solo / introvert focus and keeps getting more and more extroverted, non-stop meetings, and nuerodiverse thinking less acceptable. It went...mainstream (perhaps woke too).
I can completely relate to the intro of this video. I too have been in college for quite some time and have switched majors once, almost twice, and just decided computer science was for me. But recently I have been thinking and realized that I don't think I genuinely enjoy what computer science is. I enjoyed the early programming assignments as I could understand them easily and they were simple. But the more I get into it I realize I don't enjoy the deep abstract complexity of it and it just scares and upsets me rather than amping me up. At this point I'm starting to feel as if IT might be the path for me. Be it cybersecurity or system administration. I can still work with computer and technology, but not the in-depth science part of it. Don't get me wrong I know these aren't easy, but they don't involve the deep abstractness of software development and the like, and I think that is what is going to be best for me. Either way its nice to see I'm not alone and I wish you the best on your personal journey.
Those are some great questions. I realized that I enjoyed creating programs/apps and scripts but in my own terms and at my own pace (I made some nice projects to far). If I turn this programming passion into a job, I would probably lose the interest and actually it could become a nuisance. Programming as a job is much more demanding and stressful than a mere hobby. People need to realize that you really have to put a lot of effort even outside your working hours just to stay up to date. Basically are you ready to stay even more hours in front of a screen or reading programming books besides your working hours and potentially ruining your eyes, wrists and back? Also you must provide value every day at the job. You don't have the luxury to take long breaks and wait for inspiration to come.
Hey, I stopped the video at 1:31. Because what you said in that first min resonated so hard with me. I had the SAME experience but with Mechanical Engineering. I chose to stick it out and graduate but it was rough. Thankfully I realized you can switch directions, you can fin something you're passionate about for me, it was CompSci. Specifically Machine Learning. But I totally get how that wasn't what you wanted to do. Hang in there!
1. I definitely enjoy learning about algorithms; at least, I’ve called it cool on multiple occasions 2. All the time ñ. Especially when I was a coupon years younger. I really tried pushing through some difficult concepts 3. I like socializing, in moderation 4. They’re probably the reason I was first interested/exposed, but they haven’t pushed anything on me beyond that 5. Not in college just yet Thanks for the questions, but I’m not sure how much they help: “Don’t lie to yourself” - easier said than done, sadly
Interesting perspective! I have questioned both medicine and Computer Science but I think doing both in a hybridized way seems to be my path forward-much like getting an Interdisciplinary degree would
same here bro.... currently brute forcing my way through a Information Systems degree... between the saturated market and the boring and difficult nature of coding, I just feel so lost. Quitting is not really an option, but after college I just have no plan involving coding whatsoever... any way, I'm considering changing fields via postgrad or maybe a second major.... it's so complicated, but watching this felt conforting, thanks !
Learning to code is never a bad decision and will be a huge benefit in many non-coding careers. Whether its automating a manual task using a python script, or understanding in general how computers work, it will be a benefit to you. Just remember no matter what path you choose from here, you didn't "waste" your time.
If you find coding boring then a job as a programmer is going to be hell. What you can do is switch into management or product owner or scrum master, etc.
You do definitely need to enjoy coding. I never understand people who only get into programming for the money. Glad to hear you are being honest with yourself. I hope you find your passion.
I did the same thing with art. I practiced drawing and painting for 4 years, leanring about perspective, lighting, proportion, anatomy, color. Avoided things that came naturally difficult to me like math, people skills, etc. I kind of used art as an excuse to not engage in those things at all, and it really took a toll on my mental state. But eventually, i just releaized creating art didnt make me happy. It was very hard, time consuming, mentally draining, and didnt even pay that well. Now im in a totally non creative job (working in I.T.) and i love it. Its all logical problem solving with clear win conditions. Plus i get to talk to people and practice my social skills. Im also looking to hop into a slightly more cs related role where i can do some scripting for automation purposes. But im weary of getting caught up in a totally non social role where im just slaving away at my keyboard and not talking to or seeing any humans for days or weeks at a time.
I'm in IT without computer science degree. I really love coding, and always had. Getting formal education has a lot of downsides for me and that's why I never pursued it.
@@DudethatGross Not strictly math, it is as name suggests, science about computers which does include a lot of math. Im just trying to point out that many people believe they need college degree to join IT. Then they may see its not for them
@ I would say time, for some people time may be invested better into something else. But its all subjective, formal education isn’t for everyone .And no, if you fail, you are not lazy or stupid or unworthy. You just didn’t make the right choice for you. I think its very important that we stop the mantra that college is be-all end-all.
How do I explain that it’s not the work itself that’s bothering. But it’s the people who are teaching it that make it such an outrageous coursework? Like the math is interesting when you take the time to do it speak through it. The programming part of “oh I did this myself behold my creations!” But these professors are clearly people only motivated by 💵. Their resumes/experience gives it away as all they’ve done is hashed out their ph.d and then doubled down into some university for years on end. They don’t seem to be interested at all in cultivating the progress of the field despite their research being marked up as prestigious.
This is actually a very reasonable advice. I hope you find as soon as possible something that gives you enough joy to endure the inevitable hard moments on your upcoming professional life.
Glad you found out what you want a do. Completely opposite of you, didn't even bother with a degree, started when I was 8 from accidentally right clicking a script and recognizing I could make a computer do my bidding. Programming is just a tool - I don't even like it, it's obtuse; but you do what you have to, and now work a senior position amongst PhDs 22 years later. I think it'd be useful for everyone to be able to manipulate the machines around them, regardless of their real passion.
Hey man! Try to get a look at paramedics, they're probably what you're looking for! I went into CS with the exact reasons you mentioned amd dropped 1 year after my undergraduate program. The status of paramedics,( just generally those working in the EMS field) the nobility and courageousness it takes to fullfil this role is so what i was looking for, and just thought I'd let you know into thinking about it since i felt related to your issue. Thanks!
when u go into computer science class, ur the one that makes it computer science class when u arrive in the room, not the computer science class doing it to you.
Only you can make this decision, but as someone who dedicated the first decade to a helping profession (Human Services) all I can say is follow the money. Get the least stressful job that pays the most. A job is a job. You do it to sustain your family and your interests outside of work. That’s where your fulfillment truly comes from. I struggled with the decision to transition away from the helping professions because I thought leaving was tantamount to abandoning my calling. I made a transition to Tech two and a half years ago and only regret not doing it earlier. Passion and Fulfillment comes from within. Not from labor.
After finishing computer science for a long time. I feel you, this degree is not for everyone. (Technically not every degree is for everyone) That's why you have to look at yourself first before diving to it. I like programming and some of my classmates are fun. So it gives some kind of motivation. I like doing things computer related. CS is technically just formalization of my computer knowledge. But if you don't like it don't force yourself. And change degree.
I've been coding since I was 8, now professionally since 25 at an academic lab - no degree. This is just what happens when you chase things for money not passion. You usually see happen with gamers who think they want to make a game. I don't even like programming, it's obtuse; I just gotta get things done. I'd rather be a wizard casting spells if I had the power.
@@GRAYgauss Same reason behind all the cs students saying the market is terrible and that its impossible to get a job. Its not hard to find a job but alot of students do bare minimum and expect it to be enough, not actually enjoying what they are learning.
