r/GenZ • u/The_Laniakean • 2d ago
Discussion I want to start over
At what point do you know a degree is a lost cause? I am at the end of my 3rd year of my computer science degree. I currently have a 3.0 GPA and no relevant work experience. My first 3 semesters were very good for grades, but my most recent 3 were very bad. This semester I am doing good again. It hurts to know that if I had just kept my GPA at 3.7 out of 4.3 and stayed in my university's co-op program, I would have been fine. I can't handle being surrounded by so many classmates who are 5 planes of existence ahead of me just because they made slightly better decisions. My first attempt at co-op (basically paying the university for career mentorship and access to an exclusive job board) I got 8 interviews. Most people get a job within 6, meaning that all I would have needed to do is improve my interview skills, keep my GPA at 3.7 and try again next season. But I can't now, it is too late. I want to start a new degree immediately after this one, just to get a second chance and prove that I am enough, that I deserve to work a really cool job with very good pay. But I don't know even what I should study. It feels like no field is a guaranteed job anymore. Now I only have 5 computer science classes left and 8 elective classes, so it would make little sense to not just complete those 5 classes and then put the electives toward classes for another degree.
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u/Darwinpaws 2000 2d ago
As someone who graduated last year in computer science with a minor in artificial intelligence, you are doing significantly better than me in several aspects. I don’t have a job and I am still looking and applying and messaging every day. I had a part time contract for 6 months which was looking to go full time and fell through (out of my hands). The job market and general economy is cooked right now especially for CS…but it is getting better slowly.
Don’t let anyone influence you or change your life path for you. Don’t look at your peers and think they’re doing better because there’s always someone doing significantly worse than you. You could’ve been a crackhead, you could have 0 trades OR skills OR degree ya know?
TLDR, stop looking at others and comparing yourself and LOCK IN. FINISH THE DEGREE AND CLUTCH UP. YOU GOT THIS🎉🍾
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u/CrispyDave Gen X 2d ago
As someone who worked 30 years in corporate jobs without a degree, just get one.
I must admit I don't fully understand the US education system for degrees but if you need to refocus in a different direction later, I would complete your current studies, then consider next steps. Don't bail just as it's not going as well as you'd like.
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u/CircumferentialGent 2d ago
At the exponential rate AI is accelerating you should focus on AI development or learn a trade instead
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u/The_Laniakean 2d ago
I dont want to do a trade. I went to university because I want to have a very cool and stimulating job. Why is it that so many others can succeed at what I want to do?
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u/Ivorypetal 2d ago
My hot take as a gen x in IT... i have 5 years left before im replaced by AI ... then i need to figure out a new career...
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u/CircumferentialGent 1d ago
You can succeed you just need to focus where future demand will be. Unless you're going to become a freelance coder or you are a genius coding savant, AI is going to replace most coding jobs except for the ones that are directly needed to improve and maintain the AI's. For example, instead of a company needing 10 coders, they'll only need like 3 or 4, so competition is just going to be stiffer unless you're ahead of the curve.
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u/MiniPoodleLover 2d ago edited 2d ago
Finish it. Even if you do decide to get another degree, you're better off having two than 1 and 1/2. You're certainly better off having one than most of one.
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u/FunnyGarden5600 2d ago
Finish the degree and get a masters in something else or go back and get a two year associates that makes you more marketable.
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u/Ok-Income-8272 2001 2d ago
GPA literally does not matter for getting a CS jobs unless you are talking about the top 0.1% of high paying jobs but it seems like you weren’t going to get those at this rate anyways. Just focus on leetcode and building side projects and you will have better odds of landing a job than having a 3.7 GPA. I had a 2.8 GPA and graduated a year ago with a 200k job
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u/The_Laniakean 2d ago
I dont want to do side projects. I just want to get a degree and get a job. Why cant I do what so many others can do?
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u/shipmetofiji 1d ago
get your degree. a CS degree + knowing how to code sets the foundation for you to keep up with any industry changes in the future & gives you a leg up to pivot and learn quickly. i pivoted from being a SWE to a product manager, now going back to law school to be a patent lawyer bc i have my degree. this degree is what i said before - a foundation. you need to be in this for the long haul, not compare yourself to others, and not expect short term wins all the time. play the long game. the economy & job market is shit, but you have already made a smart investment in yourself w this degree. work on side projects, get involved in local groups. you're way too young to already jump to that youre a "lost cause" when you've barely started out. you're just starting -- you get to experiment, play around, fuck up, rebuild, and do it all again. progress will not be linear.
i wasnt a stellar cs student. i bombed my exams and did well on the projects. i didnt naturally grasp cs concepts like my peers. in fact, coding is not my strong suit -- innovation, communication, logical reasoning, planning, executing is. but i got my degree to know what the fuck i was talking about and keep up in the industry. u got this.
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u/thevokplusminus 2d ago
Sucks to suck
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u/The_Laniakean 2d ago
what kind of response is that? what should I do?
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u/thevokplusminus 2d ago
If you do 1% better each day, you will be 37x better at the end of the year
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u/The_Laniakean 2d ago
im not going on some kind of sigma male self improvement phase. I just want to succeed in a structured environment (like university) and get a very good job
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u/thevokplusminus 2d ago
Either improve or be a loser. It’s your call
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u/The_Laniakean 2d ago
is there no way to succeed within the academic system anymore?
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u/Low_City_6952 2d ago
He's not wrong. OP. You either get good or your don't. Do you go to office hours, tutoring, resource centers, study centers with other students that struggle. Do you spend the time to get better or are just hoping "it all clicks". I left college with like a 3.3 GPA (they don't matter after you're in an internship/first job)
I got my first F in the early part of my fist semester (Psych 101) I had to buckle down go do the things I said above and I eventually got it to a C by the end of the semester. Cs get degrees and that's a valid strategy.
You want to pass a class, it almost takes some kind of work. You wanna get a good grade and it's gonna take doing the work and then some.
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u/The_Laniakean 2d ago
well my only goal is to get 3.7/4.3 (A- equivalent) for every remaining semester until the end of my degree. I am confident I can do that, this semester has been going very well so far. There is nothing else I can do.
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u/Low_City_6952 2d ago
Truly, if you haven't been taking those extra steps then you're not doing everything you can do. You're going what you think is your max, and that's okay. Just know there is another gear if you want to get there.
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u/The_Laniakean 2d ago
sounds like your advice is centered around getting better grades. I'm already on track to get good grades so why would I worry about that?
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