Ask HN: Any tips for a college freshman enrolled in computer science?

Throw yourself into it if you love it. The world is going to change many more times before you're even done your undergraduate studies, so there is no point in trying to predict it. Just arrive at graduation having had an awesome college experience (especially the people you'll meet), know how to learn stuff quickly, and be flexible.

I'm sure that during your studies, through serendipity, you'll find great opportunities to pursue that you couldn't possibly imagine right now. Give yourself the greatest surface area for luck to find you.

Since you posted this here on HN I can already tell that you're the type of person who will not be short of opportunities and already has a good surface area for luck to find you.

Good luck!

You’re actually in a great position because you’re young and able to adapt to the world as it changes. Four years is an eternity in the job market, so what you’re seeing now is not predictive of what the job market will be like when you graduate.

I recommend keeping your eyes open and getting diverse viewpoints, with some caveats. Universities can be both fast and slow to adapt to changing trends. Your professors will undoubtedly be trying to integrate LLMs into the courses, but what they teach you will probably not entirely hit the mark about where the industry is going. You need to be gaining your own experience with something outside of classes, even if it’s useless little projects that you throw away. Remember to have fun in college, too, but balance that with doing a little more than just trying to get passing grades.

Avoid spending too much time in cynical spaces online that have turned into echo chambers about how we’re all doomed, this career is a dead end, and other negativities. Hacker News has a diverse set of opinions represented but it’s easy to get swept up in the hyper-negative views where we’re all going to be out of jobs and relying on UBI in a couple years.

Don't spend too much time online. The collective conscious of online can be disconnected from reality. People who aren't successful tend to spend their time complaining online whereas you rarely hear stories of normal people success online.

Focus on meeting real people and understanding their problems and how you can help. Your connections during college will probably matter more than a particular test score.

Get a job (any job) during college, it shows you're employable and can navigate with the unpleasantries of being employed.

Oh! And dont’ stress too much! Enjoy the ride. Think of it all like a fun new video game. Take in the new levels with curiosity. Have fun! Many people who have jobs now would love to be in your shoes again. Embrace it, enjoy that time of life!

Have a broad range of interests outside of CS, and also develop interpersonal skills, not only for your own social enjoyment, but for interviews and compensation negotiations you will engage in during the coming years.

Write the code yourself, use AI as a tutor. Learn to start a project from scratch and run it locally from your computer for any language you learn. Use a Linux laptop. Network and be socialable. Apply for internships. Learn deep learning and neutral networks if you have the opportunity, GPU programming. Really though, follow your interests.

Knowing how the software development lifecycle really works and how to write reliable, shippable code _without using AI as a crutch_ will put you ahead of your fellow students when you graduate. Don't neglect learning it, even if it's not taught in your classes.

Knowing the CS theory that college is trying to teach you well enough to apply it will put you ahead of your fellow co-workers when you are a senior developer. Don't neglect learning it. The people who say "I never needed to use CS for my entire career, lol" are the people most easily replaced by AI.

Don't neglect understanding how to use AI to create code but don't become dependent on it either.

Don't neglect your writing courses. Reading and writing clearly is how you interact with your fellow developers and, of course, AI. Too many developers are lousy writers and wind up stuck in the lower ranks because of it.

It's a time of great change right now and fear is a natural response. The world is going to be a very different place in 4 years time. Try not to let the fear of an unknown future affect your experience in college. College is a great time to learn who you are, to learn what you like and what you dislike, make friends, understand people, pick up new skills and hobbies and drop old ones. I don't know you and where you're headed, but I know you're going to have a great time. Enjoy it and let the future come to you.

Just try it out and explore a few different layers you're interested in.

The ACM curriculum focuses more on kernels, OS, and compilers rather than the application layer. It's great for understanding principles, but making money often happens at the application layer. Everyone's aptitude is different.

Programming has many layers. Don't get discouraged if you hit a wall in one area.just move around and explore different layers. You'll definitely find one that suits you

Here is my advice to a young person interested in computer science:

https://htmx.org/essays/yes-and/

TLDR:

- Knowing how to do things with computers will likely remain useful in the future

- Learn fundamentals using AI as a TA rather than code generator

- You must write the code

- Learn skills beyond just CS, such as communication & business

- Plan on using personal contacts for a future job, the hiring market is busted

Find something you're passionate about.

- If you don't like programming, try to switch to a degree in something else

- If you genuinely enjoy programming, do not try to switch

- Explore specialty fields, if you're interested in one get a combined degree

Use college to make connections, it's pretty much the only reason to go as you can teach yourself anything now for free. Connections with students, professors, and industry.

Grades are important but in today's AI-driven job application processes having a 4.0 is less important than knowing somebody at the company.

Focus learning well the fundamentals of the field as they will underpin everything else. Try to keep your finger on the pulse of industry in some way beyond whatever they are teaching in your classes (industry conferences, trade orgs, etc.). Try for internships during the summer break to get an idea of what people's day to day is like today and where it may be headed. Have a backup plan (e.g. pre-med).

Fear is normal. Jump in.

Learn how to learn. Get really good at that. That is the essence of your college experience. Perhaps consider a minor in a life science, hard technology, or other field that has good employment prospects.

Everything is software these days--it's going to be about applying software rather than pure programming skills.

Take a physics class or two. Learn how and why things work.

If your school has co-op work--do it. It raises your employment prospects at graduation.

Expect to have to consider multiple options/tracks in your career ahead. Adaptation and flexibility will be important. The world is changing quickly.

You can't study everything in college, but you will need to be ready to study and adapt in the years ahead. Good luck and do well in school.

One more thing: be social. Your network of friends will be extremely valuable to you.

Invest in a good spatula.

If you want a developer's career, make sure you study something other than CS in uni. If you have some basis in an engineering or scientific field, speciality fields can open that can't be easily filled. It also helps to actually learn how to create something from blank paper: come up with an idea, spec it, make a prototype, cycle through revisions. This "muscle memory" is the basis of the software development. And it provides an opportunity to learn debugging - perhaps the single skill that will carry over into the AI sunny uplands.

And as others have said - do it yourself, put off using crutches such as AI until you understand the process.