A Computer Science Degree without the Numbers
Here’s a fact most “veteran” student programmers in your Computer Science (CS) department won’t admit: X number of years you’ve programmed/programming languages mastered/insert number-based flex here doesn’t correlate with how successful you’ll be in class or the workforce. It isn’t an indicator of your GPA will look like and it certainly shouldn’t stop you from being curious about CS. I want to dispel that common misconception.
I don’t blame you for thinking that way. Only after a year into my own degree program, after endless conversations with upperclassmen, professors, recruiters; after hours upon hours of drudgery, disappointment, fits of imposter syndrome can I report to you what I’ve learned. I haven’t made it all the way, but so far, my claim seems to be holding up.
But let’s take it back to the beginning. When I came to college. At this point, the only “code” I’d written so far was the code of ethics I had to transcribe before final exams. CS seemed new, interesting, and definitely lucrative, but I didn’t know anything about it. I had just moved into my dorm and I met some fellow CS students. They were talking computer stuff and it was clear I wasn’t following along. Before long, the dreaded question came up: “So how long have you been programming?” A bashful, embarrassed me answered with a quiet “…I haven’t yet”. Oh, the roasting…
