Why I Chickened out of Computer Science

[@bukdays]

I'm on my 6th semester of CS. It's basically a degree in math, but focused on the math/theories used in computers.

[@kazuxsora1586]

tf is formal system?

[@gamedesire2325]

Dude, i really don't understand how that work in US. Here in Brazil my FIRST class was already about Algorythms in Python and the next one was about Web Development. But anyway, i'm interested in research and have Calculus too

[@nafishy]

Same here and I would disagree, it's not the same in India. Sure there's a lot of math involved even in DSA, but is there any Science field where there is no math. In game development especially, knowing physics is important, physics is 80% math

[@mihail221]

Exactly. Thats why its actually better to study maths and physics first and then its going to be much easier going through all the concepts

[@jamesoheyne]

Hard disagree, I’m a second semester senior and I’ve only taken 3 math classes and 3 stat classes throughout my entire degree.

[@mikeyangyang8816]

As a fourth year CS student, I only learned "programming" in the first year's intro courses, and half of the classes I took in CS don't have ANY programming at all. "Programming" is only used in CS as a way to get your feet wet; my classes re-taught me most of the things I did in the "programming" courses in depth with slides and paragraphs. In all CS classes after the first year, we have to learn programming by ourselves for homework and projects, and a lot of the depth classes gives you choices on few languages (or just pen and paper) for doing homework. If you want to program, I would suggest you do a project by yourself and don't need to go to a university for it.

[@AeroLMS]

Thanks for the tip, am about to take a CS50 class online, dropped college for this. Hopefully I can learn everything I need for the career path that I want without the unnecessary gimmicks some university choices have.

[@pacitonito1903]

​@@AeroLMS Simply said, without a college degree, it will be difficult to even get an interview with any of the top FAANG companies if that is in your interest. These companies would prefer that you have a bachelor's degree in computer science. With that stated, it's not impossible to acquire a job without a college education; it simply might be more difficult.

[@AeroLMS]

@@pacitonito1903 yup, might become freelance at some point of my career before I land on a stable position

[@pacitonito1903]

@@AeroLMS Goodluck!

[@AeroLMS]

@@pacitonito1903 thanks!!

[@liamwelsh5565]

I'm a first year CS major and personally I love it. I love the feeling of getting a problem correct after spending sometimes hours trying to figure it out. It's honestly like crack for me.

[@sunnynepal1940]

exactly!! if you enjoy problem solving CS is for you

[@moss1w]

all it taught me was to search for the answers online...

[@liamwelsh5565]

@@moss1w That is a big part of it but 90% of the time you can't just google a question for a large problem. You have to break the problem down into sub problems and google those sub problems if you don't know how to do it as they are normally the types of things people ask about online.

[@moss1w]

@@liamwelsh5565 im too far gone to learn my stuff now, im stuck searching all of my answers up

[@arampathkushan2861]

fr CS is easy. the units just seem hard but once you start reading the content shits easy

[@benjcalderon]

Cool dude! I did philosophy at college and realized that I was going to be broke my whole life so I learned programming by myself and now I'm (supposedly) a Senior software engineer or whatever... good for you though! TBH on the field you usually specialize on just a little thing and do it over and over again, which is boring too... so doing projects on the side keep the excitement alive!! Keep making vids and doing some robotics or electronics together with software project for a video (series) would be so cooll!

[@Ardens.]

bro that's an amazing feat! This goes to show you don't necessarily need a CS degree to get a job in that field. I wanted to become a software engineer, but I was scared I was gonna sit at a computer working on excel spreadsheets for a living lol. But anyway, thank you for your comments and that's a great idea, I'll write that down.

[@echoptic775]

@@Ardens. everyone knows that u dont need cs degree for some jobs, my professor explained to me recently that u can learn to just convert alghoritms to a programming language and call that programming, but thats the simplest thing and the least paid one. And thats ok if u are interested in just coding

[@HyperMario64]

​@@echoptic775 Absolutely not, that requires expertise in both programming languages which is not that common. If you are porting stuff to GPUs to have massive parallel performance (most relevant case of what you mentioned IMO), you can make a lot of money. Just lookup daily salary of an engineer specialized in CUDA or OpenCL. This in particular requires high knowledge of the target hardware as well.

[@thalberg-]

@@Ardens. this makes no sense, why would a software engineer work on excel spreadsheets for a living

[@thomas.thomas]

@@thalberg- yeah, buisness students are doing that already ;)

[@Drakonus_]

As someone just in the 2nd semester of CS, I agree that all those math and theories are boring as fuck. But I realized that in order to actually understand how and why things work in programming, all those math and theories are very needed. If you don't really care about adequate theory knowledge and are the type of person who enjoys more on improvised learning, based on the given situation, then CS is definitely not your major. I'm actually this exact type of a person, but I realized it too late, and now I just have to live and persevere with it. It is very hard and slow to change this mindset, but I'm still not giving up. Who knows, maybe I can become an entirely different person after I finish this degree.

[@testa5687]

If I am the person you talked about, what degree would you suggest me?

[@sotam8938]

@@testa5687 Thats for you to find out man,.

[@sebastianalcala1974]

Yes, the subjects you learn in school are quite complicated and boring, but problem-solving is the most important thing you learn. Basically not retaining complex algorithms or math theory, but just know when those are handy and look for how to implement them. It is also a hands-on career, but it is not immediate. Once you get experience working on a tech company or maybe doing freelance, you will start working either alone or with colleagues on your own projects, there's where the fun begins. The problem-solving skill is not necessarily unique for comp. sci. but it is a career that is focused on that subject, and I believe that is one of, if not, the most important skill to have in the professional field. great vid.

[@benxiao5966]

Computer Science major here! CS isn't just about programming, but rather the theory and applications behind it. Computer Science also requires a certain level of abstract thinking, which is why during first year most CS students will require to learn about proofs (aka math courses like calc, linear algebra, stats, combinatorics). Once you have really learned the essence in computer science, learning/switching to different languages is rather easy. All (or most) of the concepts like data structures and algorithms are easily transferrable in different languages. Most people will find it hard to gain that abstract mindset required to really be good at computer science, but once you have figured that out, it is really benefical to have. Furthermore to add, most computer science resources are avaliable online, and alot of big universities will give the general public access to the course materials (lectures videos and notes).

[@cmaxz817]

Indeed that if someone has already mastered the abstract way of thinking, that person wouldn't be hard to change programming language. There's a but. Some languages do provide some quirks that might not be possible on other languages due to the way it's designed. I found it extremely tedious when going back and forth between high level programming language and scripting language like bash or fish. Even going back and forth between high level programming language like C#, Java, Python, Dart, etc can be extremely brainfucking due to different philosophy that each languages bring in. C# being a copycat of Java with some modern twists, Java being write once run anywhere, Python being simple and one-liner, Dart being a high-performance language for mobile devices.

[@sto2779]

Computer Science is just waste of your time. Computer Engineers would beat Computer Science in any day for an important project. You can say that CE is only hardware, but this is false, CE also includes Software Engineering. Just depends how you are majoring with CE, if you took CE with SE... thats real CS to me. CS lacks hardware engineering knowledge which is a major lacking reason why CS is not worth it. CE + SE will take 4-6 years to learn.

