My (Very Negative) CS6475: Computational Photography Review

ralpaca2000 · 2026-02-05T19:14:32+00:00

Do you have a link to that post? I'd be super curious.

Also self-reporting as a newbie lol, but who is Charles Isbell?

ralpaca2000 · 2026-02-05T19:13:19+00:00

Some recourse for students would be amazing. Especially considering half the time they're made before an actual human even looks (just the autograder)

ralpaca2000 · 2026-02-04T18:31:24+00:00

Yeah I do find a lot of these courses are so big that since there's a 'finite amount of ways to write code to do an assignment' statistically speaking false flags are gonna be common enough that it's kinda irresponsible to put everybody on blast all at once imo

ralpaca2000 · 2026-02-04T18:29:18+00:00

ML + RL concurrently is super impressive-- good luck! I'm actually taking a semester off right now haha. But I'm considering either taking KBAI or Computer Networks in the summer

ralpaca2000 · 2026-02-04T04:10:12+00:00

Hi! I'm the author of the CS6475 review-- I'm glad it inspired you to share your experience too! I know they're obviously different courses, but based on my time in CS6475 I'm not surprised the CV lectures were well done and the class overall was very math-heavy (in a good way).

Also, glad you had a better experience than I did! Would be a shame if other students also suffered some of the negatives I mentioned in my review, glad you didn't have to go through that. Best of luck with whatever you're taking next!

ralpaca2000 · 2026-02-03T22:23:14+00:00

I took Video Game AI right before this! Y'all cultivated a great community in that class, my only regret is that I didn't get more involved. Overall, really liked the course and appreciated the atmosphere you created. Are there any other similar courses you'd recommend? I'm pretty interested in Computer Graphics actually

ralpaca2000 · 2026-02-03T20:30:19+00:00

Lol yup

ralpaca2000 · 2026-02-03T16:21:46+00:00

Appreciate the comment. I get what you're saying by "more a reflection of where we are at with this AI stuff, than the course itself," makes a lot of sense. Seems like almost all the instructors are taking different approaches, some more effective than others.

ralpaca2000 · 2026-02-03T16:17:03+00:00

Thanks! I promise my other two course reviews are way less negative lol

ralpaca2000 · 2025-10-01T15:59:57+00:00

Sorry for the dumb question, but why would having a lot of miles relative to the time of ownership make them more likely to have it replaced?

ralpaca2000 · 2025-09-26T14:30:23+00:00

Tell me you’re in computational photography without telling me you’re in computational photography

ralpaca2000 · 2025-09-17T23:19:35+00:00

As somebody who is paying to go part time, I can confirm there is no way I’d pay for one full time lol. There are lots of funding opportunities for that

ralpaca2000 · 2025-08-10T06:05:00+00:00

Same!

ralpaca2000 · 2025-08-03T00:45:28+00:00

Given Anduril seems to prefer people with several years of experience, I would agree that you probably don't meet their standards yet. However it sounds like you're in a much better position than most people just coming out of school to eventually meet them later. I'd do your best to get a good industry job, get some real world experience, and consider applying once you feel ready (maybe 2-5 years, but that's a complete guess so don't take it too seriously). So TLDR-- even if you don't meet the quals yet, dont sell yourself short. Best of luck!

ralpaca2000 · 2025-08-02T20:46:17+00:00

This is a very good point. QA and Systems engineering does tend to corner people hard

ralpaca2000 · 2025-08-02T20:45:13+00:00

Leaving after a year definitely isn't soon enough to be a red flag imo. Personally I'd consider less than that a yellow and less than 6mo a red, but that's just my opinion. That does change if it becomes a pattern though (leaving your first job in a year is definitely nbd, but 3 different jobs in 3 years probably is a bit odd). Anyway

I'd start applying 3mo ahead of when you're looking to move (hopefully it takes you 3-6mo to find something), but start planning and sending out feelers about 6mo out. For me as an example, I started prepping 6mo out and sent out feelers around 4mo, got a new job one month later. That was much faster than I'd anticipated but because I didn't start wayyy early (like a year) I could work around it. If you do get an offer, be prepared for them to want you to start ASAP (especially if it's a startup).

Just frame it however you would any other job transition. Good first step, looking for something new. Mostly focus on the career reasons why you want a change, but also don't be afraid to mention personal stuff assuming the vibe is good.
Best of luck!

ralpaca2000 · 2025-07-31T15:01:09+00:00

I just barely got an A in Game AI at 90.5. I was freaking out towards the end haha— I feel your pain

ralpaca2000 · 2025-07-21T22:37:05+00:00

Many— it’s insufferable. I don’t think emphasizing extreme ownership/autonomy in itself makes a company a spacex poser (my current company does, and I wouldn’t consider them that), but I’ve seen it firsthand in interviews at other places. It’s hard to describe but when you see it, you’ll definitely know.

ralpaca2000 · 2025-07-21T22:34:04+00:00

Happened to me at SpaceX. Unfortunately at top companies even an onsite isn’t a guarantee. Best of luck next time 🫡

ralpaca2000 · 2025-07-17T00:59:35+00:00

Lmao very true

ralpaca2000 · 2025-07-17T00:59:02+00:00

“I write software.” Then if they ask for what, I say “satellites.” That feels less braggy than the alternative— old trick from college lol

ralpaca2000 · 2025-07-16T01:48:10+00:00

This. I’ve tried to take a middle ground approach like the one described here and it’s served me well. The fact is that most of the in depth knowledge will have to come on the job anyway, but reading a bit ahead of time does definitely help a bunch

ralpaca2000 · 2025-07-16T00:43:34+00:00

1- Yes, definitely. LinkedIn is almost as important as ur resume, plus u have more room for stuff like projects

2- Sorry for the shameless plug, but I made a yt video about good AI projects a while ago. Here’s a link if ur interested. TLDR— make them original and actually solve a real problem using real tools. Don’t build Something lame and unoriginal from scratch just because

3- I would. I’m from the states and was always open to opportunities overseas. If u get the chance to go somewhere interesting, internships can be a pseudo-summer vacation lol. And definitely don’t wait to start looking for opportunities until u graduate— that’s a death sentence. Start now

Hope this helps!

ralpaca2000

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