CS is funny man. Studying it, having it as a hobby, working at a tech corp, working at your own game studio, solving medical or societal issues with your knowledge, these are all super different from each other. Some hard, some easy, some fun some boring. Here is my list of pros and cons after having studied at a hardcore uni with a lot of theory as well as practicals, and 2 years of work experience. PROS - problem solving skills improve greatly - you can solve so many small / large problems with CS knowledge - creativity required most of the time - working from anywhere possible - remote work saves so much time (commute mostly, and not having to stay in an office 8 hours) - Passive income possibility: you could make your own SaaS, your own video game, your own solutions for businesses - easy to combine with many other aspects of work or life - entry level knowledge is a basic skill for most nowadays and widely taught, becoming mainstream - can be super fun, and interesting CONS - you spend so much of your limited time on this earth looking at pixels on a screen... - eye strain possible - posture problems possible - feeling the pressure or having to: keep up with trends - disconnected from the world and reality (as mentioned in the video) - requires abstract thinking and intuition, which can burn you out if overused - likely cubicle job if not remote - your coworkers might not have the best social skills, as engineering and science tends to attract introverted / ND people (me included) - can be super boring - can be isolating if you work solo
In Taiwan we say you need to be talented to study computer science. While electrical engineering you need to work hard for long hours. But I believe hard work can beat talent. Lot of people study EE in undergrad and then go for CS in grad school. IMO I think EE is harder than CS at least in undergrad. Studying EE is great for a solid foundation. But remember to take some CS elective to be qualified as MS candidate.
To tell the truth, I'm studying IT(related to CS) because I wanna become a hacktivist and fight institutional & govt sponsored corruption on the part of the world where I live(🇹🇿). But incredibly, it was my bro that convinced me to go into IT due to my stutter 😂 😢😢
IDK why this video found me, I'm not doing this at university even tho I'd be good at it. But I will say this: if you're doing this to be away from people? My dad just spent the last 25 years managing people like that. They're the first fired. CompSci is driven by people. Most hard sciences are. If you're a curmudgeon you will weird everyone out. Maybe develop that social muscle and learn to take rejection first. Also as an Xray/MRI Tech you get to work with computers. it may be a good pivot for you, Drew. Also much more introvert friendly lol
my advice to you is think where you can earn enough money there easiest. by easiest i mean what you find easy so its a combination of motivated, not hard and with good work conditions. It sounds like you are not motivated by coding, so that is hard to you. when does contributing feel easy? My second advice is that studying is not similar to having a job in the same education. find a job you like and get the education even if its hard. 3rd advice: when you find what you want then interview 3 persons that is experts or it already doing it. It will give you valuable information!
Thank you for the video man. You speak in a very coherent and comprehensive manner. I feel like you'd do great in a socially interactive field because you have great communication skills and a desire to help others. Whatever you do I'm sure it will turn out great. Let me tell you, I feel the same as you in many ways. Sucks to have wasted so much of your early 20s. I'm 24yo, probably around your age, and chose not to go to college. I only have a few jobs under my resume experience, but one of them was on IT. I managed to land it thanks to a bootcamp and some online courses I took. I ended up quitting that IT job after a year because I was pretty burned out. And honestly the questions you mentioned on your video made me think what I really want to do. I want to try programming, see if I like it. One thing I learned in IT and technology in general is that there is a lot of different positions and specializations. Some of them might not be for you, and some might he exactly what you were hoping to find. The technology industry is ever changing, and not every job is the same. That's why I feel a sense of reassurance. Knowing that if I ever get tired of A, I can always try B. Data Science, Game Programming, Front-Back-Fullstack Developer, Network Specialist, Cybersecurity, HR, Project or SCRUM Manager, Database Admin, AI and Machine Learning Specialist, Dev Ops, SysAdmin, and many more. A world of opportunities is in your hands when it comes to technology, and I think that's a point worth mentioning.
When people ask me, "what skill do I need to succeed in CS?". I surprise a lot of them by saying, the CS degree is a lifetime journey, and your core competency is going to be your ability to learn......forever. The number one mistake I constantly see is "I'm learning this new technology--I don't think I'll be seeing that old stuff by the time I get out there in the field". That statement is never not hilarious to me.
I switched from working on film crews to making video games over the years. I just didn't have the same passion for film/video & editing as I do for programming and game dev. You gotta love what you do or you won't wanna do it. There's plenty of other things out there, but everything comes with a sacrifice.
Respect, as a straight backend dev I tend to resent people who start programming to make a game - knowing most will give up before they take the 3rd step after riding the manic wave. I've made a few game engines, but I'll never be interested in game design/tuning. I just like mechanical things. Professionally I'm involved in molecular dynamic simulations, which is more in line with what I like doing.
I'd caution you against heading towards MD (or any very long-term program) at this time, as you seem uncertain what you want to do. Becoming a doctor requires doing pre-med requirements, four years of medical school, and three to seven years of residency. Unless you're sure you want to do that and are willing to stick through the training, don't start down that path.
At least you realized early on. I dropped out 15 years ago from CS, but i never studied anything else in academic circles now its kinda late .... ironacally some fileds of CS offers solutions for this problem, no collage degree possible carier path. You are lucky man, study what you love, most peope dont get to find that.
Data Structures (CS321) is an easy exam - I learned a lot by memorizing -- Everything can be learned :))) My advice to you: 1. If you do not understand something in programming - learn it without understanding it - later you will understand it - the important thing is to get the exam :) 2. Study mathematics (teaching field) and teach in a school - this is what I would like to do :) I studied computer science, but I enjoyed mathematics more than computer science in college. College is theory, practice is practice. I do not like the work of a programmer in the professional field. Before I went to study Computer Science, I programmed my own things. The problem was that I missed public confirmation, school, college exams in programming. Now I program computer games for myself for free in UNITY and I am happy that I graduated in Computer Science. Programming is my hobby. It is about your inner feeling - if you do not miss computer science, then it is OK if you will never program anything again in your life. But, if you will, you will still remember that you once studied computer science and - you did not finish your studies :)))
The idea of "do I really like programming or do i enjoy solving complex problems" hit me like a crazy. That is the good formulated sentence. And now i dont really know... I guess i just like to use my brain and building some things, isnt it the same?
Tbh I feel as if most people just want to do startups. With the evolution of the tech industry, many people are trying to figure out a way to break the cycle and be successful. Unfortunately, the tech industry nowadays is more of a monopoly and people also tend to forget that marketing plays a huge role in a startup's success.
There are so many paths in tech, I think people get so focused on the software development aspect. There are paths that benefit from computer science knowledge but arent direct coding jobs: frontend/ui/ux designers, project manager, tech sales, tech support / IT, etc. Don't limit yourself to just being a code monkey if that isn't what you really desire.
College is a very expensive way to get job training. But for the right professional degree (CS, engineering, accounting, etc) or a pre-professional degree (going for MD, JD, MBA), it's okay. But otherwise a trade school and apprenticeship is a great way to get a well-paying job. Electricians, plumbers, welders, etc. do very well. Mechanic is a difficult field today but very interesting.