[@cmaxz817]

@@sto2779 oh boy, I love how practical your way of thinking this. Yes, Computer Science is more theoretical than Computer Engineering but without Computer Scientists, there wouldn't be a Computer Engineering. Just like a Philosophy major, without it, there wouldn't be Sciences as we know today. In Philosophy, you would mostly learn theories, but that can be a foundation of every aspect that the student will take. It's the same as Computer Science graduates, yes they mostly learn about theories, but the fundamental of CS is there and it can be applicable to all sorts of thing. May it be Server, IoT, Robotics, Game, Operating System, etc. These CS graduates will at least have a strong fundamental of Computer Science in general. Learn how to respect other people's choices. It's not a waste of time if they enjoy it. For my University, their CS program is geared towards applications. I personally picked the Game Dev speciality because I love doing research about it.

[@benxiao5966]

@@sto2779 Not sure why your immediate thought is to think that CE beats CS. That's quite out of topic and rather irrelevant. In the end you will most likely be working under executives that have management engineer or business backgrounds. So business and ME is better than both CE and CS? CE and CS are both really good programs and fields of study. Comes down to what you want to learn. Your view on engineering being superior is ... interesting

[@sto2779]

@@benxiao5966 yes this is common to hear people say that ce and cs are irrelevant when actually it is not. CE includes CS. CE teaches hardware, low level software and high level software. Cs only teaches irrelevant high level software with mediocre low level software and no hardware theory at all. Therefore CE is better than CS. Good luck finding colleges that even have CE Curriculum in this day and age. Only the most best colleges have CE curriculum.

[@SupaSweetKay]

Facts, I majored in mathematics and minored in CS, and there was soooo much overlap. I only had to pick up 3 extra classes to complete a CS minor

[@jerrickmarques8777]

It doesn't take much to have a minor in something, but that's just my opinion. It's probably even easier to minor in CS as a stem major as I've heard you basically need to know basic programming skills to do anything potentially groundbreaking or useful in those fields now.

[@MushroomGecko]

I'm a CS major and I only need 2 or 3 more math classes to have a minor in math lol

[@spearmintlatios9047]

It’s the same situation with me for CS/Math minor: I just need Differential Equations and 3 higher level math courses. So 4 classes.

[@Fraxelin]

I'm currently on computer science and honestly, as someone who had wanted to pursue applied mathematics but there was no program offering available, I've enjoyed my program. There are tons of interesting subjects which were mostly introductory in different IT fields. I was on a multimedia degree (in animation) on my first year but decided to shift my program to CS since I couldn't handle the workload & effort I had to exert on the program. Best decision I've made tbh! I enjoy CS since the course offerings are right at my forte + I have extra time that I use for my personal hobbies & interests.

[@ChxrlieForever]

When I first started as freshman for coding. It was very difficult and hard that I could not understand and it was HTML. But when I learn it, I started to go on beast mode and I already passed first and second semesters. Now I’m about to pass the third semester. One thing I wanna learn at home is making games as well. My thoughts about your video is if I did not reach that goal, then I rather take law-enforcement😅

[@Ardens.]

you a different breed 😂👏

[@KeyesAnthony]

Pretty accurate. I am finishing my senior year as a CS major right now and it has been 4 painfully boring years of struggle. Most of my time is spent doing horrific math that I will never use. 90% of the coding that I have done / learned has been on my own, outside of college. If i could go back in time and just do a coding bootcamp, I would.

[@Ardens.]

I'm sorry to hear that; that's exactly what I was afraid of. I would not have been able to do what you did. But I hope things turn out better for you.

[@ahnav]

The ironic thing is, you'll learn a lot of more relevant skills in a bootcamp but finding a job afterwards will be a struggle.

[@ahnav]

@@tusharsachdeva3654 You sound like the type of guy who never got out of school. I have a Bachelors in CS and I'm a fulltime software developer, and I can tell you for a fact that I didn't need to learn 90% of the shit I had to learn. KZbin helped me get my first job, not my degree. But a BootCamp on your resume does not sound nearly as good as a Bachelors. My friends who just did a BootCamp had a really tough time finding a job afterwards. A fancy Bachelors gets you through the door, but actual relevant skills will close the deal.

[@soulysouly7253]

Well you took a CS degree, and CS stands for "Computer SCIENCE". Computer Science by definition is maths, general purpose computers are the physical implementation of a Turing machine, which is a mathematical concept invented by a mathematician. Depending on the country you live in, you can't call yourself an engineer if you don't go through a math and/or physics heavy degree, otherwise you can be a developer, but on one hand, you design and build projects, on the other, you simply reuse pre-existing frameworks and apply what other people made. The thing is, nowadays the title of "software engineer" is given to anyone even if the job doesn't require you to apply engineering practices nor does it require you technical problem solving. Most of SWE jobs boil down to app development or anything front-end related, which frankly, you only need a bootcamp for, not a whole CS degree. But the more you work on the back-end side of things, the more technical it gets, including, but not restricted to: database systems, operating systems, hardware, cryptography, data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer vision, scientific computing etc. All these are what you actually get a CS degree for. Also the whole "I never use that math anyway" stuff is bullshit, electrical engineers dont actively solve maxwell equations yet it's a fucking fundamental thing to learn to be sure you understand what you're doing at a deep level, same shit for mechanical engineers, you don't see them derive differential heat equations and solve them using laplace transforms or whatever, but mastering the subject is a prerequisite to being good at what you do on the job. But only in CS you will find people bitching about it, because they picked a scientific degree, when what they want to do (game / app /website development) is not scientific.

[@Parthivigupta]

@@ahnav You are comparing knowledge vs skill. You can get all your skills from Boot Camp, but a Computer Science degree is a science domain based degree to understand our technical world. I'm not sure what you studied in your Bachelors but all my core CS subjects have made me understand the domain knowledge much more. Be it complexity, DBMS, OS, Networks, algorithms, architecture design, software design, and even math based subjects like graphs, linear algebra which is literally used in numpy python calculations.

[@dr.dilbert413]

I graduated with a degree in CE and found the math and theory in the ee side to be far more complicated and tedious. I will also say CE along with ee and cs jobs are generally all behind a computer for the full work day. Im sure there are some exceptions but generally all three majors lead to either a programming job or hardware design which are both done entirely on the computer. Larger companies usually have technicians that are supposed to handle the actual hardware for insurance and safety reasons

[@X4R2]

Yep, if you want to work directly with hardware, then you need to learn manufacturing processes. R&D may involve prototyping and testing hardware, but people who design the hardware almost never physically ineract with the hardware, unless they are managing the entire project i.e. the project is small enough to be managed directly by all researchers, or the researcher has worked in one department long enough to gain sufficient authority.

[@cmxpotato]

CE graduate chimming in, everything you said is 100% spot on.

[@yan7266]

The thing with EE is that you have more branches to work with some of them you can do a lot of outside job

[@mmlnv2036]

To be completely honest, I never understood CS math. I always thought it was more of a "course that keeps your brain from rusting" so to speak. But after starting freelancing, and skipping a couple of projects that needed only some basic-intermediate understanding of probability ( which is in fact part of descrete math ) is when I realized what it helps with. You can be a programmer without math , but most of the times you will be coding simple stuff. If you need more complex solutions to problems, thats where you will seek help from somewhere. From stackoverflow or a friend that "knows maths". But what happens when your maths friend does not exist ? You will most certainly have to skip the project (in case you're a freelancer) or be just a regular part of your firm.

