Drop out take up a trade. It was never something that could be taught well and most colleges were a waste of time. Now it is dead forget about it and do something useful with your life.
Ask HN: Any tips for a college freshman enrolled in computer science?
21–30 of 69 posts
Re: Ask HN: Any tips for a college freshman enrolled in computer science?
#22Use AI and Youtube as much as possible to understand the core concepts, patterns, theories deeply. Don't study to just pass exams. Do it to actually learn because it's quite fascinating and interesting.
I've graduated college like decade ago and still I learn new things with the help of AI. I'm a visual learner, most of the time I ask AI to create a one page HTML with animations to explain me concepts so it's easy to remember for me. Further, there are so many great video and shorts that explains algorithms, DB internals, computer security, cryptography, etc. on youtube.
Always think critically, ask questions and never take anything as truth just someone says so or it's written in a book, it's very important to develop critical and logical thinking and clear and good communication skills and that would help you to find a job easily. Wishing you all the best and success.
Re: Ask HN: Any tips for a college freshman enrolled in computer science?
#23I started college right after the .com crash. Everyone who treated their education as a simple wealth maximization optimization went into other majors. The number of incoming CS majors was approximately quartered. (Software? That is all going to be outsourced!)
By the time I graduated, computers were cool again.
Predicting the job market is like predicting the stock market. You don't necessarily know where things are going to end up, and simply being reactionary will lead to sub-optimal outcomes.
Learn things that are hard to do, or you wouldn't finish if you weren't coerced with a final grade.
One positive in the current environment is that people who actually know computer science won't be forced to toil endlessly on what are essentially CRUD systems, and can move on to solve second- and third-order problems where their actual computer science skills can pay off. We can stop reinventing (slower and slower) webpages and 3270 terminals.
Re: Ask HN: Any tips for a college freshman enrolled in computer science?
#24The bar for creating software has been lowered dramatically while the bar for understanding software has been raised. Standing out is less about what you can make, which is perhaps now only table stakes. How quickly and thoroughly can you read and understand code? How can you reason about its architecture? What patterns and tools are at your disposal to improve it?
Mostly, focus on meeting good people, building relationships, and expanding your mind. These opportunities are timeless and besides practical skills, will allow you to continue growing as a person for years to come.
Re: Ask HN: Any tips for a college freshman enrolled in computer science?
#25Don't spend too much time online. The collective conscious of online can be disconnected from reality. People who aren't successful tend to spend their time complaining online whereas you rarely hear stories of normal people success online. Focus on meeting real people and understanding their problems and how you can help. Your connections during college will probably matter more than a particular test score. Get a j…
During last years quality of discussions went down, but still I disagree
on programming forums (actual forums, not reddit/hn like) we've had very experienced people like
1) world class / top CTF competitors
2) nasa/esa
3) HFT @ hong kong
4) people with experience across FAANGs
Those can give you many very valuable advices that your average college friend or coworker will not be even close to be aware of.
> People who aren't successful tend to spend their time complaining online whereas you rarely hear stories of normal people success online.
That's true, that's why you need to filter out bullshit.
Re: Ask HN: Any tips for a college freshman enrolled in computer science?
#26Invest in a good spatula.
Why bother? Any short order cook job will provide you with their own approved cooking utensils.
Re: Ask HN: Any tips for a college freshman enrolled in computer science?
#27My most important development came from thousands of hours of doing work directly, myself, getting things wrong, or not quite right, and iterating on my own labor.
Re: Ask HN: Any tips for a college freshman enrolled in computer science?
#28Drop out take up a trade. It was never something that could be taught well and most colleges were a waste of time. Now it is dead forget about it and do something useful with your life.
Last year I had a guy come to my house to remove a dead tree. $1000 for two hours work for two guys, so $250/hr each. And that was by far the cheapest bid, I had a quote for $2,500 from a more well-known company. Yeah I know they have freelancer expenses like self-employment tax, insurance and equipment but it had me thinking maybe I picked the wrong profession. Climbing trees and working outside for that kind of money sounds pretty nice.
Re: Ask HN: Any tips for a college freshman enrolled in computer science?
#29First, you should clarify what it is you want to do. What type of "a job" do you want? Then reverse engineer how to get there.
The more fancy a job you want, the earlier you need to start accumulating some sort of social proof you are a "high achiever", especially if there is nothing particular special about your background. If you're not sure, your best best is probably to go after the best opportunities and experiences which are available, and go from there.
Re: Ask HN: Any tips for a college freshman enrolled in computer science?
#30I think you should focus on letting yourself grow. Perhaps you will learn something that makes you decide to pursue a field you didn't know anything about when you started college. If you finish in CS great, if you switch to something else that is also a positive if it fills you with "joy".
Focus on learning to express yourself clearly, in English and in code.
Focus on learning how to learn, how to acquire new knowledge, and how to enjoy the process. Focus on learning how to work with others, especially those you don't agree with or like.
Don't forget to have fun. There is plenty to be had if you avail yourself of the opportunities.