Reality of CS Majors

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Timestamps
Intro 0:00
First Year 0:12
Second Year 1:02
Third Year 1:56
Final Year 2:40
Brilliant Sponsorship (Ad) 3:26

[@bigboxSWE]

To try everything Brilliant has to offer-free-for a full 30 days, visit brilliant.org/bigboxSWE The first 200 of you will get 20% off Brilliant’s annual premium subscription.

[@EdNieThePianoGuy]

"Becoming a software engineer from a CS degree is kinda like becoming a chef from a chemistry degree." Yep, that about sums it up.

[@SethuSenthil]

Best phrase I’ve head

[@darkwoodmovies]

I mean there's gastronomy, never had it but from what I hear it's kind of like cooking with a chemistry degree and supposedly tastes amazing.

[@ironmatic1]

CS majors complaining about having to actually learn how software works is hilarious. No engineer has ever complained about having to learn differential equations or thermodynamics because the software at their job does it for them. Most people whining on KZbin are asking for a coding bootcamp, not a university degree.

[@SethuSenthil]

@@ironmatic1 do u have to understand all of automobile engineering and physics before you get your drivers license? I totally understand ur point but the way school (atleast a lot of them) go about teaching things is in CS is fairly not optimal

[@darkwoodmovies]

@@SethuSenthil IDK about driving, but I would 100% hope that the person building my car has an engineering degree and knows his/her physics! Just because software isn't usually life-or-death like many other engineering practices doesn't mean you shouldn't know the underlying math/science stuff. But you don't need a degree to buy an iPhone and use an app :)

[@monkmodelandon-zt1wh]

Remember y’all, when you get out of college, you better have 3-5 years of experience for those entry level jobs. edit: damn, this comment blew up. Y'all this is a game of who can stick with something the longest. I'm a self-taught developer. I worked retail for 7 years. Then one day, a company gave me a chance. I went from $15 /hr to $60,000 /year. All you need is one job. Not 10. Not 100. Just one job. You need to fully commit yourself to becoming a developer. Some people are lucky to get a job in 6-7 months while others (like myself) takes a few years. The race is with yourself. Stop taking advice from redditors in the programming space and stop going down this rabbit hole of "I give up" content. It's toxic and pessimistic. You don't need that energy at all. Just build cool sh*t, then apply. I recommend building something you can monetize.

[@jimlahey4995]

Lmao I love seeing the LinkedIn job postings marked Entry-Level with any number of required years from 3-9, I stg sometimes those are senior positions too 😭

[@NobleAbsinthe]

When you get out of college you just put down 8 years experience just to get past the computer.

[@BTrain-is8ch]

You guys know that's 3-5 years or an equivalent degree right? Not both.

[@NobleAbsinthe]

@@BTrain-is8ch I honestly don't know that because no one tells us that and I never see an HR person to clarify. All I was told is that different companies have different expectations and maybe even different definitions of what is equal to what. And that maybe I should get my masters but I literally can't afford that.

[@BTrain-is8ch]

@@NobleAbsinthe Every company I've ever worked for has been 3-5 years or an equivalent degree. We're not interested in hiring someone with no background or experience but a BS CS or BSE SWE is perfectly fine. I wouldn't recommend a masters. It'll probably cost you more in total (it's not just about tuition, it's more about the cost of spending another two years not working, picking up real world experience, and growing your compensation package) than it will add in value. If you've got a BS in CS or SWE go ahead and apply to whatever entry level positions you like. You'll be fine.

[@Grz55]

When all your videos leave me optimistic and uplifted, this one actually gave me anxiety

[@joaoaugusto6290]

Honestly same,this one felt very cinical and depressing

[@dhirajmeenavilli5508]

Yeah, I can't say it's not like how he said, but usually if you're willing to look where others aren't looking and be a little opportunistic (not in a finance kid way) you'll be ok, no one can guarantee FAANG or anything but if you love coding and don't need the first opportunity that comes your way and just explore your own interests and build your own style, you'll be ai.

[@codemaster4261]

Reality is that you just have to lie on your resumee and in interviews. Why? Because everybody else is doing it. Recruiters expect it of you.

[@pingeee]

@@celestia4439 hes not exaggerating this is what its actually like lol

[@dekumutant]

@@celestia4439 This was pretty much my experience lol

[@Fahodinho]

As someone who graduated from a cs degree recently, I confirm this video is 100% accurate.

[@NobleAbsinthe]

Idk why it's always FAANG or burger flipping. State has CS jobs and you can always do IT work

[@codemaster4261]

Sure, but they rather take someone without an CS degree for thos positions. Because otherwise they would be hiring smarter people than themselfes. CS degrees are a meme.

[@marcotroster8247]

​@@codemaster4261At least in Germany the degree cost anything, so you don't have debt. But yeah, you didn't go through this stuff to become a random fullstack guy for 60k. That's just insulting your intellect when you could do crazy AI stuff as well.

[@codemaster4261]

More likely you get 40k to install Windows and printer drivers on employees laptops. 60k is hilariously high for germany.

[@marcotroster8247]

@@codemaster4261 Even German universities pay 60k for a fulltime PhD thesis in 2023. Just saying... Don't settle for less than public sector pay. PS: I guess I'm good at installing Windows because IT support offers are hitting my LinkedIn like crazy 😂😂😂😂😂

[@michaelklikushin6045]

“Using a CS degree to work as a developer for a social media company is like using a cannon to kill a fly” heard this quote from one of my professors and can confirm.

[@water1374]

It it because it's hard to aim the cannon or is it because the cannon ball is so big that it will obliterate the fly?

[@snaeshaads8203]

how is that true though? social media companies must have complex algorithms that I assume take heavy development to squeeze as much time and involvement out of their users as possible, right? not like its a simple operation in the backend?