[@HappySlappyFace]

This is relatable af, I'm a senior CS student and I might switch to CE in uni, I already tinker with electronics most of the time

[@HappySlappyFace]

​@@tusharsachdeva3654 thank you for your reply! i hope i can find something like that in my country since its 3rd world but i get your point, thanks alot!

[@MrDiglenson]

I wanted to take CS in college, but ended up getting Architecture based on my college exam rank. Did UX Design in college and finally got a job as a front-end engineer after college.

[@alphaofficial914]

B.arch nikal paaye jee mai

[@anikevin]

I have the opposite story, I was in the Computer Engineering program but when it started to go in deep into circuits and electronics I noped and switched to CS. The CS program had electives like Machine Learning, Mobile Dev, and more that seemed more interesting than any of the electives in the CmpEng program.

[@TheDankDev]

Its funny, I'm in Computer Engineering and it seems like all the computer engineering students I knew first semester switched immediately to CS next semester. I chose computer engineering over CS because I didn't want to do just software development. I really want to do embedded systems design. Also for engineering degrees, my university makes all engineers take the same first year, so I have a solid background in basic ME fields like CAD/CAM, Drafting, GCODE, etc.

[@anikevin]

@@TheDankDev it's probably because they thought it would be the same as CS but more prestigious. That's what I thought when I chose CmpEng. I wanted to graduate as an "Engineer". I also learnt to use Autocad and SolidWorks which is unheard of in CS.

[@kdawg198]

Same I can’t do physics lol

[@_dekr0306]

I have this similar thought at the beginning of my third year. I lean more toward the aspect of computer science and software development. Tbh, I'm also interested into some aspects of circuits and electronics (like semiconductor, filters, components that more closed to computer and smart devices), but the ways courses design and how they teach in my uni don't really appeal to me. Learning all the theory and background knowledge in really fast pace without sufficient mixes of applications and experiments just make learning process way too boring and painful.

[@zwiy5772]

Im in high school and have been considering computer science. I like doing both hardware and software but thought it offered that. Looks like computer science is going to be my go to option. Thanks for the helpful vid!

[@Vesondor]

“Sitting behind a computer screen all day” Hey that’s what I want in my future.

[@mateuspokemon01]

If you've choose CE over CS because you don't like all the math on CS then boy oh boy you have no idea what you're getting into

[@abubalo]

My thoughts exactly. You are going to have to deal with complex math or calculations than your brain can cope up with.

[@fater8711]

EXACTLY LOL

[@shorb2289]

I'ma be back here lol. CE is significantly harder than CS without most of the benefits of upper division CS or EE

[@StonkeyKong]

Guess he didn’t research this major either. 😂

[@Ardens.]

I'm not running away from math 😂 I'm running away from math I'm not interested in

[@recarsion]

One of my college friends put it this way: a computer science graduate is, and should be, a borderline mathematician.

[@matheuscenta]

In 2016 I started college in Aerospace Engineering and I remember that in the first year there were a lot of "CS bros" that only talked about programming which made me not consider the major at all. A couple years passed and I realize that I hated engineering and loved maths - so I transferred schools to a place that let me pick my courses freely. Very quickly I realized that of all the courses, I loved math AND computer science the most. After a couple of years of finishing my degree and getting a Masters's in AI, I just started a PhD in CS. Life is crazy and you might end up reconsidering things a few years from now, but it is important to always think about your choices and if they're really aligned with what you want.

[@GenerallyGoodMusic]

Thanks for making this video. I have been so interested in circuitry, but was planning on going computer science for similar reasons. This gives me a whole new option I hadn't thought of.

[@Fupicat]

I literally just came back from my first day of CS classes! I already know how to program, been learning it since I was a kid, and that helped me get my first job as a web dev, even before college! So if you just want to code, the most direct way is to learn it yourself, and then you'll learn even more on the job. As long as you're interested, you can learn anything. Though I still chose to go for a CS degree, mainly because of the university experience, networking, meeting people, doing projects eventually, and, of course, it got me my internship. Only time will tell how this turns out but I'm hopeful lol

[@muradpetrosyan5128]

The same here man.

[@ZeKermet]

2 years later, how has it turned out for you?

[@Fupicat]

@@ZeKermet Still at the same job, but as a full time employee instead of an intern, and CS classes are overall super fun!! Exactly what I hoped for

[@ZeKermet]

@@Fupicat didn't expect such a fast response 😂 That's amazing though. Congrats!

[@Fupicat]

@@ZeKermet I am always watching

[@rampage14x13]

I have two undergraduates degrees, one is in computer science and one is in mathematics. The thing is if you want to really understand certain fields at anything past a surface level (for example in computer graphics - doing physics based simulations requires an understanding of multi-variable calculus, partial differential equations, linear algebra, etc). Same goes for machine learning if you don't want to be content with treating everything like a black box. These are just a couple of examples of what pursuing computer science and math can get you access to since the barrier to entry is high. I don't think everyone has to follow this path obviously as the vast majority of software development jobs will never require you to use or even know that level of math or computer science. It is something that is intellectually challenging and rewarding though. I would recommend people push themselves or at least try them out and see if they like it. The thing with math classes is that once you get to doing proof based courses (think analysis, topology, etc) you will see math completely differently and will help your problem solving skills so much. Anyway, just felt like ranting. There is merit in going for computer science in university (and math too!).

[@pravanw.5365]

how did the double degree benefit you?

[@newuser689]

@@pravanw.5365 it sounds like it helped them with this problem solving skills which is relevant to computer science as well as knowing the math it takes to have in depth knowledge of something like machine learning or graphics processing

[@sharafmakahleh4125]

I feel the same thing here. I'm a med school student(still in my first year tho). We took classes about chemistry, biochemistry and biology which we had to memorize information because "this is what happens" or "this is how this reaction occurs and this is the configuration of the yielded products". Which sounded very wrong for me and ended up seeking for further explanation just to hit the hills of mathematics and quantum physics, but for some reason these subjects feel so to get into. It's not always about what the knowledge benefits you in your career, sometimes you gotta appreciate knowledge for itself and the beauty in which it articulates with other fields.

[@ictogon]

Great choice man! I recently switched from CS to EE and I am loving it so far. The worst part is that I was the sterotypical programming ultra nerd in high school, so I feel like I am starting over learning everything, but that also makes it more fun for me.

[@HyperMario64]

A lot of people qualified in EE actually know how to program as well. I'd recommend anyone to sharpen their skills in both fields, they overlap quite frequently.

[@ruleaus7664]

What do you love about EE? I was considering it, but I just don't know if it's any fun or interesting.

[@goldendude6210]

The honesty and transparency in this video is amazing I love it

[@Ardens.]

I am glad you do

[@dipanshuraj8565]

I wish you would have posted this few years back so that I could have saved myself from following the cool trend of "COMPUTER SCIENCE" but now I'm in my last semester. Although everything you said is to the point, I feel it to the core.

