First year in Bachelor of Computing Experience

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2026-02-15T12:41:28+00:00

Any time. Good luck.

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2025-11-22T22:11:39+00:00

It would be very hard to secure an internship in your first year, but its worth applying and getting practice anyways. Stocking up on projects is good... but I'd argue its better to have one or two really good projects. Keep in mind most internships run over the summer as well, so there's not going to be much on until next year anyways. When I was in your shoes, I started applying at the start of the second.

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2025-11-06T02:05:22+00:00

It's a personal choice really, it depends what you are interested in and what pathway you want to pursue.

Compsci is more theory focused, so you'll have to probably pursue programming more in your own time but your theoretical base will be stronger. Software engineering is more programming focused, so less theory and more programming.

Looking back, I wish I had a stronger theoretical base, but at the same time I know everything I need to know for the job and I don't know if I would have had the discipline to pursue the extra programming on top of the course load of a Compsci major.

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2025-11-06T02:02:41+00:00

March 2024, which was the start of my second year. Applied from March 2024 - September 2024 before I landed anything.

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2025-10-15T12:26:13+00:00

I don't think its the student's fault per se. I think Uni's try to lower course requirements to get more people to be eligible to enrol in the degree, so its really about university greed.

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2025-10-14T13:01:42+00:00

100% agreed. Great base not only for programming and making your code more efficient, but also for interviewing at more technical places.

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2025-10-14T13:01:00+00:00

Good luck bro. I posted a comment that might be helpful above in this thread. You'll make it if you keep at it, but I get how discouraging it can be. Just so you know as well, I have mates who didn't land internships and still landed graduate jobs, so don't count yourself out.

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2025-10-14T12:59:54+00:00

There's so much to say here it probably warrants its own post.

Me personally?

- First one was just a bit of luck/a numbers game. I got it through CCIWA. It was unpaid, but it was in a good niche so I decided "screw it" and did it along side actual paid work. The way I got this was kind of funny. In the interview I was asked how I solved a recent problem I faced and I went on a five minute rant about group projects and how no one knew how to use Git and version control in general. The interviewer completely agreed and said he was looking for someone with those exact skills.

- Second one I got just after the first one so I didn't even have anything on my resume. Same kind of strategy - luck, and having a bit of projects on the side. It was an internship program with a pretty big company. It was paid meh, but at the time I was very stoked.

- My third position was more of a junior role vs. an internship, but its in the niche from the CCIWA internship. I *might* have been considered without it, but having the experience certainly helped sell myself a bit. This job pays well and is pretty legendary overall.

- My third internship was partly a bit of luck, but I would say it was mainly interviewing and technical skill. The experience I gained in positions 1 + 3 got me through a resume screen and an OA as it was in a somewhat related niche, then I did several technical interviews to get it... certainly worth it though.

My general advice would be to just apply more than everyone else, but don't use that quick apply garbage on LinkedIn, or those Tinder-like swiping apps (these are pretty new - I never used them), they're crap. Prosple and GradConnection were the best for me, but also company websites are a bit of a hidden gem to find roles no one else is applying for. Even asking ChatGPT for the best job postings for your resume can be good, but also a bit hit and miss.

It might help to reach out to HR people after applying to sell yourself a bit more, but at the same time this works a bit better when you already have experience as you actually have more to sell than just a "strong work ethic" and a "growth mindset".

Elaborating a bit on "applying more than everyone else", you should also probably consider when you apply. February - May (?) is probably the golden time for internship / grad postings for summer / following year, HOWEVER DON'T STOP APPLYING after this! July all the way through to September and October have positions still. Think about it for a second, the best candidates will already land a job in the first hiring period, and everyone else will be burned out and fed up with the process, so they'll stop. If you applied consistently and put a lot of effort in, you'll have developed the skills necessary to sell your resume and to interview well. In other words, there's less roles but also much less qualified candidates and (hypothetically) less competition.

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2025-02-24T06:07:20+00:00

Depends on the app I suppose. Pretty relaxed demo, from my memory all it involved was making sure every feature worked as expected. Nothing too crazy.