[@afj810]

​@@snaeshaads8203yes but it's not new or innovative so it is a waste of your skills

[@moodswingy1973]

I've heard it's like studying metallurgy to become a welder.

[@hungrycrab3297]

@@snaeshaads8203 The thing is computer science is an incredibly broad and complex subject. The theory of it goes back to mathematics and even philosophy (the Halting Problem and the limits of what can ever be solved, etc), which has virtually nothing to do with how a compiler works, which itself has virtually nothing to do with how a typical modern web app works, which has nothing to do with machine learning, which has nothing to do with OS kernels, etc. In a degree you take courses touching on all of this stuff, plus math up to vector calculus, etc. But 95% of it is very, very removed from the actual day-to-day reality of software engineering. The term code monkey exists for a reason. Lots of people just write code, the same kind of code they've been writing for 10 years, without ever drawing on any of the broader theory underlying computer science. That said, if you work at FAANG or other top tier places, they will absolutely expect you to be a wiz at algorithms and whatnot, at least for your interview. How often it actually comes up in practice I suppose depends on the work you're doing. But I seriously doubt it's enough to justify the culture of grinding leetcode and the like that CS has. Also, despite CS being a pretty difficult degree, lots of employers barely care about your undergrad. Experience and acing the technical interview are what matter.

[@usamabinmuzaffar692]

CS graduate here. I'm a game developer now and my final year project was a combination of computer vision, robotics, UI/UX, and application development. While I agree that it was drag to get through undergrad but it was worth it for me. One thing is for sure, unless you actually like computers and math, CS is gonna be a very difficult degree to pursue.

[@ziebplew]

For sure. Way too many people are in CS because they saw an influencer say it's easy money (not true), like video games, lack social skills and decided to lean into the stereotype, or for other half baked reasons. Most don't graduate, and those who do are doomed to a career of mediocrity at best.

[@FabriGLiza]

How can I contact you, if you're willing to talk to a 2nd year SWE student? I read your comment and can see that you're very passionate about what you're doing. I have some questions about the career and I'd like to know your opinion on those. Thank you :).

[@usamabinmuzaffar692]

@@FabriGLiza So youtube apparently doesn't let you comment with an ad block on. Been trying to reply to you.

[@bobbobson6290]

@@ziebplew mediocrity still pays the bills.

[@sorefingertips2667]

Hello, do you think it’s feasible for a student to work while studying for a CS degree? My father has already expressed how he is not going to be helping with any expenses while I’m in college and I know I will have to take loans out but I still need money for living expenses and books.

[@kito8968]

Im so happy you got the sponsorship :D Fully deserved.

[@bigboxSWE]

thank you bro, could never get here without you. money goes straight back into channel for quality

[@icemine2418]

Didn't even watch it lmao

[@forhadrh]

you heard brilliant is sponsoring this video. You heard the word "brilliant", and that's enough marketing for brilliant@@icemine2418

[@karlheifisch]

Sponsorship for even more useless math lmfao

[@human7532]

my dumb ass though this was about counter strike majors

[@Teczowy1410]

relatable

[@4thofjuly395]

I wish I made your mistake, so I wouldn't have to be so painfully aware of my reality.

[@DanielHai-ow3km]

I thought the exact same and I was confused at first

[@happycamper1v122]

"Being the most overqualified burger flipper" hit far too close to home.

[@jasontutorials4809]

I had to work in old navy until I got my first job lol

[@Dacc-wp2mf]

Buddy why in the world are you working as a burger flipper bruh

[@forsakencrusader4725]

@@Dacc-wp2mf raised burger flipping job wages by a whopping $5/hr here in cali.

[@nickkatz8369]

painfully accurate. CS at universities killed any passion I had for coding. Now I'm doing IT

[@saltysweatyhands]

man that sad. i'm in my second year trying to get into the cs program at my school and I'm realizing why I should switch my major 1st it doesn't feel like i have a passion for coding, sure messing around in coding is fun like making basic stupid codes of input or loops and whatnot but when it comes to learning new things i find it hard. 2) Amount of math u gotta do for cs. insane. just pure insane. not sure why i still chose cs after looking at math requirements. i realized if I'm struggling badly in calc, then calc 2, linear algebra and god forsaken discrete math will eat me up. 3) the hype and stigma of cs IMO was the reason why i chose it, everyone and their pet cat was doing cs and everyone was telling me to do it and ill be making 6 figures, high school me got convinced to do it, even knowing its gonna be hard, didn't realize how hard it is. so now Im kinda annoyed on how I've spent so much time trying to get into a program i knew i wasn't gonna like in the first place lol

[@hooriyaansari2961]

​@@saltysweatyhandsbroo , i am from a pre med bg so should i come into this major or not?!😢

[@Siegefya]

​@@saltysweatyhandsyou should consider WGU, it's accredited and on-line, self paced, requires calculus 1 and 2 discrete math classes. All that extra math is dumb AF for CS, it really is, especially school's who require CS students to take the same series of math as engineering students. Tbh it's dumb ASF for most engineering majors as well besides electrical engineering and computer engineering sort of, civil engineering etc. Nobody uses that shit in industry... And people who do use it, are using very powerful calculators to solve those kind of problems (not talking like hand held calculators either). But yeah, give WGU a look if all those math classes got you down. That or just stick it out.

[@jekwizkhan3028]

@@hooriyaansari2961nope med better

[@rishabhraj1663]

Oh so there are good careers in cs without coding too

[@clash2453]

3rd year in my degree right now... man this hits too close to home.

[@NobleAbsinthe]

Same here.

