The biggest thing college forced me to do was develop my soft skills, which had the biggest impact on my career.
Ask HN: Any tips for a college freshman enrolled in computer science?
61–69 of 69 posts
Re: Ask HN: Any tips for a college freshman enrolled in computer science?
#62I see varying comments here like use AI, don't use AI, etc and I agree with all of it. Don't always use AI, and even when you do, learn the fundamentals and how to use AI to get the output/outcome you want--that means also learning what it is you want and ways that AIs fail.
On top of all that I'd add perhaps having a side hobby in learning about AI research/developments and harnesses (Claude Code/Pi/OpenClaw/NanoClaw/Hermes/etc) and auxiliary systems like vector databases and graph databases. Being an AI wrangler could be the equivalent skill that 'big data' processing was previously. Even just being able to speak competently on these could be an edge.
Re: Ask HN: Any tips for a college freshman enrolled in computer science?
#63Network, network, network. Your career depends on it.
Re: Ask HN: Any tips for a college freshman enrolled in computer science?
#64I'm sure others have suggested this too, but learn and master fundamentals like systems design and architecture, the SDLC, product management, etc. Try to keep up with AI news and developments, but don't let it distract you from the core things you need to learn. The market is still going to need strong talent with knowledge of not just the latest AI tech, but what it is you're trying to build with the AI and what "done" should look like.
Re: Ask HN: Any tips for a college freshman enrolled in computer science?
#65You’re actually in a great position because you’re young and able to adapt to the world as it changes. Four years is an eternity in the job market, so what you’re seeing now is not predictive of what the job market will be like when you graduate. I recommend keeping your eyes open and getting diverse viewpoints, with some caveats. Universities can be both fast and slow to adapt to changing trends. Your professors wil…
i see, i really appreciate your comment. I chose CS because there wasnt anything else that i could think of that i liked honestly, and i've been learning to code for a while and it doesn't really seem hard to me.
Re: Ask HN: Any tips for a college freshman enrolled in computer science?
#66Drop 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 mon…
well i wish i was in a country where we had opportunities like this lol, we have a lot of cheap labour who can work for pennies
Re: Ask HN: Any tips for a college freshman enrolled in computer science?
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
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…
Are there any that you'd recommend?
Not anymore, during covid many things changed, many people moved on with their lives and other people prefer to argue about interviews and market instead of hard tech
Re: Ask HN: Any tips for a college freshman enrolled in computer science?
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
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…
Is irc still a thing nowadays? My dream is to find some niche 25 person irc channel and just shoot the shit at 3am lol.
I don't know
Re: Ask HN: Any tips for a college freshman enrolled in computer science?
#69Take the path less traveled. Be open to new experiences. Treasure the friend making potential of the first hours, days and weeks... there's nothing else quite like it in life and we all wish we knew it at the time. Be someone people respect. All kinds of people. And dont let yourself get stuck in a specific bubble