TLDR; got in for the promised 6fig salary, realized it actually takes a little bit of effort to make it in the field now that it's overcrowded by people like him, gave up on fuckin data structures of all things, still could manage to do 6 years of college for nothing thanks to dads money. God normies really are a special a breed.
To be a good engineer or computer scientist, you have to have it in your veins from childhood, luckily I got into computers as a teen when not one person in the entire world could own their own computer, I would have to become an engineer working for several years before owning a computer became practical, I wanted a workstation. Today every computer even a Pi is more powerful than all the real workstations I used in most of my career. Long retired I still spend most of my time coding away for the thrill of building something that isn't easy to explain. I suspect the whole thing of STEM and teaching all kids to do coding was really a mistake. People will find their own passion for something sooner or later.
I’d caution against “in your veins from childhood” statements. Maybe some form of algorithmic thinking or abstraction is present early on, but everyone has to wrap their head around programming language syntax and design patterns. I would hate for people to be dissuaded from pursuing computer science because they took a class on object oriented design in Java and it didn’t make sense to them immediately, so they assumed “It’s not in my veins”.
i hate it , tbh I hate university overall, but here i am 3rd year and about to pass this sh1t hole and be free. my struggle wasn't with hard course but with the theater religion and fuckin psychology class like tf + I'm donno why I'm even doin it just because it's 3 year and my parents will leave me alone ig. it's even too late to switch because unlike u ig my parents don't have unlimited amount of money
Two points... my answer to those questions is all yes... also, nothing you did was real software engineering, I think personally, you're just spinning your wheels trying to get a degree... instead of working on a personal project that will be far more valuable to you to learn from and financially either to get a job, or make a product out of. School won't teach you real software engineering, because real software engineering is as hard, if not harder, then regular old mechanical engineering... if you don't think like an Engineer already you're not going to have any fun with software engineering, unless your plan is just to be a cog in the machine making whatever website stuff forever... and hey making website backends is stupid easy... so you can make good money just doing that, but it's not ~really~ software engineering... It's really just marketing, but marketers are too lazy to learn to code, so they pay you to do it.
The reality is that if your going into computer science for a anti social job your going to be greatly disapointed. Any professional career is all about communication with clients, company, ect. If your job can exist without any social requirement to a company your job can be contracted out over seas.
As a maths major, I've always found csc courses easy. This is the same for most of my classmates I'm not saying it's causation, but if you're not good at solving maths or you hate it. There's a high chance you will find common programming and anything algorithmic annoying.
So now you just start something, do something, maybe it works out, maybe not? You completely gave up on thinking ahead on what you would like to do and maybe deepen the thoughts of what that would be like later on? And if something is hard just give up?
I think people need to try the things more before they commit to paying money for a degree. The internet is a free place and if you're really passionate about something you can learn about it. Theres also always the opportunity to get minor less significant jobs in different industries just to see what it's like or even try volunteering! Idk the way that university/college was sold to me and others as teens felt so wrong. Its only when you live in the working world that you really can get the bigger picture.
as someone who is the exact opposite of you, I respect you a lot for this video. I mean this with absolutely no disrespect, but I hate seeing people that could not care less about computers wanting to getinto the field just because of the promise of a flashy salary (usually isn't the case to begin with) and working from home (where you can do a lot of different jobs working from home not just SWE)
Re: working from home, I figured CS would be the ideal major since I was already into programming and could work from home (+ MDD + very introverted). Only to realize that studying and working from home make my depression worse and I feel a lot better just passively being around people, seeing familiar faces, being perceived by others etc. It really helps. So, just something to consider. I know the whole "humans are social creatures" stuff sounds like BS because I used to think that too, but ime it's true even though I'm generally asocial. And like you said, that's a dumbass reason to choose CS when a lot of other fields also allow working from home.
So tru I did a coding bootcamp , it repelled me as I had no intrinsic interest in coding and so I cinvinced myself that it would click one day , I learnt nothing in 1 month then bailed like you
It's good you know what you want, and it's good to think about it, but consider that a class is not indicative of the field. There are so many influencing factors, among which who is teaching it. There are some absolutely great teachers out there, but there are also absolutely horrible ones, where you leave class more confused than before.
You weren't in CIS 95-2005. I never quit CS, I walked off campus from having forced COBOL on me and other bs. There's a difference. I was ahead of my time, waiting for tech I now see, such as Rust and Zig and Go, etc. But you need an angle, a focus, a personal battle. Do you become a JS or AI lemming? Those web devs, many of them simply played the game and actually don't have systems knowledge. So, but you need a take otherwise your hands are off the wheel. I see alot of people in IT that shouldn't be there, but they fit inside the corporate mindset.
Dawg I gottta say: If you keep looking for something you enjoy then you will never get anything finished. What your really lacking is your why factor. Why should I stick through this boring lecture? Why would I sit down and spend hours building this app? Why, why, why? If you keep looking for things you enjoy. What happens when you eventually reach a difficult part in the very thing you claim to enjoy. What then? Are you gonna quit again? Switch majors? And don't get me started about how much effort it takes to become a doctor with all those grueling nights studying. lastly, don't say you enjoy helping others and thats why you want to quit. You can help people by building software. Too lazy too keep typing but i'm sure you got the idea
It's not important to actually create something, but you have to just actually like it. Why would you waste your life on anything you don't like? Money? Pfft gonna live a sad life.
You nailed it! I have been doing this since 23 years old. I am now 64. I had a great career at it. I have coded just for the fun of it. You are correct when you say you have to be driven by it. I can tell you it has got much harder over the years. I spend a lot more time learning than I ever had. If I did not love this I would have retired already. I am still working in my field and find joy in it. Good luck to you...
If you were to go back in time, would you do an easier job like IT and code as a hobby instead?
I have been programming since 10 years old now that i'm 26 and about to be a father my passion for coding for a living has been fading away, maybe it's time to try something different and only code for fun.
@MuhammadHosny0 but did you even try a job for coding?
@@p19shelt for the past ten years and most likely the next 10 if I regain my passion for it
I started with game and web development then slowly moved into making desktop apps and now I make crypto security tools for traders
I just read the first two sentences. And thought you been to collage 41 years…
It's not the main point of this video but . . .
The thing is that many people think that CS = Coding only or CS makes you a programmer, just that. So, Studying Computer Science is much more than just programming. I am a network engineer from CS university. Am I a programmer? ofc not. I only know what my field wants me to know and that's it. But in order to be able to choose what I want to do I had to study programming very seriously, did i like it?, nope.
Could I skip that? ofc not. Were the first 2.5 years in university that means those classes was mandatory for everyone. But higher goals need some higher sacrifices. Don't forget, nowadays EVERYTHING needs some code in it. Even if you are CS student, even if you are Electrical or Electronic Engineering student, etc. Also, nowadays if you don't love CS in general and you like only the aspect of programing you don't need to spend 4 or 5 years in a college or a university, you can learn yourself and get a very good job. There are too many companies that look at projects rather than a developer's degree and that's a fact. If your only goal is programming you don't need college, all you need is discipline, time, good study and a lot of practice.
So, Computer Science studies cover a wide range of subjects and skills:
1. Algorithms and Data Structures: These are the foundations of CS. Programming is just a TOOL used to implement and test algorithms.
2. Computer Theory: This area looks at the limits of what computers can and cannot do. It involves understanding the mathematical foundations of algorithms and computation.