[@ardnys35]

true

[@equiaux_music]

Same here

[@subid.majumdar]

save yourself, learn react, js

[@NobleAbsinthe]

@@subid.majumdar react/js is way more fun and easier than C

[@load7791]

I just graduated with my CS degree and cybersecurity minor. I landed a job immediately afterward as a pentester, but I'm training to move over to the red team. I would say the thing that actually gave me real-world experience and is the sole reason why I have a job now is that I did a Summer internship as a cybersecurity architect, but I established connections with everyone by reaching out to them. I would say this is the surefire way to get your resume built up with real-world experience that employers want to see.

[@worldofgamers4316]

Hi there brother! Congratulations on landing a pen tester job!! I am also interested in red teaming and I am currently in my 3rd year of CS degree. Could you help me by telling me some kind of pathway or resources that could help me??

[@water1374]

​@@worldofgamers4316 Brilliant, I just so happen to have researched into this a little bit yesterday. If you google "programming intern job", google will show you jobs from like linked in and indeed, and if you're a 3rd year, you probably meet many of their qualifications. I'm not taking courses yet but it's nice to know that there's plenty of room when I start.

[@firstNamelastName-ho6lv]

Also interested in pen testing, Hack the Box is a great free place to start but you get price-walled so fast it's not even funny. What you really need is real world experience in linux command line, which you get from 1) using linux daily on your PC, and 2) maintaining some sort of server, doesn't matter what it is or how it runs, if it does run and keeps running then you're successful. The more stuff you run (game servers, ftp, databases, imap stuff) the more you will be familiar with pen testing tools.

[@hungrycrab3297]

Yeah if there's one thing CS students should know it's internships are everything. Get as many as you can with the best companies you can. And make connections with your coworkers. In other engineering fields your degree matters a lot, in CS it really doesn't. It's all experience and being a god at leetcode and technical interviews.

[@dishcleaner2]

Graduated 4 years ago and work as a senior devops engineer now. This is accurate. Get as many internships as you can while you’re in college. These are the real entry level jobs that will build up those ”years of experience” for a real job after graduation. GPA will only matter for internships and your first job. Do a leetcode challenge or whatever once a day and you’ll be miles ahead of most people.

[@james-cf4mw]

Your channel is everything I've been looking for, and I found you from a Hamza comment section. I'm a high school senior about to go to college for a CS degree but have been feeling so demotivated as I have "nothing to code". Thank you for what you do bro

[@acecannon9676]

As a senior computer science major, the two most important things I’d recommend are maintaining a good gpa/ learning from your classes, and getting internships. It may take a few extra curriculars or projects, but once you get your first internship in your freshman or sophomore summer, you’re setting yourself up for a lot of future success.

[@ziebplew]

Absolutely. Internships as early as possible are far and away the best way to get ahead.

[@flosset6070]

Internships in freshman or sophomore summer in this market😂😂😂. Good luck lol

[@briannaalejo9226]

You make it sound easy. Nobody wants freshman or sophomore for their internships

[@Triisttan]

@@briannaalejo9226Freshman here, just got offered a paid summer CS internship by a local startup company. Gotta put in effort to get the internships

[@acecannon9676]

I'm not going to say it's easy especially since I did it like 2 years ago, but I did have to apply like 20 times before even being interviewed. It's low-key just a numbers game once your resume is good enough, but don't stop applying and getting feedback, and it's very possible to get an internship as a sophomore. Freshman is a little harder, but possible nonetheless.

[@SodaPopBop3]

I know this sounds sad and all that but this video actually gave me help. I'm 5 years into my degree. I decided was a bright idea to switch from chemistry to this, and while some bits are easier some, it's a bit more hard and I've been feeling a bit more lost as of late but seeing this video and seeing that my experiences were not exclusive to only me, it has made me feel so much better and helped me to go forward. I hope to finish my degree this year. Maybe get some more internships which have been neglecting. Thank you

[@robydobus]

Dude! So happy for you to be getting these videos sponsored now. Your content is top tier and I'm glad external sources are starting to see that, too.

[@andrewchacon2425]

why does every cs video help destroy my best intentions heading into college

[@seaweed428]

because life is hard. you go to college, its hard. you dont go to college, its also hard. choose your path and stop watching youtube, if you all you're planning to do is bring yourself down.

[@Xaruzo]

There is no work easy in life just hard that's reality

[@Dipj01]

Because its the reality. You'll also find plenty of videos saying how there are plenty of jobs because they're selling shovels (cs content), but the Software gold rush is over.

[@hungrycrab3297]

If software engineering is genuinely your passion you'll do fine. Just don't half ass it, and get as many internships as you can with recognizable companies. That said, CS courses and actual software engineering are quite different. Make sure you actually like the job you'll be doing. If you're iffy on it after a year or two I'd switch to a different engineering major. Most other stem fields respect your degree way more and don't have nearly as demanding technical interviews.

[@YeahItsYourBoyG]

@@seaweed428 that's one of the realest things I've ever seen in a KZbin comment.. well said o7

[@somerandomguy001]

YOOOOOO YOU GOT SPONSORED LESGOOOO!!!!!! it seems like yesterday when i first saw your video on the mindset of successful programmers you've come a long way bigbox, congratulations!

[@bigboxSWE]

much love bro, i hope to make you proud. :)

[@somerandomguy001]

@@bigboxSWE you make me proud with every new upload, keep doing this bro

[@rateater1857]

sounds fun! i had some advanced assembly programming classes in my second year instead, god alone knows why. very cool. 1 in 60 pass rate on the first go, but the professor was a funny guy and let us attempt the finals as many times as we wanted. passed on my 12th go.

[@skyhappy]

bait alert

[@Rawi888]

Dude, if I could reattempt tests infinitely I would be so happy. The school system really disincentivises failure but that's the only way I learn.

[@skyhappy]

@@Rawi888 He's lying, that sounds outrageous to take the final 12 times over. How does the prof even organize that?

[@chrisp2639]

🤡

[@DankMemes-xq2xm]

@@skyhappy Could be auto graded or something, and then the prof only enters the grades into the system once it's the deadline.