[@TheFootballPlaya]

Senior cs major chiming in. Yeah dude, same. I didn't change majors, but i get it. I'll be real, my goal was never like I HAVE to become a software engineer / web developer / etc. I've been open for anything. My goal with cs was simply to feel better with coding. I thought it would take the full 4 years, but really it probably took 2 or so to feel pretty good with it. I had some exposure to building websites, wasn't really feeling it. I've been teaching myself python for about 4 years now and only recently did I explore the data analytics libraries it has. And it's been a lot of fun, but shocking at the same time. As i've come to realize that, man, having a better grasp of continuous mathematics / statistics over discrete would be nice lol. Also having some footing outside of computing and in some applied domain would be nice. So, now i'm struggling with the WHYs of calculation / interpretation, rather than implementation. I can figure out libraries, but that other stuff to me is wayyyyy harder to self teach. I feel like i should've been an applied math / statistics major instead, especially considering that most of the coding i've done has been self-taught lol.

[@Mark-w2y2x]

I am currently a CS sophomore, terrible at math, and like yeah you'll be forced to do math throughout college but at the end of the day you are getting this degree to become a software engineer (usually) and not a computer scientist. Big difference between the two. It's just that most colleges don't offer SE degrees so you are forced to get through the CS part of the course whether or not you'll actually need it. The area is generally more about logical thinking and less about math tbh, but it depends on the specific field. Plus, if ur motivated enough you'll just get through it all. I'm terrible at math and I ended my Data Structures & Algorithms courses last sem with an A- and got B+ in Discrete Mathmatics for CS. You can do anything with enough time put into it If you were interested in game dev, I hear that field is a bit more math-oriented though lol. An example of a field that has almost no math at all is web development, It's more design-focused from what I understand, but web devs gotta get through the CS stuff anyway

[@microdavid7098]

game dev doesn't have all that math in it. You only put in a lot of math if you want to use it. Also, if you want to implement stuff such as raycasting or collisions and so on. Not many areas. Many of the things you use are based on logic

[@Mark-w2y2x]

@@tusharsachdeva3654 did you read anything I wrote? Seriously I literally just wrote about how im not good at math and am succeeding anyway. I am living proof that what you are saying is incorrect. This field is logic first and math second. Math is just something you can fall back on.

[@HR-fw1wp]

@@tusharsachdeva3654 IT certs don't mean anything in the programming world, except maybe cloud certs like AWS/Azure. Also there's a lot of misinformation out there. I took 2 years of CS in high school and loved it. It did not have much math outside of programming logic/discrete math that wasn't too intensive. It's also a terrible system when the "golden ticket" degree to become a software developer isn't even about developing software. Three of my family members have CS degrees and they don't use any math at their jobs besides basic algebra and statistics(two relatively easy things to know/learn even for people bad at math).

[@ShayPatrickCormacTHEHUNTER]

@@microdavid7098 i think for making custom stuff game dev has a lot of math. Unless you use the unity market thing for everything, I don't see how one can escape math. And math should be just logic in symbols Form tho?

[@ShayPatrickCormacTHEHUNTER]

@@tusharsachdeva3654 how about college doesn't offer SE degree? What about that?

[@theRiver_joan]

I think my autism flared up thinking about learning all that math. Honestly that sounds wonderful to me. I also really want to learn hands on stuff too though, I love working with electronics and circuits. I’ve actually been toying with basic projects to make really simple 8 bit “computers”. Maybe I’m not that guy for compsci, but computer engineering sounds really interesting.

[@JBoy340a]

Good for you. Many professional developer jobs are about coding more than theory. But, at some companies and positions, you need the theory to develop the vocabulary to work with others. Others will assume you have the background they do and are able to keep up with the conversation when it goes to which algorithms, methods, and techniques should be applied to today's problem.

[@Julia_14339]

Good for you! I have a similar story except I liked all the math stuff. I was studying CS and programming, but I eventually switched my major to Math in my third year. I realized that I was never really into making software and that my most fulfilling moments in CS were doing mathematical proofs.

[@Luingus]

I can relate to this to a T. I got into CS for the same exact reasons, wanting to make video games. That was my dream job. Although I never really taught myself anything until late into my high school career. it was mostly spent fumbling around wondering what programming language was "the best", and then I took an ap CS course hosted by my high school. I did terrible in the class but I honestly still liked coding. So because I liked coding I registered as a CS major for college. It wasnt until I did a little reflecting, that I realized, "hmm... do I really wanna spend my entire life doing this job" aka sitting in a cubicle writing code every day. after all, thats the kind of job ive detested since I was a little kid. And the answer was no, I dont want to do that kind of job. Now I still love CS, but my college did offer a computer engineering program. for a while I was deadest on switching to computer engineering, but I took a step back and weighed the pros and cons of doing computer engineering vs computer science. Computer engineering gives me a baseline in computer science but instead of expanding, gives me a knowledge of electrical engineering to complement it, and this is appealing in its own rite, because I'm not tied to a computer, and it's not like i'll get the chance to work in a college level workshop ever again. However sticking with computer science gives me a good understanding of most everything. In the end I stuck with computer science. Sometimes I wonder if I made the right move. Its not too late to change, because it is only my second semester. Today I still don't know whether or not I should switch. But in the end I hope i make the right choice.

[@dodomino1441]

Hey man, just wanted to pop in as someone who's about to graduate this semester with a CS degree. There are a lot of reasons to stick with a computer science major, but if you're not enjoying the work (being in front of a computer for hours on end) you should really branch out. At the very least, most cs programs will let you take a couple engineering classes as electives. There are a ton of routes to go with a CS degree, surprisingly many that don't involve programming at all, but if you're just not enjoying yourself, there's no reason to stay. Getting a degree won't matter if you can only put up with working in the industry for a year or two before burning out and quitting

[@zakariayahya2804]

I am also in my second year of CS, but here are some advices: 1- You don't have to work in a CS field forever 2- Choose carefully the most suitable CS field for you 3- Work very hard in your first years(maybe 5 years, more or less) 4- During these years, plan for your own business(choose it carefully) and save money to make it real 5- It is not necessary that your business is related to CS, just choose one that suits you and brings you more money than your previous work which may become a hobby(1 or 2 hours per day if you have time) that brings you extra money 6- Remember that all these advices are related to a part of your life, so don't destroy the other parts for this one 7- Think carefully and don't often rush for the consequences 8- Don't give up too quickly 9- Ask for help from those who know 10- Remember to WORK HARD 11- "suits you" doesn't necessarily mean "you like"

[@Faunarr]

I personally picked electronic and computer engineering instead of computer science at the last moment and I couldn't have made a better choice. Best choice I've ever made I'm absolutely loving it. I get to do the parts I enjoyed from cs which is binary logic, and working with low level shit and drivers and programming whilst also getting to do so much more

[@krishgarg2806]

idk how many people fall into the "best programming language" search.

[@zoriiginalx7544]

You'll be stuck behind a computer in CE too lol

[@luxware]

This makes me feel better about learning programming, because half of the stuff you've said is literally exactly what I'm going through rn lmao

[@sohailu8058]

What do you do rn?

[@DKaldes]

The game that made me want to create games (and thus programming) was Minecraft, I wanted to create games since I was 9 and even now at 17 I haven't done much more than console games but I'm actually ok with it I am actually having fun coding personal projects in C#, still learning the language though I've only started coding at any language 2 years ago. Edit: I'm not even sure if I want to go to a computer science class in university or even have a profession related to programming in my future, as of now I'm thinking of being either an Architect, Game developer, Software engineer, Computer engineer or a Pilot in the future.