3. Operating Systems: Here we learn how computers manage resources and communicate with each other. This knowledge is essential to understanding the infrastructure behind the internet and the applications we use every day.
4. Information Security: This field deals with protecting data and systems from attacks and breaches. It includes cryptography, security networks and ethical issues (AND MATH!).
5. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: These areas look at how we can build systems that can "learn" from data and make decisions.
6. Software Development and Software Engineering: These areas focus on the methodologies and tools used to design, develop and maintain large and complex software systems.
7. Databases: The management and analysis of large volumes of data is critical in many areas of industry and science.
8. Computer networks: This field deals with how computers communicate and connect with each other through various networking technologies. It includes an understanding of network protocols, network topologies and network security (AND WAY MORE MATH).
9. Mathematics: Mathematics is fundamental to Computer Science. They are used in many areas such as algorithms, computational theory, cryptography, modeling and data analysis. Mathematics provides the basis for understanding and developing theories and technologies in Computer Science.
10. and more.
Beyond Programming:
Programming is important and fundamental, but it is only one piece of the puzzle. Studying Computer Science provides the skills and knowledge to solve complex problems, design new technologies and improve processes in the world around us.
At the end of the day, we all have to follow our passion but with logic and discipline~
That was great, I am an electronics and communication student I love coding a lot. I made many projects on my own. The problem is no one recognises my work.
@@AshwithRai-qs8ob Yeap, that's true. People tend to divide these fields such as "electronic or electrical engineer is the same as technicians" or what so ever, or "CS degree = repairing pcs" or something.
Your field is difficult and needs a lot of parts from different sciences such as math, cs, physics, etc., especially in comms or telecoms witch are parts of my field.
Keep studying and working with a discipline and I'm sure you will ACE them and try not to care about of what the others think about your work, you know better yourself and what you're going through~
My mentor studied EE in undergrad and MS then researching ML things in PhD. He’s a MLE in Silicon Valley.
EE, CE, CS are highly related
@@bigbao9843 Nowadays - EE, CE, CS, witch all include math, physics etc. - are related / needed to almost everything.
Thing is most folks who don't like coding don't like most of these related things
Data structure and algorithm is not even coding and he didn't like it. I can't imagine how many on this list will irritate him
I had the inverse happen to me with pre-med. i finished every pre-med pre-req and the realized i dont wanna be a doctor. Since then, ive been a programmer and love every second of it.
Youll figure it out. Best of luck!
May I ask why you didnt like the pre-med route? I am in the programming side and I am considering on switching to the med field like he mentioned.
By the end of my pre-reqs, i realized that a large amount of time you spend as a physician will be memorizing percentages and ranges of different metrics. Sure, you of course engage with problem solving when doing diagnosis, but it's far more time spent reading and memorizing numbers than solving problems. I found that medicine is far less learning by doing and more learning by memorization.
With programming on the other side, I am constantly building things. Trying out solutions, refactoring those solutions, and in the process, learning by doing. For me, I felt it far more natural and fulfilling to build projects and build things than it was to deduce what might be causing an issue in a patient given ranges, and then prescribe a treatment. I'd rather being deducing a problem in a codebase, and then building the solution itself.
One aspect that I have been missing on the programming side that I am trying to facilitate, is the sense of helping another person. That is something that is really compelling and powerful about medicine. But I've been making side hustles and business ideas to do just that with programming.
same although i realized in sophmore year uni.
I graduated with a computer engineering degree in 2022. I loved computer hardware and built computers since I was in middle school. Once I graduated the only jobs that I could find in my area were software engineering jobs. I've been in the industry for 2 1/2 years and working on a computer all day has killed me. I don't think I'm fit for the software engineering world but I have no clue where else to go so I'm here. 😕
I produced music for 15 years, but ultimately the validation stopped coming and the desire to create disappeared entirely. I simply didn't enjoy it in the way I'd tried to convince myself I did. Now I'm developing the video game idea that's been kicking around my head all that time, and I feel like this is my actual purpose. It's even motivated me to create music for it.
6 years in the corporate developer world - I still only "sorta" like it - I cannot at all stand the workplace culture. Life feels... horrible and inhumane being in an office politics environment. It's not just the occasional stress or harassment, just the entire thing inherently is foreign and unsustainable. I can compare it to hiking 15-20 miles on the weekends, such a social group hike is phenomenally more energizing and authentic. The social part is so terrible I've been doing my own contract work the past 2 years and still feel a massive dred at the memories of being in an office environment, particularly from the not-so-social aspects that feel like a massive waste of time, waste of civilization to be some polarized and limited in perspectives of modern paradigms lacking fanaticism to truly speak from within. Drinking and distracting on the weekends to compensate for such a void of human nature and expression in an exploitation and economic slavery covered up in facades of productive grind and "is what it is (do not question it, do not engage human potential to remain curious and more driven to seek proper meaning and authenticity)."
I wouldn't mind designing my own app entirely though that could align with enhancing how our subconscious habits work on an individual level and gradually guiding us towards goals we actually want to achieve.
Coding in corporate is feels so off compared to making that side project, that homework assignment with your mates, or your own solution, a product.
I will never do corporate software engineering or anything programming related ever again. As you said, it is not sustainable and feels fucking inhumane. For me, it was going through loops and so many unnecessary office politics, to get a single line change or even refactoring changes.
It's just capitalism. It's rigged and we need to design (and demand) a better system.
Hey man, my passion for computer science is almost the opposite to yours but this was still a good watch. No idea why it popped up on my recommended but glad it did. Cool to get the other perspective :) Hope you find something that truly makes you passionate.
Any focused discipline in CS, hardware engineering, cloud platforms, coding, etc. will be a constant life of evolution. If you want to be competitive in the market, if you want to stay relevant and acquire decent paying jobs, you will always have to be learning on your private time while you try and apply your skill set at work. Young single people may have the freedom to this but they will get burned out quickly. What you might learn today will likely be irrelevant inside 5 years. It's a roller coaster.
Nah, programming languages are very similar and systems work the way they've always worked. I've been programming python and Javascript for 10 years mostly. The job market is tough and the interviews are a joke but once you get that job is chill and hopefully remote
@@ragnork645 It's sort of ridiculous, imo, to learn many different languages, especially if they all have similar syntax. Like you said programing languages all work pretty similar - so if I have, for example, 3 years of Java experience, that should translate pretty smoothly to a C# job - of course they have their own nuances, but it's all the same at the end of the day.
Personally, I try to keep fluent in multiple languages that have a somewhat distinct syntax - right now, that looks like C#, Python, and recently Ruby.
@@mpmedia6735 Even worse when they have different uses.
This is is what school does anyways. You learn a little of everything 🤦
I remember when I started as a programmer in 2014, AngularJS (v1) was all the rage. There was a large body of knowledge one had to learn in order to use this framework effectively. Today, this is a deprecated, dead framework that nobody uses. Just an example of how technology changes and you have to keep learning new things to stay relevant.
For CS these days you don't have to go to college or university. If I'm in 1st world countries, I'd just learn everything I wanted from books, RUclips, and then do real DIY projects for a few years before applying to any college.
Wish you the best man.
Needed to hear this. Keep up the good work man 🫡
Your five questions could apply to any major, and they are totally on point!
