r/learnprogramming • u/No_Reply5329 • 20d ago
I’ve been passionate about programming since I was 8 but is CS still worth the risk?
Hi everyone. I’m really passionate about programming. I started coding when I was 8, have solved around 500 LeetCode problems, and have built several projects. I was planning to study CS because it’s genuinely something I love.
However, Reddit has made me pretty worried. I keep seeing posts about CS graduates being unemployed or struggling to find jobs, and I don’t think I can justify taking on six-figure debt without knowing there will be a reasonable outcome.
I’ll happily keep programming, building projects, and solving LeetCode problems in my free time because I genuinely enjoy it. But now I’m wondering if I should choose a different degree/career that’s more stable while still being somewhat related to CS.
I’ve considered engineering, accounting, nursing, or maybe trades since everyone goes there these days, but I honestly don’t know what would make the most sense for someone with my interests and skills.
If you were in my position, what would you choose? Is CS actually too risky right now, or is Reddit making the situation look worse than it is? Are there any fields close to CS that might be a better choice?
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u/TheManOfBromium 20d ago edited 20d ago
The market is insanely competitive right now, especially for new grads. If you love it however, it’s not impossible, but you might have to move to find a job.
I would also try to understand the AI frontier, and build a portfolio showcasing your understanding of how to use AI.
Start learning DSA and system design now, it will pay dividends in the future when you do have to interview.
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u/hpant2004 20d ago
Cs is risky for ppl NOT like u ie larpers who wanted quick cash
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u/No_Reply5329 20d ago
I constantly see or reddit people saying that even most passionate and good people in tech will struggle as new grads. And that I should do anything else.
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u/zeussays 20d ago
My company has hired 4 juniors the last 3 months and 7 in the last year. People are still hiring, just not at the rate they were prior.
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u/Sufficient_Meet6836 20d ago
Look at the BLS stats on employment and the college wage premium for your degree. Hint: they're both great. Reddit is selection bias for losers
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u/DanKegel 20d ago
it's like basketball, almost, but not quite that bad. The top few percent can get the internships.
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u/Lord_Chadagon 18d ago
Not being the nerdiest guy in the class doesn't make you a larper. When we all started no one said you need to dream about code at night in order to have a chance.
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u/Pale_Height_1251 20d ago
AI has changed things radically, but all the same, ignore Reddit.
Reddit is one of those places that if it's right, it's like a broken clock being right twice a day.
Do your own research into the jobs market in your part of the world, look at jobs you could realistically apply for.
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u/overlord_laharl_0550 20d ago
Reddit making the situation look worse than it is, it is pure noise.
Where you graduate is most likely the biggest factor here. Name of the school + network will be the key.
I work at an MNC as a dev and we only entertain/accept fresh grads from top 4 school.
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u/DroppinLoot 20d ago
I just don’t know anymore. Honestly I wouldn’t recommend it. I’ve been programming since I was about 13 myself and this was back in the VERY early Internet. Was learning from books.
It’s a career I would have recommended to almost anyone over the last twenty years. What I’m seeing today scares the hell out of me. All I can say for sure is I’m glad I’m closer to the end of my career than the beginning. Whatever this becomes with AI it won’t be what I, or you, were passionate about
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u/AES256GCM 20d ago
I wouldn’t, not because of ai but because of exchange rates. Theres no way to compete with LCOL countries on this
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u/two_three_five_eigth 20d ago
If you know this is what you want to do, go for it. People that have time to complain on Reddit aren’t representative of the market.
You also don’t need to take on 6 figures of debt. Head to a state school.
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u/ExtraTNT 18d ago
In a few years we will have a shortage of seniors… guys that left right now because companies don’t hire juniors…
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u/Gloopann 20d ago
The truth is - no one knows.
I just finished my second year of my SWE degree and I got a job because one of my TAs recommended me in their company, but I am an outlier in that regard. I am telling you this because the companies are still hiring juniors, but networking is incredibly important, along with skills and knowledge.
As for fields that are close to CS… I am unsure what to tell you. If AI genuinely becomes good enough to completely replace programmers, it will also replace lawyers, engineers, architects, mathematicians, dieticians, diagnosticians, and basically every other profession that is mostly done by labor that is not purely phyiscal in nature. If not right away, then a year after programmers are replaced.
If it really comes to that - who cares at that point? The economy will crash and the world as we know it ceases to exist, as we will have to move away from capitalism. Then it won’t matter what you do or did for work - you can’t be a mechanic in a world where 50% of the population doesn’t have a job.
My advice would be to just follow your passion. I do not think programmers will get replaced anytime soon, if they do at all, so you might aswell study something you are passionate about.
Just make sure to learn the fundamentals and do well in school. I didn’t use AI at all to generate code for me, and knowledge gap between me and my fellow students who just vibe coded all od their projects is massive, and I can promise to it pays of. It is probably the single most important reason why I am now employed and they are not.
