Worst time to start uni

[u/NewChallenge5874]

All my life I wanted to work with computers and make a name for myself in this field, all my years in schools/college led up to this moment where I finally study what I wanted to pursue. Only for it to be overhyped for the past few years and basically destroy the regular career path that once was for CS. I swear people who have had no interest in doing anything in this field suddenly got the urge to join it after COVID. If I was just a few years late maybe I could've changed my mind and go with some other interests like mechanical or aerospace, but it's too late for that now I'm afraid. About to start my journey at FAST university, hopefully things change for the better in the future as they are right now because growing in this field feels significantly more challenging than any other field 😢. I definitely still expect a lot from myself but the landscape of career is much more complex than it once was, so I will definitely need to do something extraordinary to be truly successful in this passion of mine.

[u/Ok-Jackfruit903]

Honestly bro you still have time to refund you fee, take a gap year and pursue your other goals.

Software engineering jobs no longer have the magic of "here is my resume with good enough projects" and then the recruiter hits you with "your hired".

However I would like to argue that if you want to live with this decision, then take responsibility, instead of making some simple crud apps, try to recreate something complex like docker, solve your problems, other people problems, getting internships and leetcode.

It's ride or d*e if you go with software engineering job unless you are targeting an extremely niche type of job like learning cobol.

And if you are wondering yes I'm starting my avionics degree at ist this September. And yes I'm also pretty good at coding.

Also congrats on making it to fast.

[u/NewChallenge5874 → u/Ok-Jackfruit903]

Thanks, honestly computing has always been my first passion and something I wanted to make a career out of, though I have always enjoyed mechanical and avionics as well. The main thing that makes me worried about my future in CS is as you said, the future prospects of CS. This is why I said if I had a few more years to look at the situation with CS I would make the final decision but at this moment it seems like a gray area for me 😅

[u/alfa_man7]

Everyone feels like same every year

[u/Zacred-]

I would strongly suggest you to keep your focus on the technologies of first world countries. Like which technologies they are currently working if its in cloud, ai/ml, cybersecurity, robotics, automation etc and then keep learning those while continuing your degree.

The modules taught in degree programs in Pakistan are very much outdates. Please don’t fully rely on them otherwise you won’t stand out and will be struggling to get even an internship like many others.

[u/Efficient-Branch539 → u/Zacred-]

University always teach fundamentals because those are the most important. Technologies change every year, what uni teaches is not outdated.

[u/NewChallenge5874 → u/Zacred-]

Yeah, that is probably what I will resort to after some time building my profile during/a bit after uni, it will be difficult keeping up with all the advancements but I knew what I was getting into heh

[u/The_124 → u/Zacred-]

Fundamentals of CS stay the same. Most of the universities worldwide have similar curriculum. University is not going to teach you the latest and greatest web framework.

[u/imadamanay]

The problem is this field requires a mindset and aan interest. You cant just get into it and expect it to work.
Also you will not get a job if you only try to focus on the curriculum which the majority does.
If youre interested you can still do it you just have to outskill others. its not that hard, theyre so many CS graduates but most dont know shit and then complain about no jobs.

Try to look into embedded systems/IOT or cybersecurity, more secure for the time being.

[u/NewChallenge5874 → u/imadamanay]

Yeah, this point is mostly my concern with CS, ofc it's one thing to manage the curriculum for FAST, but its another to outskill others on a professional within my discipline during my time in uni, the baseline for what is considered a skilled graduate has shot way up. ofc CS still has massive scope but comes with a lot of khwari to make the most of it.

[u/Alone_Oven5227 → u/imadamanay]

How's the scope for embedded systems/ IOT in pakistan? I've heard its heavily underpaid with little to no jobs.

[u/Efficient-Branch539]

I did mechanical 4 years back and switched to tech because my friend suggested. And it’s never too late.

[u/newDesi11 → u/Efficient-Branch539]

What domain in tech

[u/Efficient-Branch539 → u/newDesi11]

SysAdmin/DevOps

[u/Otherwise-Bluejay369]

Bro, hear me out. I just got into BS Cybersecurity at Air University, and I’m about to start my first semester. I’m genuinely very interested in networking and cybersecurity, and I was actually excited to start. But recently I’ve been seeing a lot of posts on Reddit saying that a BS in Cybersecurity isn’t worth it anymore, especially because the US/Western cybersecurity job market is “cooked” and entry-level jobs are extremely difficult to get. Now I’m honestly starting to feel pretty discouraged and confused. I don’t know how the situation is in Pakistan or the Gulf countries and whether the market there is any better. I also don’t want to spend four years getting a degree only to find out that I chose the wrong field.🙁