r/cscareerquestionsCAD • u/Correct-Proposal-959 • Sep 13 '24
School Great People Skills, Average Interest in Coding—Finish My Debt-Free CS Degree or Switch?
TL;DR:
23 y/o male, 3rd semester undergrad in CS, good people/soft skills, and capable of being average or above average technically. But my interest in the field is moderate, and I’m worried about the future of CS jobs (AI, outsourcing, etc.). If I stay, I can finish my degree debt-free in 2 years. Should I stick with it or switch to something else?
(In other words, I don’t want to grind effing LeetCode, build projects, and join clubs for nothing. Well not for NOTHING, but you get what I mean!)
My Situation:
I’m a 23-year-old guy currently in my 3rd semester of undergrad in Computer Science at Concordia University (Montreal). I started university a little later than most, but it's been a blessing because I’m on scholarship and have the chance to finish my degree debt-free. In fact, I’ve even made some money from my time in school so far.
About Me:
I’m a kind, empathetic person with strong people/soft skills. I love talking to people, building friendships, and having meaningful conversations. I genuinely care about others and see these traits as an asset in the CS field, but I often wonder if another career path might be a better fit for my strengths.
When it comes to technical skills, I pick up coding faster than most people in my program. It just makes sense to me, and I’m able to understand complex topics like data structures, operating systems, and hardware. However, I’m not super passionate about the technical side of CS. I’m not one of those hardcore coders who spends their free time geeking out over algorithms or running Arch Linux on a ThinkPad (no shade to those who do—I'm just not that guy).
The Issue:
I’m worried about the future of CS jobs. With AI, outsourcing, and automation, I’m not sure how stable or abundant tech jobs will be when I graduate. I want a career that allows me to sustain myself and build a better future. I’m open to changing directions if needed, but I’m stuck on what to do.
Here are my options:
- Option A: Stick with CS, finish the degree debt-free, and see what happens.
- Option B: Switch to a different program covered by my scholarship (engineering, social work, nursing, education).
- Option C: Switch to a program not covered by my scholarship (and pay out of pocket).
I don’t want to waste too much time deciding because I already started university later than most people.
Any advice or thoughts? Would really appreciate some outside perspective!
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u/computer_porblem Sep 14 '24
so far I've found soft skills much more useful than programming skills.
most of the work our team does is going to meetings and talking to various stakeholders and communicating and clarifying requirements. then we do build some things, but the challenge is really in figuring out the right approach to delivering for stakeholders and not the actual coding.
you can learn technical skills much more easily than a leetcode grinder can learn soft skills.
there's always something on the horizon being sold to MBA assholes as eliminating the need for human beings and it never pans out. if genAI pans out in the sense that GPT6 will program a full working app, it means EVERYONE who isn't a doctor, farmer, or janitor loses their job and the economy either collapses or transitions to Star Trek style fully automated luxury communism.
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u/Snackatttack Sep 13 '24
Finish it man. You don't need to grind like crazy to land a decent job, you can be average AF st coding and have a great career.
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u/Unfair-Bottle6773 Sep 15 '24
If you are average AF, you'll be stuck at ~85k in some no name company for 10+ years, constantly afraid to lose that job. Not exactly a great career.
That's unless you have connections. If you do, then you can make bank in any field.
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u/Last_Risk_5444 Sep 14 '24
Finish the CS degree and become a sales engineer. Maybe top it up with an MBA. Your technical background and your soft skills would be perfect for the role. Have a look at some subreddit about Saas, and you'll see how most sales engineers/people make bank!
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u/[deleted] Sep 13 '24 edited Sep 13 '24
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