[@francois1e4]

I was thinking about becoming an architect too... then I realized Computer Science is basically architecture for computers which convinced me ahah

[@SweetKnock]

I graduated with my bachelor's in EE a few years ago and I feel like I am going the opposite way, haha. My first job that I took out of college turned from electronics testing into mostly data analysis and lab scheduling which has really pushed my programming skills. If you are really passionate about electronics design then for sure try pushing for your masters!

[@allsides5626]

This was a really interesting video. Cause my story is almost the same as yours but I learnt that I am more interested in software development than anything so started going for software engineering rather than computer science. And had to explain to others what's the difference between the two

[@ruleaus7664]

I thought computer science also allows you to be a software engineer.

[@VivekYadav-ds8oz]

My uni doesn't give B.Tech in CS, so I chose Comp Engg. Now I'm glad that's the case 😅

[@FoxLivestreams]

Masters CS student here, yeah it’s a lot of logic and math when you delve into the deeper parts. Try reading CLRS (Introduction to Algorithms). It’s like black magic wizardry. Took me days and another person pointing out something before even the definitions they use for the different complexity notations finally clicked (though I’m kinda bad at that, definitely below average). Some of the data structures are just MAGIC! Like, look at the rope data structure used in text editors. I still don’t understand it, granted I didn’t give it much effort to learn it. Just know if you want to get into PROGRAMMING, you’re probably better off taking something like a web design course (in my opinion, others may disagree). My bachelors was in Computer Programming, which sounds fancy, but it was just a web programming degree. I basically taught myself everything I’d learn (except for our Algorithms and Data Structures class) three months before I started. Don’t do it as a degree (unless you actually do want to build websites), but a COURSE on it will be REALLY good for you. You’ll instantly see the results of your actions through what shows on the website. Visual mediums like this are GREAT for beginners to start learning. Make sure though that it’s not just HTML/CSS and includes a backend language like PHP, C#, Python, or similar. It’ll teach you the basics of programming and then you can apply those basics to learning other languages, frameworks, and eventually whatever you wish to program in. Also keep in mind Computer Science is an inherently self-motivation-driven field. You’re going to be looking at a LOT of Stack Overflow, documentation, articles, and doing a lot of trial and error before you get things right. If you’re capable of learning on your own without supervision of a higher authority (such as a teacher), you’ll do great. Overall though, I can’t recommend the field enough. I’m glad I learned programming as it allows me to create so many things. I’m glad I learned Computer Science because it allowed me to take my programming to the next level. It’s not for everyone, though. If learning algorithms, data structures, and some math sounds boring to you, then you might be better off not choosing it as a degree and rather as an elective/minor, or even using online resources. If you wish to use free resources to learn, I recommend this: github.com/ossu/computer-science Feel free to cherry pick what you actually want to learn, but you NEED to learn the basics for a good foundation, and just know the more you learn in the field the better you will become, even if it seems unrelated. Almost everything is connected in one way or another in this field, and you can draw on seemingly random knowledge to better architect your own solutions to problems.

[@cameronball3998]

I’m in my last semester of a computer science degree and I am *so ready* to be done with college… I’m currently taking operating systems, software engineering capstone project, computer networks and sysadmin (easy class), a class for my linguistics minor, and theory of computation. Theory of Computation is KILLING me. The math in that class is so insane lol. I am never creative enough to come up with proofs. The curve makes it so that a 35 in the class passes you with a C-, so that’s my goal lol. Such a rough semester, can’t wait for it to be done.

[@AubreyBarnard]

After the emphasis on interest in games, I expected the author to choose something more in that direction, like graphics, UI / UX, art / design, simulation, real-time systems, distributed systems, etc. I didn't anticipate the association between games and hardware.

[@reeti5958]

Yeah, CS is not about programming, you can learn programming online from watching a 15 hour tutorial and a month of practice. CS teaches many topics in detail like mathematics needed to evaluate our software efficiency, different algorithm and data structures which is same in every programming language, how internet communications work, it tells you about different domains of softwares and most importantly how to do software engineering (that basically means making professional or large scale projects in organization). They don't just teach you programming, they teach you every aspect of the industry you are going to work in. Also we have learnt about 10 different languages in 6 years so it teaches you not to focus on language but on problem solving.

[@Justin-or5vc]

Started my CS degree wanting to program. Ended up loving the math side of things. CS teaches you how to think, and generally speaking, once you know how to think you can teach yourself how to code almost anything. If you think you might be interested in CS, just start! Even if you don’t like the language or topic you chose, the skills you learned will be easily transferred.

[@frisynovel2374]

This is so true, i never knew i had passion in mathematics before getting into CS degree

[@AranakAsulis]

I graduated with a business degree with a cyber security major at 21 and I’d recommend it. I got a job 2 months later at a company in the top 30 Fortune 500 and was able to get in with 0 full time work experience or internships. I just put all the stuff I learned at home. I’m not starting entry level either. Would also recommend CCNP Enterprise with a designing enterprise design or a CCNP Security with a specialization in Computer identity Management. CCNP Enterprise is networking, while security is cyber security ACLs, and trustsec stuff.

[@nour3660]

Same with medicine, my grades are horrible but i still have a passion for science and i love it so much, no one in my close family is a doctor. I myself chose to take that path. If i failed, i also like programming and game making so this is a plan B

[@TheDesiZindagi]

You Told Exactly What I wanted to hear always during this time.

[@stefanmorris6730]

I love CS so much to the point where I willingly spend my evenings doing extra work that’s not even in my college course bc I love learning the maths and being able to apply my new knowledge to a piece of software that actually works, such a satisfying feeling

[@jefrie7144]

Hello. I am a high school student and I have a huge passion for programming, linux, and even hardware. I have learned a little bit of a bunch of programming languages and ive never really settled on one. I think I need to find out what I want to do first before I start studying it. I just don’t know what path I should take. I also like math but only when it’s taught correctly and when it’s applied in ways that im actually interested in. For some reason I relate to this video so much and now im starting to think CS may not be the right path for me, but at the same time im thinking it is… I actually got a bit depressed about this at one point because i feel like I found something I really enjoy doing but I can’t really pursue it until I pick a path. I hate web development (I think it’s boring, and tedious) and I love really complex programming problems that leave me thinking for days until I finally find the solution but I just dont know what field will provide this to me. sorry for the long comment, loved the video :)

[@Ardens.]

Hello Jefrie I had a similar comment from someone named Dimana yesterday. Filter the comment section on this video to "Newest first" and scroll down a little bit to find it. I went into detail on how that person should approach what you're going through. I know how it feels not knowing which path to take; I don't want you to regret choosing something you won't like later in the future. Also, I would highly recommend you watch this KZbin Channel named: "Zach Star"; he makes great videos on stem majors like CS, CPE, and EE for those struggling on which path to take. Take your time, do some research, and you'll be okay.

[@jefrie7144]

​@@Ardens. Thank you so much!! You have no idea how much this helps me! Knowing that I'm not the only one struggling with this is very motivating. I guess now is the time to actually do some research into things I am actually interested in!

