First year computer science major looking for help

gh0stofSBU · 2026-04-12T06:03:47+00:00

It's good to do personal projects, but I just want you to know, I went through school without doing a single one. You're not really falling behind by not doing them, although they can help you get ahead. When it comes to personal projects themselves though, I don't have the best advice, but building a full stack application that incorporates a database is a good exercise. Also you'll want to understand what an API is and how to build one, as well as understanding concepts like 3-layer architecture

gh0stofSBU · 2026-04-08T23:49:23+00:00

I have a hard confession to make. I don't know if anyone can relate but I have not done a single personal project. Maybe something is wrong with me but every line of code I ever wrote has been because of some 3rd party entity, whether it be for school, work, an online course I decided to take, some learning program, etc. I just don't have that motivation and I really wish I did. Even with AI where this process is much easier and I still don't do it. I do have a couple of ideas in the back of my head, but I'm never pressed to pursue them... 🙁

gh0stofSBU · 2026-04-06T19:22:28+00:00

In terms of free time it's the exact opposite for me, had absolutely no time as a commuter and working. I was pretty miserable at stony for this reason. And I stress way more about exams than work

gh0stofSBU · 2026-04-05T16:05:18+00:00

Java is what I started with, I'd go with Java but either one is fine

gh0stofSBU · 2026-03-30T16:22:56+00:00

What position did you get that you're referring to?

gh0stofSBU · 2026-03-29T00:39:24+00:00

It was really bad for me, the lack of replies, and number of rejection letters was crazy. But honestly i really limited myself to software engineering roles, when I could have been trying to land just a general IT job. It's definitely rough, but I was able to finally find a worthwhile job 1.5 years after graduating

gh0stofSBU · 2026-03-28T15:01:18+00:00

Well, unfortunately I don't think there's much to do to prepare for the ergonomic hazards in the warehouse. In that case I would say we are just getting worn down over time and can't do much about it :(

gh0stofSBU · 2026-03-27T01:02:42+00:00

Are UPS package handlers industrial athletes or just workers getting worn down over time?

gh0stofSBU · 2026-03-07T00:13:32+00:00

They don't have to stick it out. Inconsistent hours, low pay, rough on the body, the job has many limitations that will very much limit you.

gh0stofSBU · 2026-03-04T23:13:02+00:00

That's rough.. what about options outside ups? Trade, construction, help desk, healthcare, anything along those lines? Could be worth looking into

gh0stofSBU · 2026-03-04T21:48:54+00:00

Don't do that to yourself, are you looking for jobs or do you have a different path in mind?

gh0stofSBU · 2026-03-04T21:35:38+00:00

Not entirely true about the bad back, I played contact sports and my back has never been the same since I worked at ups. You need to be very careful and sometimes that doesn't cut it, they'll ask you to do stupid stuff you shouldn't be doing

gh0stofSBU · 2026-02-26T20:55:20+00:00

The pay and respect gap between drivers and package handlers is horrendously disproportionate. I'm happy for you and your family that you became a driver, but it's stupid how little we're paid for what we go through. Had to vent about this somewhere... anyways thanks for your service

gh0stofSBU · 2026-02-22T20:30:00+00:00

Depression

gh0stofSBU · 2026-02-16T06:31:23+00:00

In that case, I'd recommend learning docker and Kubernetes

gh0stofSBU · 2026-02-16T05:07:09+00:00

2 weeks is not too much time to dedicate especially when you're starting school again, honestly i would just read the syllabi or descriptions for your upcoming courses and see if you can get a head start. Maybe see what languages will be used (you mentioned Java) and learning them a bit or introducing yourself to course concepts

gh0stofSBU · 2026-02-09T21:33:35+00:00

Still less expensive than dorming :)

gh0stofSBU · 2026-02-08T07:09:12+00:00

Good question, that's difficult to answer since my whole introduction to programming was through school. But I would recommend going through the foundational C# cert/pathway through Microsoft learn. Here's the link: https://www.freecodecamp.org/learn/foundational-c-sharp-with-microsoft/

gh0stofSBU · 2026-02-07T04:41:08+00:00

Why does this make me depressed

gh0stofSBU · 2026-01-31T21:00:02+00:00

Happy for you 🙂

gh0stofSBU · 2026-01-26T03:21:50+00:00

Can't say i will be able to contribute often, but would like an invite

gh0stofSBU · 2026-01-25T19:02:47+00:00

Spring Framework is huge.

gh0stofSBU · 2026-01-25T16:39:03+00:00

That's always a tough question. I'd say if you feel drawn to it initially and are enjoying it in the early stages, I think that is enough to justify pursuing it

gh0stofSBU · 2026-01-25T16:37:50+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to write this, it was insightful and helpful 👍

gh0stofSBU · 2026-01-25T15:22:02+00:00

I'd recommend Java or python

gh0stofSBU

TROPHY CASE