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Ask HN: What is it like being in a CS major program these days?

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Re: Ask HN: What is it like being in a CS major program these days?

#71

Post by Novosell »

Imustaskforhelp wrote: post #22
Novosell wrote: post #6

I've been doing programming and sys admin as a hobby for a long time and only recently started my bachelors in compsci, and I'm sad to have waited so long as almost everything has been infested with ai to some degree.

Why are people downvoting this? The reason why I had decided compsci or stem was also that being completely honest, I couldn't imagine myself not having the hobby of using linux and tinkering with scripts and everything. So I really get what you are talking about and I think that we are in similar states although I haven't started my bachelors and I might be much younger than you. Linux/Terminal truly feels like open…

Yeah, exactly. I just love working with and understanding computers. They open up so many possibilities.

Working with ai vs. coding yourself is the difference between ordering electrical components from digikey vs. designing them yourself. You can end up with functionally the same result and a lot faster, but they're hardly comparable activities!

And I'm just 28, but I've been fucking around with computers non-stop since I was 12 :) Only as a hobby, mind you. Never as a job.

Re: Ask HN: What is it like being in a CS major program these days?

#72

Post by c16 »

titanomachy wrote: post #15
jkbwdr wrote: post #9

currently in cs masters program at ivy: i think it's like thinking that pure math study evaporated when we made the calculator, or that we suddenly shouldn't have bothered with Riemann sums because of the FTC. ai to coding is much the same in the sense of moving to a layer of higher abstraction. i don't think cs curriculums have to change drastically to accommodate this; however, the onus on not getting it wrong incr…

I have no reason to believe that you aren't motivated mostly by curiosity and interest, but the mass of CS undergrads are primarily driven by economic incentives.

This is pretty easy to interview for, if that is something your company cares for during the hiring process.

Re: Ask HN: What is it like being in a CS major program these days?

#73

Post by jdefr89 »

fergie wrote: post #23
jtbetz22 wrote: post #4

I am not in a CS program myself, but I guest lecture for CS students at CMU about 2x/year, and I'm in a regular happy hour that includes CS professors from other high-tier CS schools. Two points of anecdata from that experience: - The students believe that the path to a role in big tech has evaporated. They do not see Google, Meta, Amazon, etc, recruiting on campus. Jane Street and Two Sigma are sucking up all the ta…

> They do not see Google, Meta, Amazon, etc, recruiting on campus Really? As in FAANG has stopped recruiting graduates?

I am not a graduate but Apple has reached out to me twice in the past month. Many others too so I wouldn’t say it’s absolutely dead but it’s tightened a bit.

Re: Ask HN: What is it like being in a CS major program these days?

#74

Post by fc417fc802 »

0xbeefcafe wrote: post #64

I teach courses in discrete mathematics, data structures and algorithms, machine learning, and programming at a mid-tier United States public university. I work with many students: those taking my courses, and teaching assistants. Here are the answers to your questions: 1. The curriculum has not really changed. Some faculty are attempting to use AI in their courses. Most of it is charlatanism, the faculty themselves…

> They will not learn faster with AI use.

Not to disagree since I assume there's an implied "to do the work on your behalf" but I do want to point out that using AI as a personal tutor is the most effective method of learning I've come across to date. Far better than any professor or textbook I've ever had. Even the free tier from the major providers is an inexhaustible actor capable of providing tailored technical explanations for approximately all undergraduate level knowledge in existence.

Re: Ask HN: What is it like being in a CS major program these days?

#75

Post by jdefr89 »

Kelteseth wrote: post #27
bradley13 wrote: post #13

"The professors use AI themselves and expect their students to use it, but do not have a gauge for what kinds of problems make for an appropriately difficult assignment in the modern era." I'm a prof, recently retired but still teaching part-time. This is exactly the problem. AI is here, people use it, so it would be stupid (plus impossible) not to let students use it. However, you want your students to still learn s…

Not just that. As a 31 year old developer even I feel like acquiring new skills is now harder than ever. Having Claude come up with good solutions to problems feels fast, but I don't learn anything by doing so. Like it took me weeks to understand what good and what bad CMake code looks like. This made me the Cmake guy at work. The learning curve delayed the port from qmake to CMake quite a bit, but I learned a new sk…

I’m 37 and have coded my entire life. I even got to pull the drop out of college and do star up and make money type thing before I took my current position.. I have to say AI has sucked the heart and soul out of coding.. Like it’s the most boring thing having to sit and prompt… Not to mention the slop, nonsense hype etc.. Never attach your identity to your job or a skill. Many of us do that just to be humbled when a new advancement occurs… I know I see programming and looking at Open Source code to contribute and all of it…. Is just lifeless. Literally and figuratively. Sorry for long rant I needed to vent.

