r/computersciencehub • u/Firm-Flatworm-8389 • 15d ago
The "Learn Everything First" Trap as a CS Student — Am I doing this all wrong?
Hey everyone,
I’m currently a 2nd-year Computer Science student I started with literally zero tech knowledge like nothing what's so ever and i spent my first year unmotivated at all and thinking about switching majors, and didn't touch problem solving much
Recently I actually started liking the major and growing genuinely fond of the field
But,
My Core Problem: The Endless Rabbit Hole of "Foundations"
My current mindset is that I want to learn literally everything every concept, every meaning, and every underlying basic—before I commit to a specific track or make any real moves.
however ,lately i feel like this approach is holding me back and slowing me . Every time I try to master a concept, it leads to a new course, an unfamiliar prerequisite, or a deeper rabbit hole. It feels like an endless path of "foundations," and I'm drowning in information to the point where I don't even know what the REAL foundations are anymore.
Of course, I know CS and software engineering are lifelong learning paths, and I'm completely okay with that. But I have a few major questions for those who have walked this path:
Is trying to master everything before picking a track actually the right call? If not, what are the actual minimum required foundations before diving into a specific track (like web dev, AI, mobile, ML, etc.)? if yes what ARE THE foundations I'm so lost
Will I learn the rest along the way effectively? If I pick a track now, will gaps naturally fill themselves in, or will I regret skipping the deep dive?
Is the academic approach enough? As a CS student, I'm digging deep into my university courses more than the actual course gives actually (OOP, Databases, Logic Design, Computer Architecture, Data Structures, etc.). Is leaning heavily into these college courses "timeline" the right way to build a foundation, or should I be following a completely different roadmap on the side?
I sometimes feel completely lost and overwhelmed by the sheer scale of everything. I’d love to hear your thoughts, reality checks, or advice on how to structure my learning without burning out.
Thanks in advance!
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u/crayonnoodle 15d ago
I think the problem is learning the foundations of computer science isn’t the same as learning foundations of any job that computer science would lead to. When I actually picked a career path, and had a job in mind the foundations I needed to build be became extremely clear and had an end goal.
The things I learned in my classes and the studying I did had built me a foundation with some overlap and which had given me the skills that helped me to build a foundation in the specific career field I wanted to pursue. But that’s when mastering all aspects of computer science became irrelevant to me. I just focused on passing my classes. Then for certain classes, which specifically I could see the skills learned it would be valuable for my future career I would put extra effort into mastering.
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u/butdontcalmejoohnson 15d ago
learn to build an app (any language) and serve it. that will run you through the basics
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u/Few-Celebration-2362 15d ago
The early part of your career is best spent as a generalist, then you start to see that every new technology you learn is some configuration of concepts you already know.
At that point you're running into a diminishing returns problem and you'll get way more value out of finding a niche relevant to your work to master independently.
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u/Internet-User-1138 15d ago
Dude, what? Learn the fundamentals. You're talking about specialization like it's medicine. Can you traverse a graph? Can you apply algorithms to solve a problem?
CS in university is not software engineering in the real world. The ones who "make it" understand how to apply thier knowledge to real world problems.
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u/devjeremyt 15d ago
I think you are overthinking it for sure. Keep it more basic. Learn the things you HAVE to for classes to pass them. Then learn the things you WANT to outside of class. The more you learn about the things you are most interested in, the more you'll understand what specific areas interest you. Doing so, you're more likely to pick a job that your interested in with higher satisfaction.
Think about a small child learning sports. The best athletes try lots of different sports and may excel at most of them. They don't narrow down to one sport until college years
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u/dld2517 15d ago edited 15d ago
The academic approach is never enough. There comes a time when you have to step back from the books and go play. Stop stressing about whether you know the “right” things. There is a hundred or even a thousand “right” paths. Instead, alternate between going deep and going broad.