I’ll challenge this by saying that everything productive in life requires enduring things you do not enjoy. If you choose to pursue medicine, you will still find yourself in lectures and textbooks that you neither enjoy nor understand. You will never change the world if you’re always changing your mind. I know so many people these days that get stuck jumping between professional pursuits because they quit as soon as they need to learn anything that can’t be captured in the form of TikToks.
Yes the system needs to change. It's not about not understanding not enjoying the lectures, it's about finding no purpose behind it. This system is focused on quantity over quality. system is unnecessarily stretched, with irrelevant subjects to fill up the time. That time should have been allocated for practical learning which is the real way of learning. "Don't make mistakes", "don't change your minds" "stick to one thing because that's how life is" no it isn't. System is the way it is because of people laziness that will just comply with anything they are told to do. What a mindwashed society
@ The fact that it takes thousands of hours of learning to be a master at something is not a “system”, its reality. The education system is not perfect, but even if it was, it wouldn’t remove mental strain from the process of mastery. I think the current approach to education too often starts with the solution instead of the problem, e.g. explaining good design patterns for building software before the student has attempted to build software without good design patterns. It’s not surprising that many students find the solution pointless when they have never encountered the problem. So I agree that education should start more practically, but in many fields like software engineering and medicine you will eventually need to get into the more abstract aspects of the field, and this is where most people give up.
I think for some people, a love of learning is needed or even a desire for consistent challenge. Computer Science is a field of constant innovation, new ideas, technology and techniques, which force you to always improve. Eventually you get to a point of knowing so much, that you can decipher anything new. Im an AI major currently and i love it.
I recently left CS too. I switched to MIS (Management Information Systems) and I couldn't be happier. I still love computers and tech but the pain of CS is not worth it.
I’m currently majoring in Data Science but considering switching to that or Cybersecurity. These math and programming classes are taking everything out of me
Honestly might've figured this out about myself recently. I don't think I'm really enjoying computer science anymore. The complexity of it just turns me away from it. I think IT might be my best bet as well/ I can still work with computers and technology just not overly abstracted and confusing.
@@littlejoestar4 Math can actually be cool to learn though when applied to things you like. Maybe switch to a stats major and take only the relevant programming classes you want. If you don't like data sci or cs its unlikely youd enjoy cybersec. Learning something traditional like stats is still hard but far more straightforward than a million scatterbrained buzzwords, frameworks, leetcode grinds, testing, arbitrary projects etc. Learning stats is actually cool cause you can go into finance/insurance, pharmaceuticals, clinical trials, study design, research consulting, casinos/gaming, etc. You can even do more applied specific cs stuff if you want like machine learning. Learning "cs" is overrated because it is largely a shallow survey of many completely different topics. Whereas in math things will build upon each other based on the domain you chose (like stats). I say this as someone who studied cs but wish I had more depth in stats.
it can never be a pain if you like cs tho, its gonna be more than a hobby than “work”
You're right, i've loved programming since i was 12. I graduated with a Computer Science Degree and considered getting a Masters/PHD but decided to go the entrepreneurial route instead. You gotta do what you love especially in STEM fields. I love all of it man. Great advice, I hope you can find what you love too man.
i also gradudated with a computer science degree and knew programming wasn't for me. But with a computer science degree, i was able to easily land an IT job doing IT/desktop/network support back in the 90's and 2000's. IT is a big field: IT support, IT project management, database administer, network administrator, cybersecurity, data scientist etc. Computer science is not just for programming or software developer. Why didn't you pivot to other IT field? Computer science opens the door for me.
cuz its almost impossible to get a job these days as a new grad
I have quitted computer science too. I quit college to travel around the world and work online. I feel much happier now❤
Too many people are going into computer science for money or for jobs when the path was always for only passionate people.
There’s many careers that don’t necessarily require such passion but generally stem related careers require passion because STEM was always created by passionate people.
I work with people who somehow cheated their way through comp six or barely made it. They apply theoretical comp sci and over engineered concepts to simple practical problems.
They also implement those poorly and don’t unit test well. They over emphasize their degree when challenged by self taught but experienced devs. These guys are in this for the money.
@@Anony584 So self-taught passionate devs are better?
great video bro. our education system should have basic wisdom like this covered from day 1 in high school. it's insane how disconnected new and old money is.
I have a list of multiple private projects, cs still wasn't for me. Also for some reason, the teaching quality wasn't that good back when I was in uni. Maybe it was because it was hard to get the skilled people when back then FAANG was on a hiring spree. Your questions are good. Back then, I intentionally tried to settle, because I didn't believe, I could make it in the stuff that I really wanted to do, but also, I knew I could still drop it midway, hoping to have become good at cs in the meanwhile.
Go plant lettuce. Everytime I'm done with coding or studying (like, I give up for today). I go outside and start working in the garden. Then again, I just love computer science and I'm no longer working, I just study for the fun of it.
Thank you for this video. You did right! Wish you the best! Cheers from Norway
i too was enticed by the alure that is the computer science/software engineer. Took me 10 years after high school to get a degree in cybersecurity pivoting from what I knew I couldn't stand to do (coding). don't feel like your time was wasted, most if not all of us have done the same - trying to follow some path that isn't meant for us. Best of luck in whatever you decide to do - you can make a big impact with people in software engineering, health care, and everything else if that's your intent. Follow your passion - that's what I did 😁
Thanks for sharing , MadHat!
Your questions just made me like CS even more! I was expecting a slap in the face for choosing something so early on, and guess not. Hopefully you can understand my comment, but I'm still a young guy, and choosing a career path is NOT easy as it seems. Once you begin to question yourself and go through the roots, it's truly scary, but when the questions kept coming they didn't seem like a nightmare. It even made me more motivated and possibly find more joy in it.
that's okay. Do what you must as long as you follow trough to the end.
You're too young for a cubicle job. Go climb the highest mountains. Work onboard ship and travel to the continents. Meet exciting, adventurous young people and live.
Give examples please
How would one achieve this?
@@tidjane2001 You have to live and work as you travel. When you find a job, you work until you have the money you need to move on to your next destination. This type of living is called adventure, with misadventure not far behind. It's not safe or sure, but it beats being a young debt slave in a cubicle being irradiated. Working on board ship is one way to earn money and travel. Climb the mountain in your life. There's plenty of time when you're 40, to dream of the life you never had.
I used to hate this kind of statement until I got into my mid 30s. You're right. Youth has to be spent, it cannot be saved.
@@stevens1041 Give me examples then
The job market has become garbage for CS too lately in the past few years with what seems like nearly half a billion in competition with the current remote roles.
I've had a few roles in it - the CS workplace has hilariously leaned away from the usual solo / introvert focus and keeps getting more and more extroverted, non-stop meetings, and nuerodiverse thinking less acceptable. It went...mainstream (perhaps woke too).
I can completely relate to the intro of this video. I too have been in college for quite some time and have switched majors once, almost twice, and just decided computer science was for me. But recently I have been thinking and realized that I don't think I genuinely enjoy what computer science is. I enjoyed the early programming assignments as I could understand them easily and they were simple. But the more I get into it I realize I don't enjoy the deep abstract complexity of it and it just scares and upsets me rather than amping me up. At this point I'm starting to feel as if IT might be the path for me. Be it cybersecurity or system administration. I can still work with computer and technology, but not the in-depth science part of it. Don't get me wrong I know these aren't easy, but they don't involve the deep abstractness of software development and the like, and I think that is what is going to be best for me. Either way its nice to see I'm not alone and I wish you the best on your personal journey.