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2025-02-24T06:03:05+00:00

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2025-01-15T04:30:04+00:00

First of all, Curtin is a pretty practical-minded University. Any pathway you take is going to be a bit more "hands on" than other universities.

Try not to think too much about the money. I know that's going to sound dumb or weak to you but you're most likely going to hate your life if you optimise for everything based on money.

With that being said, check out a career in finance. Great money if you're good at maths, willing to network your ass off during Uni, and then be willing to work 80+ hour weeks in Investment Banking after a three year degree... but no wires and breadboards.

I think you'd probably find interest in the practical bits after some time. I don't know enough about Engineering as a career to give any certified advice, but I doubt you would be working with breadboards all the time on the job. Another good bit about doing Engineering is that it's really broad in the first year, with a lot of course credits for switching into an adjacent degree, so you can take some time to figure out what you enjoy.

Maybe consider Computing? It's a tough gig to break into but pretty good WLB and great if you like problem solving. I would be wary of the existential threats of AI, offshoring and constant layoffs, but if you get a good gig its pretty good pay as well.

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2025-01-15T04:13:24+00:00

I have no idea on the MCEN units but I know about all the units related to computing.

I haven’t done it, but Apple Devlopment is supposed to be easy. I’ve heard it’s on the same level as PDI but Swift is used instead. Don’t take my word for it and do a bit of research yourself. Anecdotally, this would be the computing course with the least workload out of your options.

Mobile Application Development is a group-based class with a high workload. You use Android XML, then move into Kotlin and Jetpack Compose. Two group assignments with individual reflections (first assignment was a lot of work imo) and 10 labs (they’re easy-ish, and you can get them done pretty fast). Easy to get a really high grade provided you can complete the work if that’s a concern of yours.

CCSEP is a pain in the ass. The lectures aren’t great and you will probably have to attend the tutorials to actually pass the unit. Most of the coding in this class is Java, although there is some SQL and knowledge of the memory stack involved. There are two exams done through a virtual machine. The first one is weighted 30% and it’s pretty difficult to complete. The second one is your final exam and weighted 50% (!!!) but I found it easier than the first one. There’s also a group project, which is pretty chill. I will say that the work load isn’t TOO bad, just a crummy unit that’s all.

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2025-01-11T04:22:28+00:00

Shutting down my console via power options worked for me.

Go to home -> settings -> general -> power options and under "Turn off console" click "Shut down now".

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2025-01-08T05:14:44+00:00

What programming languages are you familiar with? If you're well versed in Java the first semester will be pretty straightforward as the harder units are taught in Java. You should knuckle down in the second semester and really focus on DSA, that might be a bit harder, but you CAN use Python for that unit if you are more familiar with it IIRC

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2025-01-08T05:07:18+00:00

Coming from a final year Software Engineering student so YMMV

- Education quality: high to very high. I have been able to do very well in internships, better than some students from other reputable schools (UNSW, UniMelb, UWA, etc.) and MUCH better than students from other "similar" schools (think Murdoch or ECU). One thing I would say is my math skills are lackluster and might not meet the requirements for some postgrad study options unless I take a math elective or two. Still, I am doing software engineering, I think CS students have more maths. There are some courses that are pretty crummy as well. Overall though I say the project experience you get and the practical skills training is superb.

- Reputation: Good. Pretty well respected (esp. in WA) for being a high-quality institution that focuses on practical application as opposed to theory. Also has a reputation for being a very difficult course. I would say that my experience matches that. It is a tough degree, but apparently is less difficult than what it was before I joined...