[@robydobus]

One of the most frustrating things about my CS program was that certain capstone courses were only offered every other semester. Lots of students in my dept had to extend their grad date by a year just for that one course (Object oriented design), and because of the infrequency of the class, it would fill up like instantly when enrollment opened. I had to convince my counselor to honor a 5000-level software development lifecycle class to fulfill that class requirement because I was moving after what was supposed to be my last full time semester. Luckily, that class actually taught me about jira and unit testing and other things my uni thought weren't important.

[@Alborzhakimi7010]

This is crazy. Our university teaches us unit testing in the first year. Who on earth thought it was a good idea to leave unit testing for the last year?

[@D4MNF0xy]

There is one piece of advice that i'd Like to give: - regardless of what you do, make it look good in a PowerPoint presentation. Selling you and your work is often more important than being able to write quality code.

[@XueHuaPiaoPiao69]

So true lmao, my cs teacher said he and his team used to present a great mock-up to the clients if they didn’t finish the code, or just the program that worked under specific use cases😂

[@thekonoha]

I watched the entire video thinking it was Fireship. Its only at the end when he told I realized its a completely different channel. Great Job!

[@cody_codes_youtube]

Shots fired!! Haha, I don’t agree, but this made me laugh about how out of touch education is to the real programming world. Good content as always!

[@connorskudlarek8598]

It's more that Computer Science is no longer strongly related to programming. Software engineering courses are, shockingly, more about software engineering than it is computer science. This is the equivalent of being shocked that physics isn't a great degree for learning the skills to get a job as a mechanical design engineer.

[@Kilian2]

Care to elaborate a bit?

[@mahmud1019]

Yeah, all my professors think at my job I'll be talking with my supervisors about Finite-Automatons and benefits of the Waterfall model for SW development

[@mysterry2000]

​@@Kilian2computer science is a science subject, which means it has to, by definition, talk about the science parts that relate to computers. Programming happens to be one of them. Software engineering is the study of building software using certain principles, similar to how circuit engineering is the study of making circuits using certain principles. Software engineering is about software creation done from an engineer's perspective. It has a lot of programming because it's about software. Computer science is about the science of computers, of which programming is a small subset only.

[@cody_codes_youtube]

You know, these comments have really shined a light on something. It’s made me realize some assumptions I (and many others) assume. These replies are arguing the case that computer science and getting a degree is strictly an academic approach, but the disconnect is many go into it with the intent of preparing for the job market.

[@averagecamelenjoyer6708]

I am struggling with my CS and math classes and dread my GE classes, especially bio and communication. My biggest problem is that I need to spend more time studying math and CS. Honestly, I get very intimidated to start studying because I know how hard math and CS are, which stops me from advancing my math and CS skills. But it also feels so good and satisfying to overcome my struggles, and I know how to do better. I need to practice more and stop being lazy, but that's easier said than done. I wish colleges and universities could update their courses and actually care about their students' success because this is ridiculous. Though employers are starting to be more accepting of people who don't have a CS degree, your chances of getting a job in CS are still higher than those without a degree. Employers still need to check their stupid checklist.

[@saltysweatyhands]

i agree with you so much. same boat as you, I struggle with math and started to take my first cs course. hate how other classes get in the way. when i truly start to grasp, i have to do work for other classes. its an endless cycle of falling behind and catching up for me

[@bigcountryranch]

math and CS ain't that hard. if you can't solve these problems that has been solved before, what makes you think you can solve problems in the real world? think about that.

[@PersonalEmail-ot1bq]

Change major then, cs is all about math and algorithms

[@mahmud1019]

3rd year CS Major here, and my major has done nothing but push me away from programming. University CS programs need a major refresh, seriously.

[@anon1963]

you chose a science degree for programming? lol

[@mahmud1019]

@@anon1963 a lot of people assume CS would be about programming. Boy are they(including me) wrong! And I didn’t and still don't have the luxury of changing my major, so I'm stuck with it.

[@anon1963]

@@mahmud1019yes I was wrong as well. advanced math slapped me really hard. but hey I did some research about how all that math and physics will help me and I decided to roll with it

[@manofsteel9051]

Computer science is not there to teach you to be a programmer. It's to teach you computer science. Don't know why you expected any different

[@mahmud1019]

@@manofsteel9051 where I'm from there are not many people who try to clear this misconception. I wish they did and even 4 years ago this topic wasn't as widely discussed as it is now. I hope you understand how I fell into this. Lack of widespread knowledge and lack of research on my part. If I had known better, I would've picked Software Engineering as my major.

[@27haad]

I used to share your feelings for hand writing code and since grad school I have been note-taking on laptop. There is literature now that hand writing notes/diagrams leads to better understanding & retention. While my writing has suffered from atrophied muscles and have to keep track of notebooks I have rediscovered joy in hand writing notes.

[@99Plastics]

There literature that says drinking your own piss is good, I guess you should get a glass ready.

[@gold4963]

I graduated with my computer science degree recently (with zero college debt, yay!), and this is terrifyingly accurate.

[@oscarthomas1974]

no debt? howww?

[@gold4963]

@@oscarthomas1974 Scholarships and working my through school. Oh, and living with my parents so that I don't have to pay housing fees. :D

[@wtfdude1830]

@@gold4963 Good for you! Hope you can land a decent jobs, dont worry about not getting one, just strive to be better, wish you good luck, stranger.

[@Mandq.]

how's the jop markte? i want to join CS but idk if its still worth it or meh

[@clintn.kildepstein1656]

You’re so right about Intro weeding out people😂 I took it and was like aw hell no I ain’t doing this for another 4 years and dipped to business

[@pingeee]

i was in business and i couldnt stand it so i switched to cs, still hate it but at least its somewhat interesting and doesn't bore me to death

[@hotman718]

bro this shit looks fun to me. I rather sit at a desk coding over dealing with other shit. There are certainly harder paths in life than CS.