[@begejekan1244]

Any subfield of programming WILL involve complex programming, even web dev which you dismissed. Now, the problem is what type of complex programming you want to do? In web dev you will most likely deal with complex architectures, serving hundred thousands of user at the same time, etc. Are you the type who likes doing algorithms, puzzles, etc? Then try competitive programming. If you like creating products and serving users, try app or web dev. If you want to deal things closer to the hardware and do magic stuff, take a look at low level and parallel programming. If you want to try make computers able to talk and understand languages, try NLP. Any subfield is boring and simple if you only look at the beginner phase, so try to find what problems you are attracted to and find the programming subfield that deals with that. Explore more and ask around more. Computer science and programming is anything but simple.

[@avenged7ex]

As a Computer Science graduate, I wish I'd known when I began university that a Computer Science Degree wasn't necessary for a Software Development job (the position I wanted). There's always the option of attending a bootcamp which will teach you the necessary knowledge to become a developer and works to find you work placement. This option takes far less time than a degree - though, this assumes that you know programming is what you want to do for a living. CS is a huge field with many different jobs, the job that most people associate it with (programming/software development) is just one lane, but there are many to choose from. Rest assured that a software development as a job is discovering unique solutions to complex problems. A good way to get a feeling as to whether or not this is something you want to pursue as a career is to try contributing to some open source software! This will give you an idea of what the tasks assigned to you as an employee could be, and the work involved in completing them. Even developing a personal project on a topic you find intriguing would be helpful for this. Don't stress too much about picking a single language. Though, if you know the space you want to work in, try to opt for a language that aligns closely with that (since you don't enjoy web development, avoid PHP, Ruby, etc). Don't stress, you have tons of time to figure out what it is you want to do. Play around with different ideas. Take a look at the many career paths available to you with a CS degree and the alternatives to a degree for those positions. I didn't enroll into University until I was 21 and I'm glad because I picked the path right for me. March to the beat of your own drum.

[@cycy1021]

I'm not sure what grade you're in, but you're at the age where it's ok to not know what you want to do. For me, I was pretty much dead set on my dream job all of high school. Turns out, almost immediately after I started college, that changed. I would suggest doing personal projects. Get a Raspberry Pi and an Arduino and just make something. I personally love Linux myself. The Raspberry Pi is a decent starting point, but if you want to go deeper, you could use an old computer you may have laying around or get an old Dell machine off of eBay or something. I'd recommend looking into Apache and Nginx to start, then Nextcloud and Emby. It's also pretty useful to know a bit about networking. If you want to get real crazy, look into proxmox. If you're a junior or senior, you could also look into certifications. For Linux, look up Comptia Linux+.

[@agame1239]

Algorithms and Data structure are the most entertaining thing I have ever learn

[@neverhavingfun]

exactly its literally beautiful

[@DontShootMeD00d]

said no one ever

[@neverhavingfun]

@@DontShootMeD00d ur one abdul bari or 3brown1blue video away towards changing your mind

[@DontShootMeD00d]

@@neverhavingfun Lol very possible

[@jaymesc4436]

DUDE 3b1b got me thru grade 11 & 12 math

[@anshtulsyan2839]

I cannot tell you how desperately I needed this video, as I had opted for computer engineering and robotics for my college and didn't know if it was the right choice till i saw this video!

[@eshaanmehta9537]

This video resonates with me so much because I’m in my senior year of high school and I was pretty decent at programming in my cs classes so everyone told me I should pursue cs but the only reason I enjoyed it was for game dev, everything else just seemed to bore me. I also wanted to be more hands on in the future and not be stuck behind a computer all day, that’s why I’ve applied for computer engineering. So hopefully it goes well and I can get the best of both worlds

[@franci2a]

I guess universities do really do stuff differently. In ours, we obviously have Algebra, Algorithms, etc., but we’ve had Coding classes (for now in Java) since day 1, we’ll have C\C++ next year, and then on the third you can choose some coding courses. Basically, the first year, at least in ours, is like half math (analysis, algorithms, algebra), half computer science (Fundamentals of Informatics - which is Logic, Coding 1/2, Computer Architecture - which is some circuits, assembly etc

[@zacharylopez737]

Bro u literally just helped me choose my major bc i was boutta make the same mistake of taking computer science when computer engineering seems to be what I really want

[@pinkflower03]

2:00 2nd year CS student here. Man you're spitting facts & I feel the same way. It was f*ckin boring.

[@MiguelAngelDonaireArcas-Sariot]

I think that s the most common case. Rarely do kids really like computer science and not just programming. I have seen many of my friends go through exactly the same thing, just changing the career they want to pursue for another one instead of computer engineering. Although there are some that don't change (I'm the living example). Nice video! Hope someone stumbles upon this video and realises their mistake. Also think many things learned in CS can be applied to real life problems or help derivate a solution.

[@anthonyparsotam3611]

Another great video👏👏👏

[@Ardens.]

Aye! 🙌Thank you broski. I appreciate it!

[@mstrhaku1741]

Im in 8th Grade And I really Love Machines especially Microcontroller, Im Really going to pursue my dream to become an Computer Engineering too So Goodluck to me, I really like your video and humour bro

[@aymanofficial5473]

Same man I'm also in 8th grade

[@Ardens.]

That's awesome, and thank you, I appreciate that.

[@Talha27]

InshAllah Taa'la I will be future Ethical Hacker and Game developer. 😊❤

[@AnkushKun]

very informative video, I'll be going to college soon (oh no CS with blockchain specialisation) am considering cybersecurity too, lets see how it turns out :D

[@ProfAMuniz]

I think after having fun with Arduino and Raspberry Pi, my postgraduate studies will be on embedded systems (I'm majoring in Software Engineering).

[@nickscurvy8635]

I would heavily suggest to you that learning the math and theory is bitter medicine. I am very similar to you in the sense that I find much more interest in programming and the practical application of tje theories but I've found I have to continually come back to the theory. Not just in the sense of "oh I need to read how a red black tree is implemented and applied brb", but more in yhe sense that I won't even understand a problem lends itself to being conceptualized in a treelike manner without really really understanding the mathematical foundation of what generic trees are and what they do. Everyone knows graphs are applicable to computer networks and shit. But do you know why graph theory and graph traversal is relevant to code formatting? I didn't until I was balls deep in a code formatting project. I'm learning I have to go back and really dig into the theoretical aspects to understand how and why certain non obvious solutions actually make sense

[@trevormiller931]

I work in tech and I didn’t even study CS. I studied some engineering field that was unrelated, and I started taking coding heavy classes focused on solving cool problems. That’s why I fell in love with it, and applied for relevant jobs. I now develop AI applications. I do study some CS fundamentals on my own time because it’s interesting, but not to take some exam or fulfill requirements. It’s more enjoyable to learn when you aren’t under pressure of grades or have anyone to please. I think most of the love of learning is taken away when you have to get some grade. It ruins the process of true knowledge acquisition that sticks. Best way to learn is by doing, and picking up relevant fundamentals along the way.

[@itsmafer4010]

Hi! Where did you take the coding classes if you don't mind me asking?

[@trevormiller931]

@@itsmafer4010 during my degree at my university

[@itsmafer4010]

@@trevormiller931 oh cool, I was thinking about minoring in computer science but I don’t know if it would be better if I take a coding course on my own. Thank you tho

[@trevormiller931]

@@itsmafer4010 a minor is better than just some courses, for sure.

