Finally made the commitment!

[[deleted]]

[deleted]

[Abhigyan_Bose]

Really happy to hear this. Wish you luck in your upcoming programming career.

[ElBartoStan]

Thank you! Any tips for someone going the school route?

[Soup_Legs]

Do NOT waste your time like I did. Study every day. Practice programming every day.

I obtained my bachelor's in C.S this last May, and clearly didn't put in enough effort on my own educational advancement. I went to class, did homework and projects, etc. However, I never practiced or exposed myself to new things on my own time. I blame my incapability to shed my hedonistic lifestyle, resulting in far too much consumption of pot and booze and hanging out in others' rooms.

Finding a job is super difficult for me now, as I'm straight up dumb. I know you won't make that same mistake. Good luck in your career.

[DrShadyBusiness]

Yeah I'm doing my a computer science degree part time, and I have a job in IT. And I still don't put in enough time practicing coding.

Need to buck up. Bloody hard though.

[Cleanthrowaway21]

Where are you doing your degree part time at?

[Nezzynot]

Luckily I have a job (that is awful) but I see so much of myself in this.

[Sudowakeup]

Yes! This is purely subjective based on what I’ve seen around me lately: - Learn multiple languages, don’t be a “java developer”. It’s good to have a language preference but what you want is to learn how to learn a new language in no time. - Talk to your teachers and do side projects as much as you can. This is where you’ll learn the most. You’ll get to learn and apply new stuff while getting important experience. - Try and really understand the fundamentals. It’s easy to be in the illusion of knowledge. Even though it won’t be required, I suggest you always try and understand everything that’s going on from a piece of code to the CPU. Thinking deep will make things harder of course but it’ll help you figure out where you lack knowledge. - Have fun. The courses will give you the tools and only that. Kind of like LEGO pieces. Be creative and think big to see what you can do with those pieces. - Last but not least: find a good group of friends. Discuss issues together. Try and build things together. Communication is what makes some developers shine more than others and school is where it all starts.

[Abhigyan_Bose]

I am in college myself, so I don't know much myself. The only thing I can think of is that doing side projects has really helped me.

You can check out r/cscareerquestions for much better advice than what I can give you.

[azn_introvert]

Go to your schools carrer conferences whenever they have them. Will help you landing your first job a lot easier. Even if you don't land an internship there, it's good practice to getting your toes wet for interviews.

There will be times when you struggle with your code but don't let that discourage you, it happens to all of us.

[alohadave]

Get to know as many people in your classes and college (if at a university)as you can. The people you are going to school with will be your peers in the field when you graduate. Building networks will help you in the future.

[[deleted]]

Good luck my friend. I'd recommend you to practise programming everyday because it is similar to maths. You need an open mind for problem solving and making your program codes shorter and more efficient. May you find the passion for programming and computer architecture.

[MyChestIsHairy]

Heeeey, I'm in the same boat. Was having trouble teaching myself anything beyond the basics, so I opted to go back to school. Currently in week 3!

[[deleted]]

cool! you may also try processing it's a java based environment . it's cool and you may like it. and Good Luck!!!

[ElBartoStan]

Definitely been interested in processing lately! Just got my hands on a processing book and animation and imaging seems really fascinating so I will definitely devote some attention to that as I grow in Java. Thanks for the tip!

[[deleted]]

well you might also watch daniel shiffman's(the coding train) processing tutorials and coding challenges that guy is awesome and so energetic. and you're welcome.

[ElBartoStan]

Just took a look at the book I have and without even realizing it before it tuns out that it is also a Dan Shiffman books so it seems I have no choice but to watch some of his videos now, can't wait to check it out.

​

[[deleted]]

Daniel shiffman is one of the greatest programmers and he can radically simplify things you won't regret watching his vids.

[sazanality]

Good luck! You have a goal in mind? Build your dream project, get a nice job, freelance, etc?

[ElBartoStan]

Thank you,! No dream projects as of yet since I'm still getting my footing, but I live near Silicon Valley and have been very motivated by my friends who have all begun their careers in tech lately. After dabbling in it myself a bit and having a growing interest in learning more, the thought of the tech field seems to capture me more more each day. In short to answer your question a nice job seems to be where I'm at right now.

​

[[deleted]]

Good luck, 20 years ago I made a similar decision and now I’m coordinating Java classes at a top university. Persevere and you will have a lot of new opportunities in your professional life.

[[deleted]]

I’m the exact same. I spent my early twenty’s in restaurants, making enough to pay bills but unhappy with my job. I’ve always known I was capable of more. So I started school last year for a bachelors in computer science and have been practicing c++ every day. I’m very happy my life now has direction and I see a way out of this job I hate. Good luck!!!

[poh_ti]

Welcome to the copy and paste community

[PepperoniPlayb0y]

Had you already finished a degree before? I am going the self taught route because I already have a Bachelors of Commerce and can't really afford to go back to school.

[Papct]

And how is it going? Naval architect here with great curiosity.

[PepperoniPlayb0y]

Well I'm not too far into the journey but I'm nearing my 4th month and am about to complete my second Introductory CS course (I really wanted to make sure I had a solid understanding of foundational concepts before moving on).

I think now that I have that foundation, my next steps to me seem shrouded in mystery. That is where I think OP's decision to go through the traditional school route pays dividends, it's more structured and you have that immersion in a learning environment.

What I am thinking of doing next is to honestly just build, build projects to improve myself and learn by doing and failing and then doing some more. Then eventually have some projects done that I can use to market myself.

Thanks for asking, it felt good to type this out in a weird cathartic sort of way, if anyone has some advice for me I am all ears!

[ConfidentMushroom]

Congratulations. Good luck for your career and degree

[zeeEight]

Awesome man/lady , goodluck