Those are some great questions. I realized that I enjoyed creating programs/apps and scripts but in my own terms and at my own pace (I made some nice projects to far). If I turn this programming passion into a job, I would probably lose the interest and actually it could become a nuisance. Programming as a job is much more demanding and stressful than a mere hobby. People need to realize that you really have to put a lot of effort even outside your working hours just to stay up to date. Basically are you ready to stay even more hours in front of a screen or reading programming books besides your working hours and potentially ruining your eyes, wrists and back? Also you must provide value every day at the job. You don't have the luxury to take long breaks and wait for inspiration to come.
Hey, I stopped the video at 1:31. Because what you said in that first min resonated so hard with me. I had the SAME experience but with Mechanical Engineering. I chose to stick it out and graduate but it was rough. Thankfully I realized you can switch directions, you can fin something you're passionate about for me, it was CompSci. Specifically Machine Learning. But I totally get how that wasn't what you wanted to do. Hang in there!
Really appreciate the info bro. Very helpful
I too did memed into the Scientific field. Switched to Engineering, and now I do Sims and welding inspection.
Thanks, this confirms how much i really like CS.
This is exactly what I thought amonth ago qnd still thinking of it . Finally someone is there outthere saying the same thing ad i do
Good that you know what you don’t like. Hope you find some clarity in your life 😊
1. I definitely enjoy learning about algorithms; at least, I’ve called it cool on multiple occasions
2. All the time ñ. Especially when I was a coupon years younger. I really tried pushing through some difficult concepts
3. I like socializing, in moderation
4. They’re probably the reason I was first interested/exposed, but they haven’t pushed anything on me beyond that
5. Not in college just yet
Thanks for the questions, but I’m not sure how much they help:
“Don’t lie to yourself”
- easier said than done, sadly
Interesting perspective!
I have questioned both medicine and Computer Science but I think doing both in a hybridized way seems to be my path forward-much like getting an Interdisciplinary degree would
same here bro.... currently brute forcing my way through a Information Systems degree... between the saturated market and the boring and difficult nature of coding, I just feel so lost. Quitting is not really an option, but after college I just have no plan involving coding whatsoever... any way, I'm considering changing fields via postgrad or maybe a second major.... it's so complicated, but watching this felt conforting, thanks !
Learning to code is never a bad decision and will be a huge benefit in many non-coding careers. Whether its automating a manual task using a python script, or understanding in general how computers work, it will be a benefit to you. Just remember no matter what path you choose from here, you didn't "waste" your time.
@@w1zard0_cs20 Fact~
@@w1zard0_cs20 Paying to learn something you don't like for 4 years will never not be a waste of everything.
Idk who forced him to do CSC 😕
If you find coding boring then a job as a programmer is going to be hell. What you can do is switch into management or product owner or scrum master, etc.
If you missed most of the lectures of course you won’t understand what’s going on
You do definitely need to enjoy coding. I never understand people who only get into programming for the money. Glad to hear you are being honest with yourself. I hope you find your passion.
I did the same thing with art. I practiced drawing and painting for 4 years, leanring about perspective, lighting, proportion, anatomy, color. Avoided things that came naturally difficult to me like math, people skills, etc. I kind of used art as an excuse to not engage in those things at all, and it really took a toll on my mental state. But eventually, i just releaized creating art didnt make me happy. It was very hard, time consuming, mentally draining, and didnt even pay that well.
Now im in a totally non creative job (working in I.T.) and i love it. Its all logical problem solving with clear win conditions. Plus i get to talk to people and practice my social skills.
Im also looking to hop into a slightly more cs related role where i can do some scripting for automation purposes. But im weary of getting caught up in a totally non social role where im just slaving away at my keyboard and not talking to or seeing any humans for days or weeks at a time.
I'm in IT without computer science degree. I really love coding, and always had. Getting formal education has a lot of downsides for me and that's why I never pursued it.
You didnt watch the video..
IT != computer science. CS is math.
@@DudethatGross Not strictly math, it is as name suggests, science about computers which does include a lot of math. Im just trying to point out that many people believe they need college degree to join IT. Then they may see its not for them
@@QuintusGaius besides the financial part, what is a downside of format education?
@ I would say time, for some people time may be invested better into something else. But its all subjective, formal education isn’t for everyone .And no, if you fail, you are not lazy or stupid or unworthy. You just didn’t make the right choice for you. I think its very important that we stop the mantra that college is be-all end-all.
on the opposite side of the spectrum i dropped out of CS 2x and currently work as a software engineer.
I cant think of anything but I love engineering. So Im continuing it
How do I explain that it’s not the work itself that’s bothering. But it’s the people who are teaching it that make it such an outrageous coursework? Like the math is interesting when you take the time to do it speak through it. The programming part of “oh I did this myself behold my creations!” But these professors are clearly people only motivated by 💵. Their resumes/experience gives it away as all they’ve done is hashed out their ph.d and then doubled down into some university for years on end. They don’t seem to be interested at all in cultivating the progress of the field despite their research being marked up as prestigious.
This is actually a very reasonable advice. I hope you find as soon as possible something that gives you enough joy to endure the inevitable hard moments on your upcoming professional life.
Glad you found out what you want a do. Completely opposite of you, didn't even bother with a degree, started when I was 8 from accidentally right clicking a script and recognizing I could make a computer do my bidding. Programming is just a tool - I don't even like it, it's obtuse; but you do what you have to, and now work a senior position amongst PhDs 22 years later. I think it'd be useful for everyone to be able to manipulate the machines around them, regardless of their real passion.
Hey man! Try to get a look at paramedics, they're probably what you're looking for!
I went into CS with the exact reasons you mentioned amd dropped 1 year after my undergraduate program. The status of paramedics,( just generally those working in the EMS field) the nobility and courageousness it takes to fullfil this role is so what i was looking for, and just thought I'd let you know into thinking about it since i felt related to your issue.
Thanks!
when u go into computer science class, ur the one that makes it computer science class when u arrive in the room, not the computer science class doing it to you.
Only you can make this decision, but as someone who dedicated the first decade to a helping profession (Human Services) all I can say is follow the money. Get the least stressful job that pays the most. A job is a job. You do it to sustain your family and your interests outside of work. That’s where your fulfillment truly comes from. I struggled with the decision to transition away from the helping professions because I thought leaving was tantamount to abandoning my calling. I made a transition to Tech two and a half years ago and only regret not doing it earlier. Passion and Fulfillment comes from within. Not from labor.
After finishing computer science for a long time.
I feel you, this degree is not for everyone. (Technically not every degree is for everyone)
That's why you have to look at yourself first before diving to it.
I like programming and some of my classmates are fun. So it gives some kind of motivation.
I like doing things computer related. CS is technically just formalization of my computer knowledge.
But if you don't like it don't force yourself. And change degree.