Re: Ask HN: What is it like being in a CS major program these days?

#76

Post by alistairSH »

cmiles74 wrote: post #67
alistairSH wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe I’m an oddball, but I’d rather hire a new grad with sound fundamentals, but learned on an older tech stack, then somebody with all the buzzwords but no fundamentals. And I’ve always found summer internships to be good way to find out. Even better if the candidate is willing to work part-time through their senior year.

I mean yeah, I agree, but is it that hard to keep relevant technology in the mix? I'm not saying everything has to be cutting edge!

Sure, but are C++ or Java really that outdated. AFAIK that’s what most schools teach. Maybe with some JavaScript as well. It’s not lime they’re teaching Fortran or COBOL.

And with the advent of AI coding, I’d hope they can spend more time on system design, as that’s where I’ve found new grads are generally lacking.

Re: Ask HN: What is it like being in a CS major program these days?

#77

Post by winwang »

Kelteseth wrote: post #27
bradley13 wrote: post #13

"The professors use AI themselves and expect their students to use it, but do not have a gauge for what kinds of problems make for an appropriately difficult assignment in the modern era." I'm a prof, recently retired but still teaching part-time. This is exactly the problem. AI is here, people use it, so it would be stupid (plus impossible) not to let students use it. However, you want your students to still learn s…

Not just that. As a 31 year old developer even I feel like acquiring new skills is now harder than ever. Having Claude come up with good solutions to problems feels fast, but I don't learn anything by doing so. Like it took me weeks to understand what good and what bad CMake code looks like. This made me the Cmake guy at work. The learning curve delayed the port from qmake to CMake quite a bit, but I learned a new sk…

Interesting. I've felt like it's never been easier to learn things, but I suppose that's not quite the same as "acquiring new skills". I don't know if it applies, but it's always been easy to take the easy way out?

I feel like AI has made it a bit easier to do harder things too.

Re: Ask HN: What is it like being in a CS major program these days?

#78

Post by rishabhaiover »

I'm in a CS program right now, I've seen wild shifts from ChatGPT 3.0 to the current models:

1) I've seen students scoring A grades in courses they've barely attended for the entire semester

2) Using generative AI to solve assignments and take-home exams felt "too easy" and I was ethically conscious at first

3) At this point, a lot of students have complex side-projects to a point where everyone's resume looks the same. It's harder to create a competitive edge.

Re: Ask HN: What is it like being in a CS major program these days?

#79

Post by FrustratedMonky »

jazz9k wrote: post #20
jtbetz22 wrote: post #4

I am not in a CS program myself, but I guest lecture for CS students at CMU about 2x/year, and I'm in a regular happy hour that includes CS professors from other high-tier CS schools. Two points of anecdata from that experience: - The students believe that the path to a role in big tech has evaporated. They do not see Google, Meta, Amazon, etc, recruiting on campus. Jane Street and Two Sigma are sucking up all the ta…

When I was in college in the early 2000s, it was the same. Most professors were at least a decade behind current technology.

"Most professors were at least a decade behind current technology"

Surely there are some core concepts.

I hear that schools today aren't teaching how to build a compiler. But to me this seems like a task that contains so many useful skills that can be applied everywhere.

Re: Ask HN: What is it like being in a CS major program these days?

#80

Post by mathisfun123 »

jtbetz22 wrote: post #4

I am not in a CS program myself, but I guest lecture for CS students at CMU about 2x/year, and I'm in a regular happy hour that includes CS professors from other high-tier CS schools. Two points of anecdata from that experience: - The students believe that the path to a role in big tech has evaporated. They do not see Google, Meta, Amazon, etc, recruiting on campus. Jane Street and Two Sigma are sucking up all the ta…

> Jane Street and Two Sigma are sucking up all the talent.

This is the most made up thing I've ever seen on hn. Those firms hire probably 10 new grads a year (maybe combined!). Unless you're saying the collective talent graduating "high-tier CS programs" numbers in the 10s, this is literally impossible.

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