[@clintn.kildepstein1656]

@@hotman718 yeah that’s what I thought too bro until you realize it’s impossible and there’s never an end to what you have to learn. I mean if you understand it though then kudos to you

[@hotman718]

@@clintn.kildepstein1656 so it's kinda like music. You can learn and get good but your only ever scratching the surface on what you can learn

[@the-ironclad]

@@hotman718good for you. I believe you’ll succeed in this industry. Don’t slack off and don’t give up when things get hard. Every problem can be solved. Also keep learning, new tech comes out every single day so you have to constantly adapt to new frameworks and changes. But it can be a lot of fun once everything clicks and you build a project you’re proud of and it’s working.

[@jcorey333]

As someone who graduated debt-free with a CS degree, this doesn't represent me, but it is funny 😁. I do think a lot of the classes weren't exactly the most useful.

[@Triisttan]

ok

[@stilllife9936]

ok

[@nothingimportant380]

Where did you get your degree?

[@ninayamauchiofficial]

​@@nothingimportant380Probably in Europe 🤔 ?

[@jcorey333]

@@nothingimportant380 Brigham Young University, in Utah. Definitely great value for my money, but the classes were all over the place in how useful/helpful they were.

[@Ribs351]

I flunked computer systems twice, god that was hell. Most of the people in my CS class are now working in other fields right now, so I suppose I'm one of the few lucky ones to even land a job after getting a CS degree.

[@RandomNoob1124]

Computer architecture (the same thing, just called that at my school) was definitely hell.

[@volzey]

@@RandomNoob1124 As a new student, I couldn't agree more

[@colinseguin9651]

Doing Computer Organization and Operating Systemd rn. Wanna kms probably gonna fail

[@swaggytj23]

@@colinseguin9651 Im taking both classes at a community college right now, and both of them are the easiest classes ever. Why is that? Well 1. they're online 2. My OS class is just full of easy labs 3. My Comp Org class class never has homework posted. I guess I lucked out by going to a CC instead huh

[@bigcountryranch]

computer systems, assembly language, and discrete math separates the pack. congrats!

[@zy6js]

As a CS fresh graduate, I can seriously relate to the stress part. I have autoimmune thyroiditis and it basically gets worse with stress and lack of sleep, by the end of my final year my thyroid hormones and antibodies were so out of wack that I was awfully tired all day and had trouble concentrating. It was almost physically impossible for me to have a full-time job so I decided to have some time off just resting and look for a job later. It's 6 months later now and I'm still studying and looking for a job.

[@ziebplew]

The experience of getting the degree is spot on but if you aren't trying to throw your life away to get into FANG, the job market afterward isn't nearly as bad a depicted. It's still pretty hardscrabble right now with the economy tilting toward recession and interest rates being sky high, but it's still a better market for CS majors than most other majors.

[@DonaldFranciszekTusk]

So what's your advice?

[@shaansingh6048]

@@DonaldFranciszekTusk get job

[@DonaldFranciszekTusk]

@@shaansingh6048 * where job *

[@gg.cip0t]

Hope you get more sponsorship brother!!!❤❤❤

[@bigboxSWE]

much love bro

[@afvgdsfgeee7760]

This is a good video. Thank you for making this.

[@Lzi.19]

It's my biggest mistake in life to get into cs without having any basis of programming it's so hard watching people that are better than u who put 2-4 years before joining the college

[@galaxygkm4696]

This and the fact that I’m a girl is why I’m considering not taking this major 😭

[@rc8s]

@@galaxygkm4696 why exactly is that relevant to not taking it?

[@hungrycrab3297]

@@rc8s Bro CS majors are like 85% male. And a lot of them are neckbeardy types. It's definitely a factor. A lot of companies in STEM fields want to hire women, but socially it can definitely be rough.

[@FHi349]

And there are tons of people who don't have any background in computer science do well in their studies just like all those who have played around programming language(s) before starting degree in CS

[@TechInTheAlly-iw1lv]

The math is exactly why I dodges CS for a business degree in information systems. Now I job is like an many-in-one combo with network, servers, systems and support. There’s many tech job out there that doesn’t need as much grind while also giving out decent paycheque.

[@galaxygkm4696]

would an IT degree also be good?

[@bigcountryranch]

@@galaxygkm4696 is there really a IT degree?

[@mertenesyurtseven4823]

My avg CS experience: study up to 16 hours a day for few weeks then get hospitalized for a week then as soon as you get out continue to grind for 5 upcoming final exams. Thank you GaTech ):)

[@abv-gn2gk]

thank you for the video!

[@HonsHon]

Probably one of your best videos on the channel! Cracked me up. Had to keep rewinding just to hear and see the jokes/memes again haha Edit: Also, I sort of had a different path since I took my time a bit: Community College Year 1: Intro to CS Year 2: Mobile Phone Programming (I was fucking off this entire year lmao) Year 3: Assembly and Algorithms Community and State University (was taking classes from both because of this awesome math prof at my community college) Year 4: Discrete Math and Algorithms (the same class was featured at my state university - just in Java and not C) State University Year 5: Linux and Software Engineering (in groups) Year 6: Fucking everything (wanted to get done by this point as I realized I was on year 6 so I almost killed myself taking tons of classes) Year 7: Advanced Graphics and Senior Project (actually had an A team for Senior project) I got lucky but probably spent more time than I should have.

[@ghxstyn]

finishing my 2nd year now, just completed 1 year at my internship and will start as a junior quality assurance analyst in 10 days. hope it's going well for everyone else :)

[@anderson2718]

Assurance analyst? With a cs degree?