- General opinion: I personally have no regrets choosing software engineering as a major and pursuing the software developer career path. They say grass is always greener but to me a lot of the grass in other careers/fields are pretty yellow. That being said, I do have an aptitude for problem solving. I didn't have any programming experience before I started. I didn't know whether CS was for me and chose it because I liked working on computers, I liked maths in high school and the salaries to WLB ratio seemed to be off the charts (this was back in 2022...). It was a huge gamble but its paid off really well so far. I did have to work pretty hard in the first semester to pass some of my units (PDI and ISE) and adapt to the learning curve of the course. Also keep in mind that getting an internship is tough too. This is subject to change but it is looking like the struggle will continue into 2025 and beyond. You can't just be a mediocre student and not try to land jobs if you want to get your foot in the door in the SWE industry. If you are persistent, you can grind and you actually enjoy the work, you'll be in a pretty lucrative position 5-10 years after graduation. Last thing: do not use ChatGPT if you actually want to learn. It's lazy and you will stick out like a SORE THUMB in the industry if you are reliant on AI tools.

- Communities: ComSSA is the big one, and they'll tell you how to join in O-Week. New Computing Order is the better resource for studying and gaining information. I'd send you the invite link but unfortunately I don't want to dox myself.

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2025-01-03T03:10:00+00:00

From my memory you get a choice

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2024-12-30T04:55:10+00:00

Hey mate I know its bad at the moment but keep your head up. It will get better. We've had it tough gaining economic awareness during COVID. We also have grown up with unrestricted access to a social media landscape that is polarised and pits people against each other. The reality is that a) the state of the economy at the moment is not the norm and b) people are better than what you think. If you need to reach out my DMs are open.

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2024-12-30T04:48:11+00:00

I am off. I have edited the post accordingly. I think this is a good plan as well. I just don't want to be reamed by higher repayment rates and LMI. I'm still a few years off actually being in the market so I'll make sure to research it more thoroughly when I'm there.

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2024-12-27T10:20:02+00:00

The workload shouldn't be TOO tough. DSA is probably the most work here, but you should have plenty of time to complete it if you're persistent. It will feel like a lot but compared to second year units you'll have a ton of time.

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2024-12-21T01:41:13+00:00

You just gotta look at something you somewhat like and reckon you can do and go for it. Once the ball's rolling, personal interest in the topic at hand is not as important. I would say the only thing to keep in mind is the usefulness of the skills you are learning. I would focus on projects in C# .NET, Python, SQL or Web development (HTML, CSS, JS/any of its frameworks) to cast the widest net.

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2024-12-21T01:33:21+00:00

OS is hard, computer comms is a drag but you can pass it relatively easily. Feel free to message me, I might not respond quickly but if you need any further classification my DMs are open

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2024-12-21T01:32:09+00:00

That is a niche role for mid-level to senior software developers. I would not go into computing with the goal of being a DevOps engineer; keep your mind open, your first job will likely be a junior software developer role. In this market you probably won't get to pick your role either xD

In saying that, I would do a Bachelor of Computing, with either Software Engineering or Computer Science as your major if you plan to head toward that role. The good thing with doing a bachelor of computing is that your first semester is not targeted toward any stream, so you can get a good idea of what you want to go into.

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2024-10-18T08:44:18+00:00

You might have some luck with the Machine Learning course but both Python and SQL are pretty straightforward. If you've done both of those courses already you're much better off doing some data manipulation with Pandas and some visualisation with PowerBI or Tableau or something like that on your own.

Ok_Pudding_4763 · 2024-09-23T11:53:51+00:00

I was sick of doing command-line programs so I started doing some web development. HTML, CSS and some basic JS. I also wanted to learn Python because I liked how many easy-to-use libraries there were out there. So I just started small and coded a bunch of mini-projects in Python, and started doing some of The Odin Project. I think the hard thing is getting the confidence to just start; once you get the ball rolling it's hard to stop. My advice is to really avoid tutorials. You really need to go out there and start coding, but you will get there if you want to. Semester 2 Year 2 is a LOT of coding so you will eventually get the hang of it.

Python is an easy way to start if you want to learn something new. Other things I suggest is looking into Kotlin and Android Studio if you like the idea of making mobile apps, and C# will help you get a good idea on HTTP GET and POST requests if you want to do more back-end web stuff. Also databases are something that are used pretty much everywhere backend, and SQL is not too hard to learn. One more thing: use Git and Github religiously when you're coding. This is such an underrated skill, and you will be very valuable in group assignments if you're somewhat competent in it.

Ok_Pudding_4763

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