[@chrono4998]

jesus I had a similar path! I wanted to major in CS then I had a taste of the course and noped out. I'm applying to physics now, with a goal to get a masters in mechatronics. :') good luck

[@chawerkamanga2199]

I totally get you man... I think CS could have been boring if I did it on its own but now am doing a degree that's half business administration and half CS seems fair enough to me

[@daniel_yang]

what degree are you now studying?

[@chawerkamanga2199]

Business Information Technology

[@destinyobamwonyi8865]

Am an in my sophomore year in computer engineering , for this exact same reason i picked my field of study, not only do I get to work with electronics be it power or telecom I get to code in C , Python , VB.net and very soon machine language, I can go into robotics and I won't be lost , electronics and it will be very familiar , software engineering and am already cool with it.

[@Emily-fm7pt]

One thing I've learned from my experience with comp sci (and stem in general) is that you can love the subject, but hate how it's taught (I had that struggle with physics for example - who in their right mind would teach a physics class without calculus!). Usually in those cases I would just go out and learn it on my own (what you're doing) and likely learn a lot more along the way.

[@yiyuzhou3453]

I chose my major as CS because I fell in love with Linux when I was 15, and I want to be a kernel developer in the future.

[@pristineo]

I fell in love with math this past year due to an awesome teacher, I feel i will enjoy my cs major.

[@cryptopian72]

Very good vid man! Props

[@dev-ok1li]

Even I wanted to do something that is hands-on, something that moves while also not letting go of programming. I wanted to learn how computers work from the lowest level. That's why i chose Electronics Engineering as my major (almost same as computer engineering). I plan to do MS in CS after a few years because i have developed an interest in CS over these years.

[@1ns1ght_l1]

Well, I`m first year CS student and in my first semester we studied bool algebra, binary/hex system and some C tasks, focused on math tasks. Now in second term we learn C++, focused on algorithms and sorting stuff

[@m4rt_]

I'm in Norway where you can in High School either pick to continue doing school as normal, or learn thing more oriented towards what you want to work with, and then have 2 years of internship, then end up with a certificate/diploma after a total of 4 years (2 years of school, and 2 years of internship). I picked the second option, and I'm learning programing, and some IT stuff. I love programing, and math, etc, so this is something for me :)

[@Blazer-bn9ev]

thanks for being a straightforward reply to my query and not a misguiding lecture from a few others whom I asked the same🙃

[@MaJetiGizzle]

Totally fair dude. As a CS major who is also doing a math minor I completely understand why you find the field boring because I completely understand why I find the idea of only using programming to make games to be “fucking boring” as well. That being said, I’m more into the abstract mathematical thinking and problem solving side of coding myself. So to each their own and I wish you the best of luck in your major my dude.

[@elliotlee3866]

You made a good and smart pivot to computer engineering

[@BarelyGoodTV]

I had pretty much the exact same experience. But after I switched to engineering I failed out after a couple of years (technically I didn't fail any classes, but my average was a few percent off the acceptable range). Now I'm developing a game engine!

[@joaobaptistabrandao]

I'm actually taking computer engineering as well for the same reason!!

[@sancho7198]

I shared the same opinion before diving deep in software engineer. Math, algorithms and heuristics might seem boring at first but will make you a better programmer and overall better engineer. If you go in any major tech company you will need to solve a problem or more using one of them :)

[@mikiallen7733]

one possible thing , is you go for applied machine learning , so you can learn managing projects and possibly creating new products like music , movies ....etc

[@Skyloftt]

It took me 5 years of computer science at uni + 2 years isolated in the pandemic after graduation to "chicken" out of the high end tech field like development and IT. I thought I had to have a job in one of those two bc of course, cultural pressure and money. Thankfully I am looking into more creative options that are also sustainable as income :). Your peace of mind matters over any biased standards.

[@mohammadshabih5293]

yoh bruh same man, my uni has degree with comp science + elec engineering, and I'm so glad im doing the minor in elec engineering, I need that hands on experience, all the comp sci projects we did this year were ASS

[@mmmmSmegma]

I graduated from university with a degree in CS. Nowadays I no longer doing anything related to computer science and I'm a musician. I really enjoyed the mathematics I learned in CS. In fact mathematics was actually my favorite thing I learned in college. The main thing that bothered me about CS was that whatever company you work for, THEY and NOT YOU ultimately have complete control over what the application is gonna be used for, THEY own the product itself (not you), THEY have total control over how it's used, what it's used for, they control the workflow, they control everything. Even if you like the product you're working on and even like the company you're working for... If the company wanted to sell the technology to another company that's gonna use it for weapons that are gonna be used to kill people, they can absolutely do that.

[@jeremiahleaman2333]

Wow! I have like the same backstory. I major in Information Technology (IT) but sometimes they share the same classes with computer science (CS). I agree CS classes are soo boring.

[@HyperMario64]

The root of CS is programming. As long as you program, you keep having an exciting project, you are learning something. Programmers are extremely undisciplined, in some areas (anything which is not a simulation in fact) they don't know much about math or the more theoretical side. Of course, you are much more attractive excelling in programming on the widest spectrum, math and EE. I love programming but I found myself stuck in some hardware concerns, so in my 4th year (I'm currently in) went into EE as well, leaving only AI and quantum computing on the CS side. It's a lot to learn but yeah it's fun! And that can get one pretty far, now I know about signal processing, telecommunications, semiconductors, a ton more of math and physics, etc.

[@krmunoz2169]

EE is the superior choice everybody knows that :D

[@HyperMario64]

@@krmunoz2169 You'd be surprised the amount of EE students being clueless about programming

[@krmunoz2169]

@@HyperMario64 True, in my country a lot specialize in the energy sector and they use MATLAB with some luck and that would be it. I learned to code by taking CS classes as optional credits which are required and it's much better to this IMO: EE with a sprinkle of CS courses here and there.

[@HyperMario64]

​@@krmunoz2169 You got this man! Yeah tremendous value for any engineer. Which languages do you enjoy the most? On my side I'm unspecializing myself quite a lot, no clue where I'll end up!

[@parasgupta0108]

I thought I was the only guy in the field of computer science who feels shit to learn about the other subjects, maths and all. I was also interested in the development and can relate to this video at 100%, either to go for web development or database management etc. etc. ended up being a confused guy.

[@vonderasche2963]

I'm studying CE, I'm a senior, I had to take all the same math classes as CS plus calc 2,3 differential equations, also I took physics with calculus, and physics 2 with calculus, the classes in microcontrollers involves discreet mathematics, you signed ur self up for a lot more work lol

[@rohansampat1995]

Great advice at the end of the video, far too many people go in for the money and hate it. CE and CS are both demanding fields which have slightly different "flavors" of computation involved. And choosing CE or CS wont lock you out of jobs too much so just do what you love peeps

[@md244-w6v]

Im in the UK and the background of you got into the idea of taking computer science and really only having an interest in programming but not realising that the subject was like 80% maths and concept shit is exactly the same for me. I kind of commited to this idea early and me being pushed on by my parents to take this degree and find a well paying career in it only fuelled me but by the time i finished secondary school(which is like high school minus the 17-18 portion) with an A* in computer science GCSE and starting doing computer science in A levels(college 17-18) I only just realised how much of a clusterfuck this subject is. Hardware is so much more fucking interesting but even thats not my passion either. Im in this shitty position where ive dedicated my education towards getting a career in a field i dont really give too much of a shit about. I hate maths but here I am doing it all for the purpose of doing computer science in university but fuck that too.