Nice suggestions man!Thanks I feel same
I loved every second of computer science. Different strokes for different folks. I've been a software developer for 20 years and still loving it
I've been coding since I was 8, now professionally since 25 at an academic lab - no degree. This is just what happens when you chase things for money not passion. You usually see happen with gamers who think they want to make a game. I don't even like programming, it's obtuse; I just gotta get things done. I'd rather be a wizard casting spells if I had the power.
@@GRAYgauss Same reason behind all the cs students saying the market is terrible and that its impossible to get a job. Its not hard to find a job but alot of students do bare minimum and expect it to be enough, not actually enjoying what they are learning.
Hell yeah
this is great wisdom, i salute u for all the information you provided
CS is funny man. Studying it, having it as a hobby, working at a tech corp, working at your own game studio, solving medical or societal issues with your knowledge, these are all super different from each other. Some hard, some easy, some fun some boring. Here is my list of pros and cons after having studied at a hardcore uni with a lot of theory as well as practicals, and 2 years of work experience.
PROS
- problem solving skills improve greatly
- you can solve so many small / large problems with CS knowledge
- creativity required most of the time
- working from anywhere possible
- remote work saves so much time (commute mostly, and not having to stay in an office 8 hours)
- Passive income possibility: you could make your own SaaS, your own video game, your own solutions for businesses
- easy to combine with many other aspects of work or life
- entry level knowledge is a basic skill for most nowadays and widely taught, becoming mainstream
- can be super fun, and interesting
CONS
- you spend so much of your limited time on this earth looking at pixels on a screen...
- eye strain possible
- posture problems possible
- feeling the pressure or having to: keep up with trends
- disconnected from the world and reality (as mentioned in the video)
- requires abstract thinking and intuition, which can burn you out if overused
- likely cubicle job if not remote
- your coworkers might not have the best social skills, as engineering and science tends to attract introverted / ND people (me included)
- can be super boring
- can be isolating if you work solo
funny the cons dont apply to me so its all pros (well besides natural symptoms like eyestrains, etc)
I never had a boring day at work. Hard, frustrating, mindbendingly painful, but never boring. Working as a developer for 8 years.
I watch these videos just to hear people say "Data Structures and Algorithms" 🤣 Every time I hear it, it makes me even more excited to take it :D
In Taiwan we say you need to be talented to study computer science. While electrical engineering you need to work hard for long hours.
But I believe hard work can beat talent. Lot of people study EE in undergrad and then go for CS in grad school. IMO I think EE is harder than CS at least in undergrad. Studying EE is great for a solid foundation. But remember to take some CS elective to be qualified as MS candidate.
To tell the truth, I'm studying IT(related to CS) because I wanna become a hacktivist and fight institutional & govt sponsored corruption on the part of the world where I live(🇹🇿). But incredibly, it was my bro that convinced me to go into IT due to my stutter 😂 😢😢
Once I realized I needed computer science to make video games I realized it would probably never happen.
IDK why this video found me, I'm not doing this at university even tho I'd be good at it. But I will say this: if you're doing this to be away from people? My dad just spent the last 25 years managing people like that. They're the first fired. CompSci is driven by people. Most hard sciences are. If you're a curmudgeon you will weird everyone out. Maybe develop that social muscle and learn to take rejection first.
Also as an Xray/MRI Tech you get to work with computers. it may be a good pivot for you, Drew. Also much more introvert friendly lol
my advice to you is think where you can earn enough money there easiest. by easiest i mean what you find easy so its a combination of motivated, not hard and with good work conditions. It sounds like you are not motivated by coding, so that is hard to you. when does contributing feel easy?
My second advice is that studying is not similar to having a job in the same education. find a job you like and get the education even if its hard.
3rd advice: when you find what you want then interview 3 persons that is experts or it already doing it. It will give you valuable information!
As someone who was considering getting into computer science, this is helpful
Thank you for the video man. You speak in a very coherent and comprehensive manner.
I feel like you'd do great in a socially interactive field because you have great communication skills and a desire to help others. Whatever you do I'm sure it will turn out great.
Let me tell you, I feel the same as you in many ways. Sucks to have wasted so much of your early 20s. I'm 24yo, probably around your age, and chose not to go to college. I only have a few jobs under my resume experience, but one of them was on IT.
I managed to land it thanks to a bootcamp and some online courses I took. I ended up quitting that IT job after a year because I was pretty burned out. And honestly the questions you mentioned on your video made me think what I really want to do. I want to try programming, see if I like it. One thing I learned in IT and technology in general is that there is a lot of different positions and specializations. Some of them might not be for you, and some might he exactly what you were hoping to find. The technology industry is ever changing, and not every job is the same. That's why I feel a sense of reassurance. Knowing that if I ever get tired of A, I can always try B.
Data Science, Game Programming, Front-Back-Fullstack Developer, Network Specialist, Cybersecurity, HR, Project or SCRUM Manager, Database Admin, AI and Machine Learning Specialist, Dev Ops, SysAdmin, and many more. A world of opportunities is in your hands when it comes to technology, and I think that's a point worth mentioning.
When people ask me, "what skill do I need to succeed in CS?". I surprise a lot of them by saying, the CS degree is a lifetime journey, and your core competency is going to be your ability to learn......forever. The number one mistake I constantly see is "I'm learning this new technology--I don't think I'll be seeing that old stuff by the time I get out there in the field". That statement is never not hilarious to me.
your video makes me question why i am NOT pursuing a CS degree
I switched from working on film crews to making video games over the years. I just didn't have the same passion for film/video & editing as I do for programming and game dev. You gotta love what you do or you won't wanna do it. There's plenty of other things out there, but everything comes with a sacrifice.
Respect, as a straight backend dev I tend to resent people who start programming to make a game - knowing most will give up before they take the 3rd step after riding the manic wave. I've made a few game engines, but I'll never be interested in game design/tuning. I just like mechanical things. Professionally I'm involved in molecular dynamic simulations, which is more in line with what I like doing.
I'd caution you against heading towards MD (or any very long-term program) at this time, as you seem uncertain what you want to do.
Becoming a doctor requires doing pre-med requirements, four years of medical school, and three to seven years of residency. Unless you're sure you want to do that and are willing to stick through the training, don't start down that path.
At least you realized early on. I dropped out 15 years ago from CS, but i never studied anything else in academic circles now its kinda late .... ironacally some fileds of CS offers solutions for this problem, no collage degree possible carier path. You are lucky man, study what you love, most peope dont get to find that.
Data Structures (CS321) is an easy exam - I learned a lot by memorizing -- Everything can be learned :)))
My advice to you:
1. If you do not understand something in programming - learn it without understanding it - later you will understand it - the important thing is to get the exam :)
2. Study mathematics (teaching field) and teach in a school - this is what I would like to do :)
I studied computer science, but I enjoyed mathematics more than computer science in college. College is theory, practice is practice. I do not like the work of a programmer in the professional field. Before I went to study Computer Science, I programmed my own things. The problem was that I missed public confirmation, school, college exams in programming. Now I program computer games for myself for free in UNITY and I am happy that I graduated in Computer Science. Programming is my hobby. It is about your inner feeling - if you do not miss computer science, then it is OK if you will never program anything again in your life. But, if you will, you will still remember that you once studied computer science and - you did not finish your studies :)))
The idea of "do I really like programming or do i enjoy solving complex problems" hit me like a crazy. That is the good formulated sentence. And now i dont really know... I guess i just like to use my brain and building some things, isnt it the same?
