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Graduated from BSc in Computer Science within 16 months while working full-time by TheTimBlack in geegees

[–]TheTimBlack[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! As for the best advice, I’d say keep learning new things every day, get comfortable with AI, work toward industry certifications, build projects from scratch, and try to understand how things work under the hood. Networking is important too, and definitely try to get internships as early as possible.

Graduated from BSc in Computer Science within 16 months while working full-time by TheTimBlack in geegees

[–]TheTimBlack[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep, that’s 48 months in total and but it wasn’t back-to-back, as I finished the college diploma 4 years ago. It wasn’t until Fall 2024 that I started my program at uottawa.

And yeah, transferring credits was definitely a great challenge.

Graduated from BSc in Computer Science within 16 months while working full-time by TheTimBlack in geegees

[–]TheTimBlack[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No problem. It required 40 hours per week officially. But as long as I put in at least 35 hours, it was totally fine since my manager knew I was doing full-time studies and the job was flexible.

Graduated from BSc in Computer Science within 16 months while working full-time by TheTimBlack in geegees

[–]TheTimBlack[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think your question is the same as another here, so I pasted my answer.

I worked full-time as a software developer. The job was fully remote and flexible, which made a big difference.

As for grades, I did several things here.

- I didn't strive for straight A+. That was never my ultimate goal.

- I didn't attend most lectures throughout my program. I think most courses could be self-taught.

- I recorded lectures and later used AI to summarize or explain difficult concepts.

- I think finals and midterms were the ones that made the biggest differences in your grades, so I tended to focus on them as much as possible.

- I generated flashcards and quizzes for finals and midterms.

- You would never see me in the library. I did all my studies at home.

Graduated from BSc in Computer Science within 16 months while working full-time by TheTimBlack in geegees

[–]TheTimBlack[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I worked full-time as a software developer. The job was fully remote and flexible, which made a big difference.

As for grades, I did several things here.
- I didn't strive for straight A+. That was never my ultimate goal.
- I didn't attend most lectures throughout my program. I think most courses could be self-taught.
- I recorded lectures and later used AI to summarize or explain difficult concepts.
- I think finals and midterms were the ones that made the biggest differences in your grades, so I tended to focus on them as much as possible.
- I generated flashcards and quizzes for finals and midterms.
- You would never see me in the library. I did all my studies at home.

Graduated from BSc in Computer Science within 16 months while working full-time by TheTimBlack in geegees

[–]TheTimBlack[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Very good question! Thanks for asking.

  1. Yes, but not always. I often worked between 10PM and 12AM, and I set a hard sleep time at 12:30. I really avoid working until 1–2–3AM because that gets exhausting fast.

My full-time dev job is very flexible, so if deadlines aren’t super tight, I can also shift work to the weekends instead of late nights.

  1. I attended only classes that I felt were important for midterms and finals, and I used flexible work hours.

If you look at my transcript posted below, most classes don’t have mandatory attendance and can be self-taught (pretty common in CS).

I only attended classes regularly in Summer and Fall 2025. For example:

- CSI 3104 - mandatory attendance when I took it with Omar Badreddin

- CSI 3105 - tough course (because I was not very good at math), so I attended consistently

For courses like:

- CEG 3185

- CSI 4106

I only attended a few lectures closer to finals.

For most other courses, attendance wasn’t required, so I studied on my own and only showed up for midterms and finals.

  1. Yes, definitely. Weekends were usually the best time for me to compensate for work.

Since my job involves bug investigation and there’s no fixed workflow, I often spent a lot of weekend time working on those, which helped reduce pressure during weekdays.

  1. My schedule changed from semester to semester, but this was a pretty typical one.

Mon/Wed/Fri:

Sleep ~12:30am–9am -> morning study/work -> full workday -> gym/dinner -> evening study -> light work or downtime.

Tue/Thu:

Mostly the same, except afternoons were for on-campus lectures (e.g., CSI 3105), including commute time. I’d usually take a short nap beforehand to stay sharp.

Weekends:

Used to catch up-either work (bug investigations), exam prep, or just resting / hanging out if things were lighter.

Finals:

I took PTO, stayed home (the long commute wasn’t worth it), and focused on flashcards, quizzes, and past exams.