[@spence3523]

Oh hey I had a similar experience! I'm applying to college for robotics right now because of this. It's a little disheartening to see that software engineers make about 10%-20% more which I think is a large reason why people want to do CS. It's a tough decision whether 10-20k additional salary is worth the pain of typing the same words over and over and I can definitely understandable.

[@drakeowen7860]

I was that person sitting in a discrete math class not knowing what was going on after 2 years in CS. Ended up dropping out of that university and now I'm taking a web development program through another university.

[@_ch1pset]

I graduated with my BS in CmpEng in 2020, and was unemployed up until November last year. Just an FYI for those who are going into CmpEng, you are going to have a very hard time finding opportunities that are outside of the programming/comp sci areas. There just isn't any kind of demand for hardware engineers fresh out of college. You CAN find the opportunities, but they are very difficult to find. I actually turned down 2 jobs, a software engineering job(which started me off at minimum wage) and web dev(which I despised, even though the workplace was more than tolerable) before I got my current one, which is still not actively working with hardware. I wfh, and pretty much just do internet searches all day. My job is dealing with IP, and hardware+software knowledge is a must, but so is all that boring algorithms and circuit analysis and even discrete math. You need the exposure to that stuff and make a real attempt at trying to understand it yourself. It will help you in interviews if you can answer real world questions in applying that theory to an actual problem/project.

[@sionglay1645]

Ayoo going through the same phase right now, struggling to get into uni due to financial reasons but I know I'll get there, I plan to take computer engineering, I'm currently doing a lot of learning on FreeCodeCamp, getting some uncredited certificates is better than nothing I suppose, still trying to build that portfolio tho P.S your videos are enjoyable to watch haha, keep it up

[@devilgeniusyt447]

Breadth in CP, using Java as the language.I struggled a bit on the test, but good at assignments and lab work. 🤣

[@babatona]

Keep up the good job

[@Ardens.]

I will :)

[@raifolson7033]

Currently a computer engineering major. If you enjoy physics and some programming then computer engineering is for you. It is not all just making cool projects though, there is plenty of data structures and math that goes into hardware design, however it is a little more interesting because the data structures are implemented physically and you get to design the components to work like a data structure, or perform specific operations. Another field that might be interesting to you is embedded programming which is a subset of computer engineering where you program microcontrollers to make embedded devices like a robot or a scientific measuring device, less data structures and boring theory and more writing code to interact with the outside world. Then again you could even do like mechatronics which is robot engineering, but that is often like three majors combined.

[@SloppyPuppy]

Jeez, that's depressing, I am studying applied computer sciences, and we got the all the dumb math, but I finna pass that crap with all 6, meanwhile acing the programming courses. Just as you said, Ill learn the required math as needed for a project, because the classes don't really apply it, but I might be too soon to speak since I just got "Intro to Algorithms"

[@rapidreaders7741]

Interesting. I'm actually the exact opposite - I switched from ECE to CS, right before my third year. The pandemic affected my decision *heavily,* as the "hands-on" experience everyone yearns for was completely robbed from me for an entire year. This, on top of the fact that this major had, by far, *the most aggravating and annoying* mathematics I have ever come across. It's ridiculously convoluted and tedious, and for whatever reason, it was being covered at a breakneck pace. I actually _love_ mathematics outside of ECE - my favorite courses were Ordinary Differential Equations and Multivariable calculus. These are not easy by any means as they require a lot of 3-dimensional thinking, but I absolutely loved them because of how elegant and truly appreciable they were. The math in ECE, on the other hand, was incredibly dull, egregious and mind-numbingly difficult to wrap around in your head, and even the rare occasions when I fully understood them from every angle, it only reinforced the looming despair that I had to deal with this unappealing area of mathematics for the rest of my life. Plus, there were barely any online resources for the course, for both the difficult math and the hardware-related stuff. Ever since I was 10, I've only gotten better at math and coding *solely* because of online resources like Khan Academy being a click away, but in ECE, when a professor isn't explaining something too well, you will be cornered. Unless you subscribe to Chegg or something, but that's a financial inconvenience no one wants to burden themselves with. With CS on the other hand, it's almost impossible NOT to find a fully detailed, well-explained article or video for even the most obscure of concepts, so for me at least, it was a no-brainer to make the switch. I guess what I'm trying to point out is that you and I have similar reasonings for why we chickened out of our respective fields. I fully support your decision, don't get me wrong, but I just can't get behind your reasoning.

[@cycy1021]

I was in a similar boat as you, except it was just Calc 2 that killed it for me. While learning it, I could see how to program something that could solve the equations, but obviously you can't really use it in the course. I switched to an IT major that allowed me to explore multiple areas of computing to see what I like. I realized that I do like programming (besides webdev and database stuff), but I don't really love it. Ironically, I learned outside of school, before I took the related classes, that I love system's administration. My higher educational story is a bit more complex, and there's plenty of other lessons that I've learned that I would have advise for younger people, but that's the relevant part. I share this because I hope that someone will take away that even if they don't like the aspect of tech they are focused on, it's most likely worth it to explore the other areas before abandoning it altogether.

[@tejastatineni7527]

man you put into words what i couldn't. I am a fresh grad who's switched from ECE to CSE and am now working in well paying company as a SDE. During the lockdown I realised that: 1. The job market for ECE in India is pathetic 2. I could never wrap my head around the maths required to understand and appreciate ECE. I would find myself re learning things like Fourier transforms every semester to clear my uni exams. I started programming in the lockdown and to my surprise I started enjoying. A year later, having self studied data structures,oops, algorithms, DBMS,OS, networking and Leetcode grind, i managed to crack a high paying job in te first month of campus placements. Point being, CSE is something people from any branch can get into due to the huge resource base available online, and I believe it's a field where you can always find your interests, owing to it being such a vast field. Also, I absolutely love tinkering with computers, automating stuff so maybe that's why it worked out for me.

[@devmarboy4045]

bro the same exact thing happened to me just that I didn’t take a cs class I did a lot of research lol

[@roseplate279]

1:46 definitely want to learn computer science now

[@WokeUpGrateful222]

As someone who is currently majoring in Computer Science and 2 semesters in, I can say that it wasn't for me. The work can be soulless, tiring and boring. I find myself wasting my weekends away which is not what I was hoping for I wish I knew before going into it how time consuming the workload would be. I enrolled into community college and only plan on getting my associates degree in it. Thankfully I'm not going to spend the next.4 years majoring in it and blowing lots of money on the subject. I plan on switching to Finance when I transfer. I'm not into computers/math/algorithms so much I do however; enjoy programming I find it enjoyable, I'm not good at it but that's fine I only started learning about it few months ago. I wouldn't have learned that if it wasn't for CS. You made a point in the video saying that you don't want to be working behind a computer screen for the entirety of your career and I couldn't agree more! That would be agonizing. I don't plan on doing that. An associates degree in CS along with a Bachelors in Finance will benefit me in my future career choice (real estate) so at least it will come in handy.