[@FHi349]

QA? You should be no less than Software Engineer unless you took this role to get experience only on testing side of things

[@HackAlert1]

A CS student from India, this feels relatable at so many levels

[@user-ui6sb9ne1x]

which year are you studying in?

[@HackAlert1]

1st

[@XueHuaPiaoPiao69]

I’ll start Uni this September. For some time I’ve been quite scared of choosing CS because I overthought I wouldn’t like it Unironically, after watching this video I’m more motivated than ever lol Thank you mate🙏

[@edattacks]

Was just about to go to bed and seen this vid in my subscription feed.

[@alexh2665]

I’m going down the route of a general IT major while grinding on coding projects on the side outside of school, I’ve learned way more outside of college than in collage about programming and development tbh

[@salem8909]

exactly what I'm doing, switched from CS to IT and am learning programming outside of school which makes it much more interesting to me.

[@alexh2665]

@@salem8909 exactly that’s the move, I originally switched from a cyber major to IT after my first semester and love programming way more w

[@B7k7n]

How do you guys learn outside the school

[@alexh2665]

@@B7k7n videos, forums, chatGPT, coding projects for things you genuinely want to build

[@balladin9200]

So basically getting the degree to make you more attractive to your future employer i see

[@blcktrggr4895]

ey!!! first sponsorship video?! I'm so happy! you deserve it giga chad!

[@patchoulicolt7093]

I think this is the weeding video that comes right before intro to computing :-) I still want to do it, count me unweedable!

[@akaiyui9300]

As someone who recently graduated with a CS degree, this video is 100% accurate. I now work in a construction company as an assistant timekeeper lmao.

[@playversetv3877]

dw not everyone gets a job in their field of study straight away. happens to a lot

[@behrozzafar8447]

Oh lord these comments, kinda makes me wanna let go of university lol

[@playversetv3877]

what r u studying?@@behrozzafar8447

[@ngndnd]

"straight away" unless u know someone, get lucky with an apprenticeship, or make some successful app no one is gonna want someone who graduated years ago and has no experience in their field@@playversetv3877

[@Mandq.]

@@behrozzafar8447same..

[@mahendrap1960]

When I was in my college, they did not taught us anything only take exams and attendance , my college used to teach Qbasic, visual basic and Foxpro etc. very outdated software almost no use for industry, even in my university they teach about DBMS theory but they never teach about how to connect database to website or apps in full demo practical , that's why college are useless in computer science career. now I am learning everything by myself

[@estelar9499]

yeah, the only thing u get out of it its people that are in the same path

[@1legomaster32]

This video hits just as hard as the first time I watched it. I don't agree with every statement made, but I absolutely see where bigbox is coming from. I do understand the thought process behind the math courses college requires you take; Discrete has direct connections to how computers work, Calculus makes you have to think outside the box, and algebra is often just something someone should know the basics of. But I don't think the former two should be inherently required, especially if you're doing something like Web Dev. I think colleges should advise people to take those classes, maybe even pressure them to do so, but not force it on them. You can be amazing at all things programming and suck at math, and the opposite can be true too. Also, and tragically I don't think this is all too rare, you can be an ace at actual programming and still botch all the paper and pencil tests, cause they'll be hyperspecific with things you've never tested yourself, and or they'll give you some coding problem you have done, but have never seen written in a certain way. The college CS route is very shaky and could use more stability, there's no argument there, but I wouldn't say it's not worth pursuing still. Also, congrats on the sponsorship, you definitely deserve it.

[@lawrencefitzgerald4744]

This video really has a Fireship (another one of my favorite IT channels) style to it.

[@ManasBishtVBprogrammer]

2nd year student now, this man speaks facts 😀

[@subarulenz1470]

I'm also in my 2nd year and the data structure is knocking me down. Also, there are rumors around the neighborhood about me doing something illegal in my house and only leave house mid night to grab some red bull at a nearby convenience store.

[@sirbeethoven]

@@subarulenz1470that got dark really quick 😭🙏

[@cigxhang486]

@@subarulenz1470 yes data structures, took it thinking I'm gonna be a cs major, failed it now I'm not

[@DagothDaddy]

And once all that is done you will get a job making 3 to 4 dollars above minimum wage working under a guy who never even went to college because he just watched 3 udemey tutorials and instead of elective courses he spent his time mastering the social skills needed to fool recruiters into thinking he has 15 years of development experience .

[@Cobalt985]

As a kid with an Arch Linux Thinkpad in my second semester I'm thanking you for your confidence in me

[@euphoric_bazz2471]

Wow I enjoyed watching this after my cs design patterns finals

[@IbrahemAlbanawi]

It's been a year since I got into college Majoring in Programming and web development and it's honestly not that bad you actually learn useful stuff and things you will use and we learn how to use react and SQL HTML CSS and JavaScript And PHP and mobile application development things that actually matter and the monthly allowance I get from my college is also a good thing

[@peak_911]

depends on which college you are in

[@andiuptown1711]

*Notice how you major was not ‘Computer Science’*

[@victoralmanzar1273]

​@@andiuptown1711yeah let's gate keep people wanting to get an education.

[@defaultdefault812]

You're not doing computer science...

[@Mike09017]

Even though this is very true, If I had seen this video before starting my CS degree, I would have probably chickened out of it. Don’t be discouraged!