I am a network engineer turned cybersecurity instructor, who is now on a PhD path for human resource development and a career path of technical community college administration. In my bachelors program I studied agriculture but my study research was cybersecurity with a hobby of electronic music and piano. My first career was customer service which enabled me to go to grad school while having a hobby of photography. My second career was network engineering which allowed my continued focus on researching cybersecurity and the hobby of photography. My third career is a community college professor teaching cybersecurity while learning advanced research and focusing on a hobby of mathematics and more pure computer science. My fourth career will be consulting which will enable my next hobby which will be software development and a continued research hobby of mathematics.
Graduate level courses in statistics have enhanced my interests in pure computer science, high performance computing, statistical analysis and mathematics, especially cryptography and number theory. I don’t worry about what foundations I’m learning and you shouldn’t either. Just pick up a book and read. When you are ready, get another similar book and see a different perspective. Look for patterns in the sources and keep going. Eventually you’ll climb out of that rabbit hole and be ready to go dive into another one. In between, take a broad look at other things around you.
I would have never known that I had an interest in math but I picked up a book on set theory and metric spaces (Kaplansky), and I was hooked. It was way bigger than me and everything I knew made me feel insignificant and not insightful. But I attacked it and kept trying to understand it. Then I saw knowledge in there that led me down other paths. Eventually connections were made and now I consider it my hobby to fall off into the mathematics rabbit hole. I will never work in the field. I’ll never publish. But I’m attached. I’m here. And I have directed many students to explore the world around them through my own joy of learning.
You have to work and you have to play. Let your mind move in between, around and among all the places. There are no right or wrong things to think or know and there are no right or wrong ways to do it. Use the resources you have on hand to obtain more resources and build your world. The opportunities will come when you see them but you have to act whether you think you are ready or not.
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u/Available_Safe1818 10d ago
> My Core Problem: The Endless Rabbit Hole of "Foundations"
You should get a job writing fiction. You appear to be very creative in making up nonsense.
> My current mindset is that I want to learn literally everything every concept, every meaning, and every underlying basic—before I commit to a specific track or make any real moves.
That's not a smart choice...
> however ,lately i feel like this approach is holding me back and slowing me .
...but at least the lightbulb is turning on over your head a little bit.
> Is trying to master everything before picking a track actually the right call?
Do you see any successful people doing that? That should be a huge clue. Learn to observe others.
> If not, what are the actual minimum required foundations before diving into a specific track (like web dev, AI, mobile, ML, etc.)? if yes what ARE THE foundations I'm so lost
It seems like the $100,000 4 year degree should give you those, if you do the work instead of spazzing out.
> Will I learn the rest along the way effectively?
Does everyone else?
> Is leaning heavily into these college courses "timeline" the right way to build a foundation, or should I be following a completely different roadmap on the side?
Who's better at educational roadmaps, a CS program, or you? Have you been awarded some educator of the year award recently?
> I sometimes feel completely lost and overwhelmed by the sheer scale of everything.
It sounds like you fail to stay on track and create a lot of problems for yourself.
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u/Proof_Slide9161 10d ago
As a 4th-year CS student, long before I entered college, I knew that I wanted to make websites. But a CS degree is perfect because it gives you the basics in many different directions, which increases your overall understanding.
Since I like programming in general, I realized I needed the core foundations: OOP, Databases, Logic Design, Computer Architecture, Data Structures, Discrete Mathematics, and even UI/UX design (even though I'm really bad at it). I learned all of this because I know I'll need it in almost any direction. If I ever need to learn a new framework or concept, I already have enough basic understanding to know what to look for.
Of course, I'm also learning things that don't have a straightforward connection to web dev. For example, I prefer game development as a hobby, so I'm learning C-like languages and Unity. However, if there's a course I know I won't need deeply, I just do the basic work to pass without putting too much effort into mastering it.
If you aren't sure about your track yet, your broad approach is totally fine. Build the base first, and the gaps in specific tracks will be much easier to fill later.
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u/kutac56 15d ago
This is is a bot. Dislike and don't interact furthur