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Ask HN: Did you regret getting a CS degree?

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Re: Ask HN: Did you regret getting a CS degree?

#2
With any degree - you get what you put into it. I think it has been extremely valuable in terms of understanding some of the theory/etc. of CS. Then again I am upset that more real-world + theory tools/process were not part of my courses.

For example - understanding source control and working with it is something that SHOULD be happening in classes. Every teacher should leverage git (https://github.com/edu) for managing/submission of code.

Re: Ask HN: Did you regret getting a CS degree?

#5
I do regret getting a CS degree.

CS came easy to me and so I got a CS degree.

Hindsight I wish I had challenged myself to get a degree in something that didn't come easy.

I dont appreciate my degree and I blow off the fact that I even have one. It means nothing to me.

I have a 14 year old son whom I am pushing to challenge himself and be more well rounded than I was. He is learning C++, yes but he plays basketball, loves MotoGP, learning to cook and overall learning how to talk and argue his points :-)

Re: Ask HN: Did you regret getting a CS degree?

#6
If you code all of the time and it's something you enjoy I'm not sure a CS degree is right for you. I was CS and I switched to music because assembly and calculus didn't seem relevant to anything I wanted to build. If you work hard and build projects and put a little effort into learning the CS concepts on your own you will have no problem finding a job. You better be able to code though if you're not going to have that CS line item on your resume. I'm saying you need 5 years experience building things to be qualified most places.

Re: Ask HN: Did you regret getting a CS degree?

#7
A lot of my CS degree wasn't really applicable to the work I actually do (line of business applications) but it was interesting as hell. I went to classes with a lot of people that hated half of the things we did (physics, math, combinatorics, machine learning, assembly, microprocessor fabrication) but every one of those things was just flat out interesting. Not really applicable, but I don't regret learning it at all.

Re: Ask HN: Did you regret getting a CS degree?

#8

I do regret getting a CS degree. CS came easy to me and so I got a CS degree. Hindsight I wish I had challenged myself to get a degree in something that didn't come easy. I dont appreciate my degree and I blow off the fact that I even have one. It means nothing to me. I have a 14 year old son whom I am pushing to challenge himself and be more well rounded than I was. He is learning C++, yes but he plays basketball, l…

what kind of degree would not come easy if you were able to make a CS degree? IMHO only a few degrees like pure math or physics may be more difficult.

Re: Ask HN: Did you regret getting a CS degree?

#10
Depends on what you want to do, but for me, no. If CS comes easy to you, that just means you can push even further in the time when others are stuck on the basics. If you're only interested in doing social web apps, then maybe you shouldn't get a CS degree. Getting more than an undergraduate degree in CS can make you knowledgeable and confident enough to tackle problems others won't, or be able to see solutions that others can't.
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