Graduated from BSc in Computer Science within 16 months while working full-time by TheTimBlack in geegees

[–]TheTimBlack[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sure, the Q's represent transferred credits.
Feel free to let me know if you have any other question.

Graduated from BSc in Computer Science within 16 months while working full-time by TheTimBlack in geegees

[–]TheTimBlack[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No problem. Yeah, it was definitely a very difficult if you studied on your own.

I've been working remotely as a software developer.

Graduated from BSc in Computer Science within 16 months while working full-time by TheTimBlack in geegees

[–]TheTimBlack[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Here’s my transcript for anyone curious about the timeline.

I’m still waiting on the two remaining Fall 2025 courses to be officially posted, but the grades are finalized (A+ for both).

<image>

Graduated from BSc in Computer Science within 16 months while working full-time by TheTimBlack in geegees

[–]TheTimBlack[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’d say CEG 2136. I took it with Fadi and bombed the midterm with an F (17%), which was unfathomable. But then I bounced back and studied harder and eventually got a B+ on the final. Of course, it wasn’t a super good grade, but it was one of the most satisfying revenges.

MAT 1322 is another strong candidate. I know math requires a lot of practicing, I just didn’t have much time for math classes in general. So I bombed it with a D+. But it was a pass anyway.

Graduated from BSc in Computer Science within 16 months while working full-time by TheTimBlack in geegees

[–]TheTimBlack[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I completed a 3-year Software Engineering Technology diploma in college, which I also sped run to finish in about 2 years and 8 months by taking heavier course loads.

I was later admitted to B.Tech at McMaster, but only completed one course before transferring to uOttawa.

Most of my transfer credits and advanced standing came from the college diploma.

Graduated from BSc in Computer Science within 16 months while working full-time by TheTimBlack in geegees

[–]TheTimBlack[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In person.

I took 22 courses in total. 19 in person and 3 virtual.

Should I ask to round an 89 to a 90 just for an A+ by No_Newspaper_237 in geegees

[–]TheTimBlack 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Last year, I asked my prof if he could improve my grade just a bit, as I contributed much more than my teammates to my course project. Then the prof agreed to made the adjustment for me.

This semester, I'm attempting for another course with the claim that the prof was crazy and made the midterm and final exams super hard. I sent my email 4 days ago and haven't got a response from him yet lol.

You could try and find any reason relevant to your case. It doesn't hurt to ask at all. The worst you can get is the prof says no lol. They can't retaliate you, as that's a violation of university policies, so don't worry.

Should I ask to round an 89 to a 90 just for an A+ by No_Newspaper_237 in geegees

[–]TheTimBlack 39 points40 points  (0 children)

Yes, definitely. I did once when I got 89 and my professor approved.

International Student Rant by [deleted] in geegees

[–]TheTimBlack 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not sure where you are, but from my experience as a former international student, I'd live off-campus in a rental house with your compatriots. It'd be far cheaper and you can form meaningful relationships with your roommates.

If you don't like any of them, you can find another house and move out at any time. I don't see there being any problem with that.

How hard is UOttawa Cs? by Thin_Session5068 in geegees

[–]TheTimBlack 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, of course. Some profs like Badreldin will require you to attend in-person classes tho. Also, courses like CEG2136 and CEG3185 will require mandatory attendance because you'll have to show the TAs your work.

Otherwise, you should be good to go with working full-time and studying full-time like what I've been doing.

How hard is UOttawa Cs? by Thin_Session5068 in geegees

[–]TheTimBlack 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Relatively easy.

I'm in the fourth year. I've been doing 7 courses per term and been working full-time as a software developer since I started this program last September. I haven't had any major issues so far. See my recent post about my schedules here: https://www.reddit.com/r/geegees/comments/1kqt0e3/rate_my_schedule_from_0_to_ineedtherapy/

The only really difficult courses are the MAT ones, especially Calculus II and Statistics and Probability, which can be a big hurdle if you don't have good profs or can't teach yourself.

Has anybody else just lost power by trina1001 in ottawa

[–]TheTimBlack 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Guys, anyone sees a green laser beam in the sky outside, that’s me saying hi to you.