Nope I would probably have gone with chemistry/biochemistry. Maybe even philosophy
Ask HN: Would you still do software engineering/dev if you could do it all over?
21–30 of 59 posts
Re: Ask HN: Would you still do software engineering/dev if you could do it all over?
#22I went to a private college in the Midwest, worked as a software engineer at one of the big tech companies, left to get an MBA, then went back as a product manager and now manage software development managers in my org.
If I could start over. I would have still done software engineering. Would I have gotten a CS degree? Probably not.
I would have likely gotten a pure math degree because I find it far more interesting.
My CS program was math intensive, but in hindsight, data structures, algorithms and operating systems are the key CS classes I needed. Maybe throw in compilers and networks...
Re: Ask HN: Would you still do software engineering/dev if you could do it all over?
#23Absolutely. The feeling of building things from scratch that people actually use - it never gets old.
Re: Ask HN: Would you still do software engineering/dev if you could do it all over?
#24I cooked in fine dining for 5 years. Then did 5 years in the military. Now I'm coding.
If I had to do it all over, I'd probably still do se/dev, just earlier. Sucks being behind my friends when it comes to money/homeownership/etc.
After having two careers where money wasn't great, I'm all about the money now.
Re: Ask HN: Would you still do software engineering/dev if you could do it all over?
#25I would be a indie game maker if I could start over, so I guess I would still need the programming skills.
But I would also gain skills in art, music, level design, etc. on top of it.
I would avoid corporate life and carve out a happy little niche in a funky little community like Portland or somewhere similar. Save, live within my means, pay off my student loans. Work as a hard working, humble little dev and pursue my passions on my fiercely guarded free time. Volunteer some of my spare time for environmental conservation and human rights organizations. Have a garden, two cats in the yard... wait that's exactly how I live now, except I'm a sysadmin instead of a game developer.
Overall I have an amazing life and a really bright future so I can't really complain. Choosing to study Computer Science in college is what lead me down my current path. And when I look around at my options, I feel like I made a really great decision. Happiness comes from within. Keep your eyes peeled, always be learning, and don't be nobody's sucker. Don't get left behind.
Really my biggest regret is under-valuing and not believing in myself. It's amazing how great things can go when you just commit to something and make realistic and well-thought out choices while pursing your desired path.
ALTHOUGH, I'm only 29 so I can still do a LOT to change my life and work towards my goals.
Re: Ask HN: Would you still do software engineering/dev if you could do it all over?
#26I would still do it but I would also do something else. I didn't realize this until after college, but outside of a CS 101 class you can't be just a programmer. Programming doesn't happen in a vacuum - it must be applied to a domain. For some people, a lot of whom are on this website, the domain can be computer science. Writing a compiler, database, or operating system would fall into that category. Things on the cut…
This resonates with me. Although I did not get into programming for money, I have come to hold the belief that I could make significantly more money as a programmer in a non-programming field. Money aside, the problems can take you far out of your comfort zone. I recently worked for a fashion start-up and the number of interesting problems that did not resemble at all what you are used to in the CRUD world was fascinating.
Re: Ask HN: Would you still do software engineering/dev if you could do it all over?
#27I would, but would have started earlier. Now that I'm working my main focus is building on my hirable skills. If I had started 5 or so years earlier (high school) I would potentially have more time to play and learn the things I'm more interested in (languages, embedded systems, etc.), rather than focusing on marketability.
Re: Ask HN: Would you still do software engineering/dev if you could do it all over?
#28I would be a indie game maker if I could start over, so I guess I would still need the programming skills. But I would also gain skills in art, music, level design, etc. on top of it. I would avoid corporate life and carve out a happy little niche in a funky little community like Portland or somewhere similar. Save, live within my means, pay off my student loans. Work as a hard working, humble little dev and pursue m…
Hey, would you be up for a skills exchange? I'm pretty good at fine art, both traditional and 3d stuff. It's definitely stuff you can learn.
Re: Ask HN: Would you still do software engineering/dev if you could do it all over?
#29No, I would've tried harder in school and tried for med school instead
Med school just seems like cheat mode now. I didn’t want to be a doctor because I was certain that computers would replace them. And they did. The work of doctors is 95% obsolete in the advent of better diagnostic tests and internet health information, with ‘AI’ taking the last scraps of relevance.
Doesn’t matter. Doctors are a government-protected class, with wages held high by regulation, insurance subsidies, and immigrant labor restrictions. This causes massive social problems, and cannot end soon enough.
It seems to me that the amount of work it takes to be a good systems programmer, over an entire career, absolutely dwarfs the demands of medicine. There are many coders in bioinformatics that are more competent at medicine than most MDs and get paid a fraction for much longer working hours. There are also MDs that do both, and consider the medicine part their well-paid hobby.
Re: Ask HN: Would you still do software engineering/dev if you could do it all over?
#30No, I would have done EE/Math instead.
I did math, graduated at the dotcom bust where all the jobs were actuarial (not my interest). Went back to school for EE, and I've found there are more jobs, more interesting jobs, and better pay writing software than being an EE.
I think this is extremely common. Problem is that CS101 coding interviews are common now, and EEs are just not prepared to speak that language.