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Ask HN: Got a CS degree, but I’m unable to be programmer. What can I do?

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Re: Ask HN: Got a CS degree, but I’m unable to be programmer. What can I do?

#51

Post by xexers »

mjfern wrote: post #17

There are plenty of opportunities outside of coding. Consider technical sales, consulting, software support, technical writing, UX/design, project management, just to name a few. A CS degree is now a foundational degree that can serve as the starting point for many career paths. Don't stress.

I agree. There are lots of tangent careers you can do with a CS degree. Also consider: IT operations, Quality Assurance, technical PM, network infrastructure. Some of these might require a bit more training, but your CS degree is a solid foundation to build from.

Re: Ask HN: Got a CS degree, but I’m unable to be programmer. What can I do?

#52

Post by DoofusOfDeath »

tastyham wrote: post #46

Some thoughts: 1. Talk to a therapist about your stress/anxiety issues. This can totally kill an interview even if you're qualified, and is probably a bigger issue than your perceived lack of skill. Xanax or other anxiety drugs can help a ton for interview days, but talk to a therapist first. 2. Keep trying. It can take a surprisingly long time to land your first job.

I'll second this. I'm not a counselor, but my guess it that your anxiety is coloring your perception and performance of programming tasks.

I strongly suggest you make some time with a counselor, and let him/her help you understand the real causes of your anxiety, and find a path towards managing it. This is what they do for a living, and AFAICT most of them are pretty decent at it.

My guess is that you'll have a better chance of enjoying programming, and perhaps performing better at it, once you get a handle on the anxiety.

Re: Ask HN: Got a CS degree, but I’m unable to be programmer. What can I do?

#53

Post by xor1 »

mikekchar wrote: post #43

Programming isn't for everyone. Now, before I answer your question, let me echo what most other people are saying. Unless you were already a good programmer before you started, or you spent your university days holed up in your room coding for fun, the chances are that you will be absolutely crap when you graduate. You have the advantage that you already know it (most people, including my young self, are considerably…

>Project management, etc. It helps to spend a few years as a programmer before you move into this field. It doesn't matter if you are the worst coder on earth before you move. If you write on your CV, "I've been a programmer for the last 3 or 4 years, but I really want to get into project management", you may have to take measures to protect your physical safety as people rush to grab you (programmers, as a rule, do not want to do this job, but their experience is necessary).

As someone without a CS degree but 3+ years of software experience (and a non-STEM Bachelor's), how do I go about doing this? I feel like I would need to go somewhere that would train me on project management, and I don't see job positions like that. It seems like PMs are promoted from within or hired with prior experience. As crazy as it sounds, I think I would enjoy PM work.

Re: Ask HN: Got a CS degree, but I’m unable to be programmer. What can I do?

#54

Post by a-dub »

Buy some algorithms books. Brush up. In the beginning, if you're stuck on a problem, peek the solution. After a number of them you'll be able to start doing them yourself. You're learning a new skill, it's called the bullshit-google-algo-interview-problem-solving skill. It has little to do with most real problems, and when you do encounter the real problems, you'll talk to people and look up reference material anyway.

Just like how the SAT has little to do with predicting academic performance, this silly little game has little to do with predicting real world programming performance.

It can be a valuable exercise to be exposed to the material, but by no means is it a pre-req for being able to succeed at sw eng. Plenty of people garner the correct resources, study for this and get fancy jobs where they go on to spew out absolute garbage in code form. It is meaningless.

Some companies recognize the folly of this, ask the recruiters.

Re: Ask HN: Got a CS degree, but I’m unable to be programmer. What can I do?

#55

Post by mikeomoto »

You don't have a job yet, so you don't actually know what being a programmer is like. You're stressing out about what you think being a programmer is like, and worse, you're stressing out about what you think how a programmer is hired.

Sit back, relax, go talk to someone who actually does the job, and re-evaluate once you're better contextualized.

Re: Ask HN: Got a CS degree, but I’m unable to be programmer. What can I do?

#56

Post by jorgec »

"I recently graduated .."

Are you throwing the towel at the first round?.

"I gain little to no satisfaction at this point"

It is not about personal satisfaction, especially a fast satisfaction but to work hard and achieve a specific goal. Which goal?. your goal. It was your call to pick this career and you achieve it, then, go ahead and end the fight (or die trying).

btw, welcome to the world of the adults!.

Re: Ask HN: Got a CS degree, but I’m unable to be programmer. What can I do?

#58

Post by AlexCoventry »

> I experience PTSD like symptoms from the constant barrage of negative thoughts the difficulty and stress of doing these problems are causing me.

Find a good tutor who understands this issue and knows how to help.

I've helped multiple students level up in math by getting past this kind of anxiety.

The book Misteaks... and how to find them before the teacher does is about calculus, but hopefully it'll be obvious how to generalize it to your situation.

Re: Ask HN: Got a CS degree, but I’m unable to be programmer. What can I do?

#59

Post by Ancalagon »

Dont worry about the puzzles, a lot of companies dont use them for interviews. Interviewing is (mostly) a numbers game, so while you might not get a Big 4 position (which frankly might be over rated anyways), just keep going, keep interviewing. I'd make notes on what I missed after an interview, studied them, and pushed to do better on the next one.

Re: Ask HN: Got a CS degree, but I’m unable to be programmer. What can I do?

#60

Post by toolz »

jokh wrote: post #39
AnimalMuppet wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, you can get there by finding jobs where the interviewers/hiring managers aren't using Leetcode as their filter. (They do exist, even if they're not as common as they should be.)

That's why I said "pay reasonably well". It seems to me that most places that don't interview and filter candidates by asking algorithmic problems don't pay as well as those that do. That's just been my experience as a student that's interviewed for internships and is going to start interviewing for new grad positions in the fall. Also > (They do exist, even if they're not as common as they should be.) I'm curious wh…

Just my own little anecdote, but I was able to get into upper middle class after 4 years and no degree. I've never completely passed an algorithms interview either - most of my jobs haven't had algorithm filters. I'm now doing functional programming in a cool language for a living.

Most people I meet haven't had my path to success, but it is possible. My gut feeling is that I'm a small statistic because people give up quite easily when they think their goals are unattainable. My first programming position took me 15 interviews to land a job!

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