I'm a junior CS major. I am starting to realise I'm not very good at coding and I don't have the sharpest brain for algortihms. I can fake it well and have managed a 3.0 gpa. I'm not well versed in tech and I am realising I simply don't care much about it. Not putting /g/ down but it's just not for me. At my best I can be a mediocre coder and I've never even done a hackathon.
Recently my passion has become writing and my days are consumed with thinking about character development rather than web development. I can get a job in programming because of family and friends but I doubt I'll ever be great or get a job in Cali and make huge money. I'm starting to get scared that I fucked up too much by not caring about my major and getting drunk and high the past 2 years. I need advice from people in the industry, is it worth me busting my ass to be average and get a decent job and save money before I pursue something else or should I quit while I'm ahead and do what I want to do? I'm almost done with school and the only reason I feel like I did CS is because I didn't want people to think I'm broke-dick lit major. My family isn't poor but as the oldest child I feel expectations to set a good example and just do what I'm told. I'm starting to get really worried about my future and settling down for a mediocre life.
Advice?
bamp
>>52073150
Are you me?
Well, almost...
I'm not a CS student but am a third year of multimedia. So basically, I could get a job as a web developer or probably some shitty job doing video/audio stuff. I was a musician before, and I am worrying if it is too late for me, 21 y.o., to pursue something else. At one point I thought about even going for straight CS program but now I see I would probably an hero if I did that, I get sick just reading about stuff they do. At least I like the stuff I study at the moment, but there is too much of it in the program and it is spread too thin. Might go for software engineering masters but I feel it is still shit compared to CS, and of course, I realized I don't truly like technology, at least not in that way. The only thing I can feel happy doing in it is UI, UX, creative stuff on web with JS etc. More designy things, you know. At the moment I would be the happiest if I could study in a film school and compose music in my free time/for films.
>>52073311
yeah UI stuff but i feel like there's not much for kids in that. The big question for people like us:
is it better to do what is expected and be average or try something different and take a risk.
Heres a silver lining...
you wouldny get jack shit going to school to write. Get a decent coding job just to feed yourself and write at night, until you can ditch your day job for it. If you never become a succesful writer, you have a good fall back.
>>52073359
thats pretty much my line of thinking now, thanks for the reassurance
>>52073332
they didn't give any advice and told me to kill myself
>>52073150
There are a gang of people in the industry that don't know how to code. You always need testers, maintainers, and people doing manuals. Guess who does that? Engineers and CS majors. You just have to know the basics and you'll eventually land a easy peasy job. If you get with a large company then you will fit in better. Talking bout IBM, Intel, HP, Home Depot, American Airlines. Shit like that.
I would never major in English or literature crap, bc you will never find a job. At my school's career fair they only wanted CS and EE's. You'll end up working at McDonald's or Macy's if you change.
Just stick with it. This is from a lazy ass programmer that has a Masters in ECE from UT Austin with nigga genetics.
>>52073150
kill yourself
>>>/adv/
>>52073513
thanks, that helps a lot. I actually go to UT Dallas, which is the retarded step-child of your alma mater
>>52073150
Great, you are like a vast majority of CS/IT people who are in the program for the money. Fuck off and go do business.
>>52073564
Well i enjoy a bit of programming, but i always did prefer more of a big picture type role, i.e buss./management.
Currently doing IT w a buss minor from a pleb tier state school, but im about to get into consulting work at $50/hr and im only half way through my degree.
Long story short the tech field is big and like another anon said, maybe you can find a way to bridge your affinity for writing and knowledge of basic computing.
Do more research, there is certain to be a niche case for you.
I almost did graphic design and medicine because i wanted to be a medical illustrator -- the neiche jobs exist but usually arent all that plentiful. With that said, start researching now and better get an idea of the problem you want to solve rather i want X job or Y job.
>>52073549
Then bring your ass to Austin when u graduate. Work for IBM or Intel, Samsung, NI. You'll fit in OP. 9-5 hours, maybe busy during the rush seasons.
Do writing in your off time. When writing returns a profit, then switch. No one likes being a poorfag college grad with no future. Trust me.
>>52073150
I always get scared too when I look at the like 10-20 people in my year (of like 300) who are ridiculously good and always do hackathons, internships at Google and Apple and shit.
But then I look at the other like 150-200 and realize I'm not so bad after all. Like people in their 3rd year who can't properly write basic for loops for whatever reason.
And guess what? All of these motherfuckers will get some kind of job.
They're not doing AI research for Google or work on the next iPhone or the Windows kernel.
But they might have written the shitty tax management software for small sized companies accounting, that craps out every now and then, or the shitty webinterface for the shitty ISP-router that came with your cable plan
>>52073638
that's an interesting thought to merge them. Thanks for that. I was actually told by a few intern fair people to try something in consulting or big picture stuff
>>52073659
good to hear. Yeah always wanted to check out Austin
once you get out into the real world, you'll quickly come to realise that its not "what you know" but "who you know" that matters, and bullshit is king in literally any field
you already have experience in this so im sure you'll be fine
the one simple step to getting ahread in emplyment is to smile and be confident, you'll make more friends and be promoted ahead of everyone, i guarantee it
>>52073745
true true, appreciate it
>>52073150
>waaah im average
guess what, everyone on here is fucking average, average at CS and life. otherwise they wouldn't be on here
my prof worked for microsoft and he's fucking awful at programming. he legit doesn't understand how the parent-child relationship works in OOP but he's still getting a PhD, I challenged him on it at one point when he said something should be a separate class. I said no, in the end I got 100% on the assign because I was right and he couldn't get around it. Don't just assume people are amazing because they have a title or a position.
the days of there being one rockstar programmer who writes up a game engine like Doom or Quake are over. most cred you're going to get is as some quirky indie dev, and they all just use tools now so no one cares
the industry is all about it's programmers just having a good level of competency. if you do well you get to be a software engineer who spends his days on a whiteboard trying to figure out the most efficient way to do x for his team, that's it. that's the roof with software. you push to the production environment and bam your job is done.
a small amount of ppl are working on ground breaking research projects, and most of them are academic elite that are basically preselected physics or specialized math grads
all shit aside, don't be that guy that just lives for work. live for what interests you. work CAN be your passion but it doesn't have to be, and the majority of ppl it isn't, even though they might try to pretend otherwise to make themselves looks like a successful person
most ppl i know hate their fucking jobs, but they'll never admit it in person. they just do it because that's what's expected of them. you think fucking accountants get together and circle jerk over being an accountant? dude no one cares. /g/ cares because 10-20 years ago if you could program you were considered something of a genius who could make the pixels on an apple comp dance
>>52073150
Doesn't even matter dude, keep your gpa up and just sound like you know what you're talking about in the interviews and you'll be fine.
Lots of companies will take mediocre white programmers over terrible Indians
>>52073150
>quit while I'm ahead and do what I want to do
why isn't this the default course of action? wtf is wrong with you?
>>52076517
that's not how the real world works, anon.
>>52079053
good goy
>>52073504
and? Why didn't you listen?