[@Desolatebrowser]

I am currently doing something called a post leaving cert course, a its further education course after highschool or more commonly known as secondry school in ireland. A post leaving course(plc) allows you experience first year of a degree to see if you like it or not, it also prepares you for actual university/college by introducing you to the base level of the subject you want to pursue, i am currently doing a plc in compsci and so far im enjoying it, the course i am taking is 1 year and after this year i am allowed to take a another year before i go to university, with this year an internship is offered where i get to work at a company for the entire year, this can be any company or if i dont take the offer of the internship i can do the second year as normal and then be fast forwarded into the second year of a cs degree. This video has convinced me to take the internship at the second year. Thank you

[@pullrequest1481]

BIGBOX!!!❤❤❤

[@jan-lukas]

So here where I live in Germany, intro to programming is only one semester. And many people I've talked with in the field have told me that the 3 years are really worth it to formalize the knowledge that you probably have, but do not fully understand. Also it's free here, so it's only wasted time not wasted money here

[@codemaster4261]

Wasted Time is a much bigger factor. Just going to uni in germany will not get you a job. You have to atleast work full time next to your studies. Because germany has almost no tech companies. Its mostly engineering. So most companies are just looking for a cheap workforce that does all their shitty IT work (sth a 13yo could do). Additionally the quality of german universities are way below that of other countries. Professors have zero passion for their profession. Most only got into it, because their parents are academics. All they do is publish shit tier paper or do not even publish at all.

[@marcotroster8247]

​@@codemaster4261Yeah the German industry forces you to leave the country as a well educated programmer. I wouldn't necessarily say that German universities are bad, but they produce some kind of useless 2nd tier researcher without practical programming experience companies wouldn't wanna hire for 100k+

[@defaultdefault812]

​@@marcotroster8247why would a graduate expect 100k salary? Try 30-40k first...

[@marcotroster8247]

@@defaultdefault812 I have had a 3 year apprenticeship and 5 years of freelancing beforehand. I'm not a typical graduate. Even public universities pay 60k for a fulltime PhD. So you shouldn't go below that salary IMO.

[@gLitCheRR44]

@@defaultdefault812 I agree, although 100k isn't even that much these days. GL living in SF, NYC, or LA on anything less than 100k/yr.

[@skyslasher6267]

its nice to know i spent all that time just to get a job where "i wont code at all, they just wanted someone with an engineering degree". thats what happens when you dont get internships or real experience before graduation, i can only blame myself but dont get into cs unless you can handle it and the extra shit you need to do to distingiush yourself amongst a sea of smart tryhards.

[@TrekStar11]

As someone graduating in 2 weeks with my BS in Software Engineering this shit hit harder than a Mike Tyson punch to the gut. Unfathomable levels of accurate here

[@TehGhostWhoPlay]

Dam 2nd year here. no internship yet, havent taken some of the classes you mentioned making me panic about my choice of college, and i m soon about to head to my third year to suffer :l

[@mazenyasser7208]

I just finished my Computer Engineering degree 4 months ago, most of the video is correct for me except for the capstone project which we didn't get.. But I'm in a paid internship at least now.

[@m4e12]

I'm a 3rd year in Comp Engineering aswell. All the best out there bro.

[@rukasuigh5683]

Well.. I am a CS major.. the first 2 years are filled with Hardware subjects and math.. almost everything we do, we have to do in C.. we write the compiler in the 2nd year.. we also did the GPU engine but that thing we did in C++ And we have team projects since year one.. and yeah the teammates just flee every time..

[@Natewu188]

sounds more fun that me first two years straight up math math and more math... and also taking useless courses that have nothing to do with CS for example English like bruh

[@Cookie-qk5jq]

Hey big ox great video , can you please make one on replit

[@toni6199]

this is scarily accurate

[@tihynihy2540]

The Abdul Bari part hits diff 🥲

[@marineplatoon1]

I went down the self taught route because i figured it would easier on my own time. fast forward 3 years later and its literally the most gratifying and exhausting thing I have ever attempted. It's no question harder than doing it through college or a boot camp because it's all on you so you end up in a lot of dead ends that lead nowhere forcing you to backtrack months to start over. That's why when ThePrimeagen mentioned if you wanna do it you have to REALLY want it I completely agreed with and the amount of engineers I met who seem to have their entire personality wrapped around programming is mind boggling. It's great cause you want people who are passionate about what they do in any field but it's just funny cause it's led to engineers being known for not having great social skills lmao.

[@havocblast8737]

I love the dig at Full Sail about the student loan financed macbook lol

[@xianzai_ad1928]

As someone about to graduate this is 100% true also it’s becomes literal hell if your a math minor/major

[@thegreatestfan1984]

I do not enjoy programming, I am not fascinated by computing and I'm studying a cs major

[@surferguy45]

Fundamentals of programming weeded me out of university, not because I didn’t like what I was learning, but because I was way too slow to keep up and actually be able to turn in my assignments in time. On top of that, the debt is crazy and I’m tryna have money to spend on things that actually help.

[@codemaster4261]

Be happy about that. I finished top of my class, but can not land a job.

[@surferguy45]

@@codemaster4261 You got this! That’s not an easy feat and definitely shows you have what it takes to get there, keep at it!

[@defaultdefault812]

​@@codemaster4261what projects did you build for clients that turned a profit?

[@comforth3898]

​@@codemaster4261Just Graduated. I fear this might happen to me as well.

[@raiyanarahman9968]

​@@codemaster4261hey did u lanf a job? r u based in US?

[@RicanSamurai]

I did a computer engineering degree, and almost done with my Master's as well, learning digital logic, assembly languages, operating systems, FPGAs, programming, etc.... .... but my day job is literally just writing Python code & scripts

[@gregh2x4]

This hits so hard

[@daniahmed]

writing code on paper and then dry running it. This makes it easier to understand imo.

[@YeetYeetYe]

Doing a CS degree was the BEST decision of my life. Did internships in my undergrad (Amazon, Microsoft and Snap) and was able to get a return offer before graduating. I was making $200k fresh out of college, now I'm making $350k.

[@YeetYeetYe]

@@rodolf5941 I am being 100% serious.

[@finesseandstyle]

I knew of a few people like that in the CS course of the most prestigious university of my country, they're like top 0.01%, definitely not the average viewer lol

[@dankhatana5739]

how were you able to get so many internships??? it’s literally impossible to land one nowadays

[@YeetYeetYe]

@@dankhatana5739 This was when the market was way better. Now everyone is majoring in CS and it's super saturated.