Tbh I feel as if most people just want to do startups. With the evolution of the tech industry, many people are trying to figure out a way to break the cycle and be successful. Unfortunately, the tech industry nowadays is more of a monopoly and people also tend to forget that marketing plays a huge role in a startup's success.
There are so many paths in tech, I think people get so focused on the software development aspect. There are paths that benefit from computer science knowledge but arent direct coding jobs: frontend/ui/ux designers, project manager, tech sales, tech support / IT, etc. Don't limit yourself to just being a code monkey if that isn't what you really desire.
College is a very expensive way to get job training. But for the right professional degree (CS, engineering, accounting, etc) or a pre-professional degree (going for MD, JD, MBA), it's okay.
But otherwise a trade school and apprenticeship is a great way to get a well-paying job. Electricians, plumbers, welders, etc. do very well. Mechanic is a difficult field today but very interesting.
And that's ladies and gentleman is the definition of a quitter
This is why I quit computer science (and two other majors).
TLDR; got in for the promised 6fig salary, realized it actually takes a little bit of effort to make it in the field now that it's overcrowded by people like him, gave up on fuckin data structures of all things, still could manage to do 6 years of college for nothing thanks to dads money.
God normies really are a special a breed.
To be a good engineer or computer scientist, you have to have it in your veins from childhood, luckily I got into computers as a teen when not one person in the entire world could own their own computer, I would have to become an engineer working for several years before owning a computer became practical, I wanted a workstation. Today every computer even a Pi is more powerful than all the real workstations I used in most of my career. Long retired I still spend most of my time coding away for the thrill of building something that isn't easy to explain. I suspect the whole thing of STEM and teaching all kids to do coding was really a mistake. People will find their own passion for something sooner or later.
I’d caution against “in your veins from childhood” statements. Maybe some form of algorithmic thinking or abstraction is present early on, but everyone has to wrap their head around programming language syntax and design patterns. I would hate for people to be dissuaded from pursuing computer science because they took a class on object oriented design in Java and it didn’t make sense to them immediately, so they assumed “It’s not in my veins”.
i hate it , tbh I hate university overall, but here i am 3rd year and about to pass this sh1t hole and be free. my struggle wasn't with hard course but with the theater religion and fuckin psychology class like tf + I'm donno why I'm even doin it just because it's 3 year and my parents will leave me alone ig. it's even too late to switch because unlike u ig my parents don't have unlimited amount of money
GOOD DECISION, I M TIRED OF THIS TOO
Two points... my answer to those questions is all yes... also, nothing you did was real software engineering, I think personally, you're just spinning your wheels trying to get a degree... instead of working on a personal project that will be far more valuable to you to learn from and financially either to get a job, or make a product out of.
School won't teach you real software engineering, because real software engineering is as hard, if not harder, then regular old mechanical engineering... if you don't think like an Engineer already you're not going to have any fun with software engineering, unless your plan is just to be a cog in the machine making whatever website stuff forever... and hey making website backends is stupid easy... so you can make good money just doing that, but it's not ~really~ software engineering... It's really just marketing, but marketers are too lazy to learn to code, so they pay you to do it.
The reality is that if your going into computer science for a anti social job your going to be greatly disapointed. Any professional career is all about communication with clients, company, ect. If your job can exist without any social requirement to a company your job can be contracted out over seas.
As a maths major, I've always found csc courses easy.
This is the same for most of my classmates
I'm not saying it's causation, but if you're not good at solving maths or you hate it. There's a high chance you will find common programming and anything algorithmic annoying.
So now you just start something, do something, maybe it works out, maybe not? You completely gave up on thinking ahead on what you would like to do and maybe deepen the thoughts of what that would be like later on? And if something is hard just give up?
The money is the motivation. Isn't there a more fun and enjoyable and colorful way that these courses could be crafted that it won't seem hard at all.
I think people need to try the things more before they commit to paying money for a degree. The internet is a free place and if you're really passionate about something you can learn about it. Theres also always the opportunity to get minor less significant jobs in different industries just to see what it's like or even try volunteering! Idk the way that university/college was sold to me and others as teens felt so wrong. Its only when you live in the working world that you really can get the bigger picture.
as someone who is the exact opposite of you, I respect you a lot for this video. I mean this with absolutely no disrespect, but I hate seeing people that could not care less about computers wanting to getinto the field just because of the promise of a flashy salary (usually isn't the case to begin with) and working from home (where you can do a lot of different jobs working from home not just SWE)
Re: working from home, I figured CS would be the ideal major since I was already into programming and could work from home (+ MDD + very introverted). Only to realize that studying and working from home make my depression worse and I feel a lot better just passively being around people, seeing familiar faces, being perceived by others etc. It really helps. So, just something to consider. I know the whole "humans are social creatures" stuff sounds like BS because I used to think that too, but ime it's true even though I'm generally asocial. And like you said, that's a dumbass reason to choose CS when a lot of other fields also allow working from home.
So tru I did a coding bootcamp , it repelled me as I had no intrinsic interest in coding and so I cinvinced myself that it would click one day , I learnt nothing in 1 month then bailed like you
i mean cs is very interesting i love it but im just not very bright iq test said 105-110
I guess my IQ is 70 and I graduated LMAO
It's good you know what you want, and it's good to think about it, but consider that a class is not indicative of the field. There are so many influencing factors, among which who is teaching it. There are some absolutely great teachers out there, but there are also absolutely horrible ones, where you leave class more confused than before.
You can also go to a accelerated college like WGU.
You weren't in CIS 95-2005. I never quit CS, I walked off campus from having forced COBOL on me and other bs. There's a difference. I was ahead of my time, waiting for tech I now see, such as Rust and Zig and Go, etc. But you need an angle, a focus, a personal battle. Do you become a JS or AI lemming? Those web devs, many of them simply played the game and actually don't have systems knowledge. So, but you need a take otherwise your hands are off the wheel. I see alot of people in IT that shouldn't be there, but they fit inside the corporate mindset.
Oh hell. I finished the degree and a month later saw this video. Oops. Too late.
The creating stuff outside of school is really essential if you don't have your own projects at all after 4 years did you really want to do it?
Real talk.
Better late than never
😂😂😂dispatch over! are you there?over! we have a soldier down over!😂
it's just too difficult cs is for the people on the right side of the bell curve :,(
Dawg I gottta say: If you keep looking for something you enjoy then you will never get anything finished. What your really lacking is your why factor. Why should I stick through this boring lecture? Why would I sit down and spend hours building this app? Why, why, why? If you keep looking for things you enjoy. What happens when you eventually reach a difficult part in the very thing you claim to enjoy. What then? Are you gonna quit again? Switch majors? And don't get me started about how much effort it takes to become a doctor with all those grueling nights studying.
lastly, don't say you enjoy helping others and thats why you want to quit. You can help people by building software. Too lazy too keep typing but i'm sure you got the idea
It's not important to actually create something, but you have to just actually like it. Why would you waste your life on anything you don't like? Money? Pfft gonna live a sad life.
if you think cs is not a human thing you are at the wrong place anyway