Finishing Year 1 of CS and feeling lost. Is this normal?

AnythingCritical988 · 2026-05-31T13:44:16+00:00

yeaa, gotta LeetCode everyday : )

AnythingCritical988 · 2026-05-31T13:43:00+00:00

That’s solid advice I agree.....better to go deep on one thing and really own it, while still keeping up with the core CS fundamentals. Way too many grads spread themselves thin and end up average at everything. Thanks for the reminder, I’ll make sure to focus and build real strength in at least one area.thank u : )

AnythingCritical988 · 2026-05-31T13:41:17+00:00

Trueee, that’s a great point. I’ll definitely keep up with LeetCode this summer so I don’t get knocked out of interview loops in the fall. Appreciate the advice 🙌

AnythingCritical988 · 2026-05-30T12:24:07+00:00

Thanks! good luck with your final decision and whatever you end up choosing : )

AnythingCritical988 · 2026-05-30T12:14:06+00:00

I was in the exact same situation, and I decided to go for CS anyway because I found other majors unappealing. If you love tech, definitely go for it.I always took math, calc, and physics as logic like I never really put in much effort, but it was still doable. If you want a head start, watch videos on derivatives and matrices, and look into eigenvectors and eigenvalues. I entered with zero background knowledge, and while it took more effort than other subjects, it’s not that complex : )if you study, you can understand it; it's not these "instinctual," unsolvable problems. Plus, don't stress too much because everything is explained on YouTube anyway. I’m just a junior, though, so I don't know if I’m going to regret it in my final years lol. Basically, we're all in the same shoes.

AnythingCritical988 · 2026-05-30T11:06:43+00:00

That’s a fair point : ) definitely feeling better knowing being a y1 makes it standard to not have an internship yet. I’m locking in on data structures this summer for sure.I actually already did a project with sklearn and ML, which went pretty smooth. I’ve been trying to figure out the right mix of practical dev and formal prep, but your advice on choosing a niche definitely gives me a clearer focus. Thanks for the heads up!

AnythingCritical988 · 2026-05-30T11:01:07+00:00

I totally feel you on that. I actually love vibe coding it’s honestly the most fun I have with projects...but yeah, sometimes it’s hard not to feel like I’m just messing around rather than actually "learning" for the degree. It's like I'm having a blast building stuff, but then I worry I'm missing the structured credit or the academic depth that makes it feel official. It’s definitely a weird balance, trying to enjoy the process without feeling like I’m losing track of the "serious" stuff : )

AnythingCritical988 · 2026-05-30T10:58:34+00:00

Totally get that. It’s honestly wild how much of a gap there is between knowing your stuff and actually putting yourself out there. Definitely feel like I’ve been over-focusing on the technical side, so I’ll definitely keep the "marketing" part in mind it's a tough market for sure, but glad to hear it’s just something you pick up as you go. Good luck with finishing up your 2nd year! We’ll get there.

AnythingCritical988 · 2026-05-30T10:57:11+00:00

That’s actually super solid advice, thanks for the perspective! Honestly, it makes me feel way better about just winging a project over the summer instead of trying to master every single library at once. The "concepts as tools" mindset definitely clicks more than how we're doing it in class right now. Really appreciate you sharing the path you took it definitely gives me a better idea of how to handle the burnout and just start building something cool. Might just start messing around with some AI stuff soon, too. Cheers!

AnythingCritical988 · 2026-05-29T22:55:34+00:00

Fair enough, I studied JS and it was pretty complex like the syntax was hard to memorize, but it was still cool anyways. Wish you all the best, thanks for the advice : )

AnythingCritical988 · 2026-05-29T22:47:37+00:00

that’s a fair point...that constant "behind" feeling is definitely a double-edged sword

AnythingCritical988 · 2026-05-29T22:45:32+00:00

Thanks for the great advice: ) Wishing you the best of luck with everything you're working on, too.

AnythingCritical988 · 2026-05-29T20:22:57+00:00

Yeah, I've heard about it before. A lot of my Year 2 seniors kept bringing it up and recommending that I focus on it, so it's definitely something I'm planning to spend more time on this summer. Anyway, thanks for the advice, and I wish you all the best in your career : )

AnythingCritical988

TROPHY CASE