Ask HN: How to make the most out of time at university?

Be nice to people. Remember who is good to you.

I had three friends who got hired into Google upon graduation. They spent a lot of times on things like the Facebook Hacker Cup, studying graph theory, learning things from obscure programming languages or 40 year old research papers. One was in both the LUG and robotic flight club, doing big competitions. Their GitHubs didn't look as much like side projects, but they still published whatever code they wrote. They'd focused hard on skill building that was highly relevant in challenging technical contexts.

So that's my suggestion to stand out: show that you care about your craft, not just meeting assignments. Juniors are hired based on who they can be molded into, as much as for any skill they already have.

Example: if you want to go into game development, see if you can give a talk at a game conference sometime during your degree. If you nail the talk, show something original and intriguing, make it quality and memorable, you'll get access to job opportunities where you're treated like a competent professional instead of a dime-a-dozen fresh graduate. A degree takes long enough to do something novel that's worth presenting.

* Keep a daily routine and learn to organise yourself. Unlike school or work, at university you are expected to maintain your own routine. There are no bells or attendance registers. Some people, like me, find this difficult to deal with. Be aware of it from the start and maintain a good daily routine and attendance.

* Join clubs/societies. Opportunities to make friends and find love are handed to you on a plate at university. These things are specifically contrived to get people together. Take advantage of it while you can because these opportunities rapidly fade as you get older.

* Stay healthy. Eat well. Keep fit. This can be easy if you join a society with an active component (it can be walking or something, doesn't have to be sport).

Things I did that I would recommend you do too:

* Find what you are interested in and specialise. Go above and beyond what is required in those areas. University is not just about lectures, doing what is required and passing the exam. This is an opportunity for you to dedicate your life to learning. You won't get a chance to do this again.

* Be open to academia as a career path. For many this is a far more fulfilling career than going into industry. You will have plenty of opportunities to explore this if you want to. Ask your professors about it if you are interested.

* Use the facilities available to you. Not everything is online. A university library is a fantastic resource.

Having a good time. Learn for the sake of education, not for getting a job. You're so privileged by picking CS, you'll get a job anyway.

You only have one life and this time only now, use it! Socialize, be political and foolish. Make fun experiments and share with people, make friends.

Networking.

That's what I wish I did more of. It's disgusting how much of the world operates under "networking", which tends to be just a thin veil concealing from only the most gullible the true underlying activity of cronyism. "It's who you know, not what you know", has become a widespread saying embraced by the corporate world.