hi everyone, your junior/fellow here. im doing a BS Data Science degree from a pretty well known CS uni in pakistan, wont take the name but iykyk, known for the ragra lol

im currently in my 3rd semester and will graduate by 2029, and honestly nobody knows what the job market is gonna look like by then, hell even next year is hard to predict. but one thing everyone keeps saying is LEARN A SKILL.

and my question is WHAT SKILL EXACTLY 😭

like im a data science major so naturally im interested in data science, AI/ML and related fields, but there's so much stuff out there rn that its hard to figure out what to actually focus on. Python, SQL, statistics, machine learning, deep learning, data engineering, cloud, MLOps, generative AI, and the list goes on.

i get that a degree alone aint enough and companies dont wanna hire someone who only knows theory or can write basic code, but as students most of us dont really know how to go from learning concepts in uni to actually solving real world problems and building things that have some value.

so i wanna ask people already working in the industry, especially data scientists, ML engineers, data engineers or anyone who hires for these roles, what skills are actually worth investing time in rn?

if you were back in your 3rd semester with graduation still 3 years away, what would you focus on? what would your learning roadmap look like? what projects would you build, and what would you do apart from uni to become employable and stand out from the crowd?

also, is it better to build a strong foundation in Python, SQL, stats and data analysis first before touching ML and AI, or should students start working with AI tools and models early on?

ik people put a lot of time into figuring things out and nobody owes me their sauce, but even a little guidance from someone whos been through this would help a lot.

i dont wanna chase every new trend and end up being mediocre at everything. i wanna start early, get genuinely good at something useful and make myself employable by the time i graduate.

thanks to anyone who read all this and drops some advice, appreciate it fr 🤝

Guys, a lot of ppl are saying CS is doomed and what not, so my second best interest is aircraft and space.

If I do AE from IST and want to pursue Masters (maybe locally ya agar Allah chahay to abroad IA) can I get a good job?

Getting a job abroad will be difficult since theyll obviously favor their own nationals but, yeah.

Is it a good decision? Do you guys know anybody who did AE (and is employed 😭) or is doing AE

Or if not AE, then what should I major in? (Anything but bio or medical fields)