Re:Was your degree really worth it?
by JellyBeanThief on Thursday April 13, 2023 @12:33AM
(#35550988)
OTOH, I did a CS degree on the basis of passion, and discovered that if I made a career out of it I would quickly grow to hate it.
It would be nice if we had some sort of snappy aphorism. "Make your major your money and your minor your passion" or something.
What aspects of your CS degree made you think you'd hate a career in it?
CS in the classroom is not remotely similar to CS in the field. From my own experience, I definitely lacked the maturity and vision to look that far ahead. Interested to know how you made this determination and which parts you would actually grow to hate.
Re:Was your degree really worth it?
by WalterBright on Thursday April 13, 2023 @01:41AM
(#35551456)
At Caltech, everybody knew that an AY degree was useless for getting a job (there are only so many telescopes). So lots of students did a double major - EE for a job, AY for fun.
I can vouch for the fact that people who take a brutal AY major for fun are indeed some of the most interesting people you'll ever meet.
I don't know if AY is astronomy, but if so surely they'd make great data scientists.
Re:Was your degree really worth it?
by WalterBright on Thursday April 13, 2023 @02:24AM
(#35551788)
It's astronomy.
One of the smartest data scientists I’ve worked with was an astronomy major.
People who choose to pursue majors on the basis of passions and/or quest for knowledge in a specific area without concern for the market, would need to be aware of what they are signing up for. But when you are young and not yet worldly wise, it can be a problem. Perhaps, those degrees should come with a warning label.