[@sahithchiluveru7969]

Big box can you suggest me a course like the Odin project but for machine learning, the Odin project was super helpful and for machine learning also I want to study through documentation and hands on experience and don't want to fall into that tutorial hell again , thank you so much for Odin project Words can't express how great full I am❤❤❤❤

[@damian9303]

I took an overview at the course requirements at my university and quickly switched out of Computer Science in favor of Computer Information Systems which is merely just a digest of all this that's hurried up at the end of the semester. Most of it is just the regular classes besides some tech-orientated electives

[@bandiddums]

I'm just about finishing my second month into my software development degree and honestly, it's been pretty great though the lecturers don't really seem like they know what they're supposed to be teaching. Some of them seem like they don't even understand what they're teaching. The syllabus is also obsessed with making people do group assignments. And of course there are these elective subjects that everyone is forced to take, at least only for the first semester. I honestly thought I'd hate it more when I first started, but it's been quite enjoyable

[@codemaster4261]

Yeah, thats because most were forced to teach a class and often they could not even choose which class to teach.

[@fortimusprime]

So... you are starting...? Just you wait...

[@KellyWu04]

Incredible. I'm praying AP can make my course load lesser by removing gen eds. I also got a meaningful internship for next summer. Currently sophomore. Can confirm I rarely sleep before 3 AM and I have no mental health.

[@ancellery6430]

how did you get your internship?

[@prico3358]

You think you might need a boyfriend for the mental health?

[@243WeMakeMusic]

lol im almost done with my bachelor's in CS and this video really hit home...I'm so disconnected from people cuz I'm just home stressing about handing work in....but now I'm stressing if I'm going to find a job

[@danielarledge7017]

for all the CS majors out there and college students in general. I'm 35 and I've worked as system admin, software engineer and currently a devops engineer....my degree was in marketing. You don't need the CS degree, and I'd argue you might not need the degree in general.

[@wigz2925]

Holy shit I'm so relieved to see someone finally acknowledge the stupidity of coding subjects on paper. I thought this was just some fever dream that only occurred at my university. SQL, C++, Java, Python, Algorithms and data structures... all on paper.

[@len322]

As a developer.. Don't.

[@OverMankind]

4th year here, I'm just glad that my degree has software engineering in its name. We do a lot of practical expertise and teamwork as opposed to theory.

[@ahmeda7074]

i am currently at the drawing circles and lines without sleep phase thanks for the push

[@griffadev]

Very glad.i didn't study computer science in the US, sounds stressful. I did study many of the same topics in the UK but with a lot more practical and useful topics too. Leet code problems are also less of a thing unless applying for FAANG in the UK

[@zaviusfirerave]

In a way I kinda regret getting into programming. The field is a lot more complicated than anything I could ever imagine even after I graduated

[@syrus1233]

I’m thinking to either become an electrician or do software engineering which one should I go with?

[@MissionSilo]

Well. You'd be useful in a zombie apocalypse as an electrician

[@JohnSmith-zk3kd]

@@syrus1233 If you're dumb and you know you're dumb be an electrician, If you are smart and you know you are smart be a software engineer. If you're in the middle software engineering will be hell with good pay, if you're in the middle being an electrician will be a breeze with good pay as long as you don't kill yourself on accident.

[@FHi349]

​@syrus1233 computer science. Hands down!

[@vitalyl1327]

Gone are the days when S in CS had a meaning... Why all those "CS majors" are so obsessed with jobs in the industry while they are supposed to advance Science?!?

[@carsongrant3515]

Becaus college is too expensive to go to learn for the sake of learning

[@vitalyl1327]

​@@carsongrant3515those who are put off by the cost of the knowledge do not deserve the knowledge. And do npt deserve any respect.

[@carsongrant3515]

@@vitalyl1327 except the same knowledge is free on the internet, which is where I end up teaching myself 90% of the time while I do my schooling

[@vitalyl1327]

@@carsongrant3515 knowledge without structure does not absorb into a coherent system.

[@scytheonion]

this is the realest info i've ever seen. every fresher should note this down wanting to pursue CS

[@sinless]

is this math really THAT bad? like... is this possible for your average joe if they buckle down and really try? or am i in over my head? B- in algebra 2 in highschool.

[@pyp2205]

I'm currently in my first year of Computer Science in my university. But a lot of the stuff mentioned (Algebra, Geometry, Calculus, and Logic and Discrete math) is what I'm going through right now in my first year. And it will only be for this year, and the first semester of my second year. But I was a programmer for 4 years before studying in my university. And I already know most of the stuff that will be taught in the future. So I can at least focus on courses I'm not good with, which is mainly math. But I've recently been getting better at it.

[@Triple_A-679]

It's not as bad as the Electrical Engineering major, I experienced both worlds, switching to CS major was a relief.

[@isoccer4447]

Thank god, finally longer content.

[@HathimHyderAli-yn8qn]

And me added it to watch later list 💀

[@rossbeukes1059]

Alternatively, you could go through an internship bootcamp like Van Zyl & Pritchard that starts you up as a junior with no knowledge, pushes you to intermediate and sources you out to companies. The theoretical course is only 6 months following that is 2 years of in-service training and once you finish that you've got 2 years of development experience and alot of technical knowledge that you can actually apply to your job. You could even use them to bridge you into the working world by jumping into the course after university to make that job search much easier.

[@danfloydarnaiz7543]

You are 11/10, more than perfection.

[@krejons]

The biggest lie is that CS degree is intro for working as a programmer. In reality it's a way for expanding the knowledge if you're really interested about the topics.

[@lemonadeforlife]

1:55 that fireship reply tho

[@leonelliottfuller8383]

Damn this was so real and specific, couldnt ask for me