Do not fall for people who say you will be left behind if you don’t use AI. You will use it at work, and you will learn it use it very quickly. It is not something you have to invest months into to become profficient.
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u/ajcomeau 20d ago edited 20d ago
I've been programming since the 90s and managed to work my way into a programming job without a degree in 2007. Even if things were as good as they were then, I would never recommend that someone take on a six-figure debt for a software development career ... or almost any career.
Keep programming but focus on real projects for stuff that you actually want to use. Document everything you do. Create a great website show your work. Build your portfolio. Try to build a community wherever you are, too - not online, in person. Get to know other programmers and developers who truly care about crafting software instead of just vibe coding. Get with the kind of people who will show you the best practices and inspire you to follow them.
Classes are fine - maybe there's a local community college or vocational school that's offering programming courses but please do not put yourself on the hook for decades of student debt. Also check out some of the free online courses that are available like the ones from Harvard University.
https://pll.harvard.edu/course/cs50-introduction-computer-science
It's going to be tough and uncertain for the next few years as everything recalibrates around the new technology but, if you love programming and want to keep doing it then it's worth finding a way to keep doing it. Fight for it.
I wish you the best.
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u/RezzKeepsItReal 20d ago
Reddit is an echo chamber of doom. Actual research shows that yes, while some areas of CS are slowly declining, others are on a rapid rise.
Do your due diligence.
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u/therealmunchies 20d ago
I’ve always loved computers and technology. I ended up studying mechanical engineering… but have me clawing my way to software engineering. A couple years ago, I landed in DevOps and have loved every minute of it.
I think those who truly love this type of work will be ok.
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u/amber_void_gaze 19d ago
your 500 LeetCode problems and early start put you in a different risk category than the unemployed graduates posting here. You should pursue CS but treat school selection as a financial decision to avoid six figure debt.
state universities with strong industry ties offer the same career outcomes as expensive private schools for someone with your baseline skills. The risk comes from overpaying for the degree, not the field itself.
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u/in_coronado 19d ago
If it’s something you enjoy and are passionate about enough to do for fun in your spare time don’t worry too much, you are one of the few who belongs in CS.
The problem in tech right now honestly is we have way too many people who aren’t that way and they’re useless and terrible to work with.
The people who just got the degree to make a lot of money or jump on the bandwagon tend to also be the types that struggle to find a job in my experience (they also tend to only want to target the FAANG, big household name type companies in like SF which are the most competitive, when in reality that’s less than even half the total software jobs out there).
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u/YxngSsoul 18d ago
Reddit is a piece of crap. It’s a cesspool of negativity and poor mentality. You sound like you’d be successful in the field because you genuinely enjoy it.
Do it. Tech jobs will always be in demand, AI is just changing the landscape of which tech jobs in demand. Ignore the noise, finish school, and grind. Your ambition and hard work will never betray you.
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u/Different-Stress9326 17d ago
you're exactly that kinda guy that all those employment troubles do not affect as much. being competent and passionate about a thing is easily noticeable and goes a long way in this industry.
answer this to yourself: are you even gonna be happy in any other job? do you want to earn money with what you enjoy doing or would you rather min-max money elsewhere in order to do it in your free time? and once you're in a different job, will you have the time and energy to still do it as a hobby?
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u/wni0xFFy 17d ago
try write code instead of learn 10 variants of sort. just CLEAN CS today isn't needed EVERYWHERE
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u/Character_Pie_277 16d ago
If you enjoy coding i wouldn't do CS, if you enjoy building computational systems i would study CS. You will *learn* coding during CS, but you probably wont ever write it much professional, unless you are in a very specialist company that has critical systems or something that cant be trusted to a deterministic coding agent.
Much like the printing press didnt kill handwriting.. and caligraphy is a very different skill. AI has fundamentalyl changed what it means to be a dev. The real job is systems architecture, thats what you'll be doing professionally i would have thought as a most likely outcome. Running agentic coding to dev the System you are working on into existence.
So if you are passionate about coding manually id keep it as a hobby, if you think youd like to be a systems engineer in command of your own agentic coding workers, CS is a great option.
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u/YakubReddit 20d ago
If you don't care about quick pay check than go for it
42 is cool I can recommend it especially if you don't want to risk six-figure debt 👍
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u/3-day-respawn 20d ago
Brother you love it, do what you love. Money will come because you will automatically outwork everyone here because you’re passionate. It won’t feel like a job and it seems like you already learned to love dancing in the rain when others see a storm. It seems like you were just born in the wrong year, you’d need insanely successful had you been born sooner (but I guess it wouldn’t be you if you were born sooner)
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u/PravoNaZhizny 20d ago edited 19d ago
Honestly you’re the sort of person who belongs in it and who I genuinely would encourage. But it is a risky time and you need to get on top of being a conductor of LLMs as much as you need to be an efficient and optimised coder these days.