From 44a6b7a55557478550dc92fad9750ed4326d1046 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: AshkanArabim Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2024 20:31:05 -0600 Subject: [PATCH] add third blog entry --- .../how_to_not_spend_first_three_semesters.md | 51 +++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 51 insertions(+) create mode 100644 src/content/how_to_not_spend_first_three_semesters.md diff --git a/src/content/how_to_not_spend_first_three_semesters.md b/src/content/how_to_not_spend_first_three_semesters.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..60892aa --- /dev/null +++ b/src/content/how_to_not_spend_first_three_semesters.md @@ -0,0 +1,51 @@ +--- +slug: "/how-to-not-spend-first-three-semesters" +date: "2024-08-15T19:45:26" +title: "How to NOT destroy your future in your first three undergrad CS semesters" +--- + +I write this with a heavy heart, as I’ve seen close friends transcend up to the realm of big tech while I was busy with my BS. Here’s everything I did wrong in my first three semesters. + +# Online career development cohorts +Unless there’s a program directly endorsed by your school (e.g. TechXChange at UTEP), any online “career development” program is an utter waste of time. + +“Oh wise Ashkan, tell us why!” you might be shouting. Here’s why: if you’re in them to actually learn something, you can do that much more efficiently by just googling. But what if you’re there to meet some recruiters? Lol, you think they’ll remember you? Do you know how easy it is for the recruiters to schedule ten of these “cohorts” every week? Assuming each cohort has ~15 students, they’ll be dealing with 150 people, of which all they know is whether or not you had your webcam on. If you’re in any decent university, you’ll get tons of **in-person** networking events on campus that have a much higher chance of getting you a recommendation or offer. + +In my case this was even worse because the cohort sessions conflicted directly with a very powerful student organization’s weekly meeting time. At least half of the regulars in that club got big tech offers. You can easily see how unwise of a decision it is to spend a single minute in these glorified marketing campaigns. + +# Part-time work +This REALLY depend on your financial situation. If you’re going to college in a different city and your family refuses to help you out, you really don’t have a choice. But if you do, DON’T. + +Universities like to advertise on-campus work as a way to “build your resume” and “make new conections”. Here’s a list of all the skills I got to use when I was working as an IT technician on campus: +- Answering phone calls +- Resisting the urge to punch people who refused to follow the instructions POSTED ON THE PRINTER and then came asking for help. +- Rebooting printers +- Unboxing and connecting displays (super dehumanizing) +- Microsoft Word. + +I’ll laugh at you if I see anything like this on your resume. It only shows that you have absolutely no worthwhile extracurricular experience / projects. + +The only people you’ll meet is more broke people. Nothing more. + +# Taking too many classes to get out early +You think taking 18 credit hours is a flex? It’s not. Getting a dope internship is a flex, and the way to get dope internships is to do a ton of side-projects and attend all the in-person networking events. A heavy schedule just obliterates any chances of you doing any of these two. + +And guess what? Getting out a year earlier means you just voluntarily threw out one of your three internship opportunities (assuming you’re doing a typical 4-year degree). + +At this stage I’m taking the absolute bare minimum to stay a full-time student, even though I could have easily maintained my pace to finish in 3 years. + +# Doing research thinking a research career is lucrative +I busted my ass for two years to get into a pretty nice research lab. Probably the best lab at my school doing deep learning work. But guess what? If you’re not planning to get into academia, you have a serious risk of just becoming a glorified data analyst after 5 years of hard work getting a PhD in a trendy field. + +Research is a gamble. You either get interested in something, and that thing absolutely blows up, or you’ll live a lower middle class life. Don’t believe me? Check these two articles: +[- Are there too many PhDs?](https://craftofcoding.wordpress.com/2022/11/30/are-there-too-many-phds/) +[- Has the Doctorate Become a Dead End?](https://www.realclearscience.com/articles/2022/03/25/has_the_doctorate_become_a_dead_end_823660.html) + + +Of course this is different if you genuinely care about the topic you’re researching. A PhD is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dive extremely deep about something you’ve always wanted to learn. All I’m saying is that if you’re not TRULY, ABSOLUTELY, AND UNCONDITIONALLY interested in a research area, don’t even bother. If this IS you, however, go for it. Undergraduate research is the primary way to get ahead in your research career. + +But this isn’t me, and it took me two years to learn it. + +- - - - - - - - + +I hope you learned something today :) \ No newline at end of file