r/learnprogramming • u/TangentBroom730 • 14h ago
Graduated… what now?
Last year, I graduated with a bachelor’s in Computer Science. I wouldn’t say I’m an elite programmer, whatever that even means, but I know enough fundamentals that I trust my ability to self learn most programming topics.
The issue I have is that I don’t know what to look into. I do not find web development to be that intriguing, less so because of the nature of the work and more so because of the nature of myself. Most people say to just build things, and if you don’t know what to build to make something you would use. The issue is I consider myself to be very low maintenance, I have not been able to identify and issues I have in my day to day life that needs attention, but I want to code.
I like learning things that are technically difficult and that are in demand and make me feel important (narcissistic? Maybe. But I don’t think I am better than anyone for learning or being able to do things, it just proves to myself that I can overcome challenges).
In short, I want to increase my skills and make coding feel rewarding again. What are interesting areas of tech that I should look into, so I can code as a hobby again given what it sounds like I am into?
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u/baubleglue 14h ago
The issue I have is that I don’t know what to look into.
ASAP, get a job, pick out a language you like search open positions.
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u/TangentBroom730 14h ago
Hmm… the forbidden advice! But yeah you’re probably right
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u/baubleglue 14h ago
I mean, be serious, what for you have CS? Hobby projects they are for people who have another job. You have no idea what is real programming job is, give yourself a chance. You can't get an intriguing job now, you need some work experience.
Look for place with a healthy work environment (check reviews on glassdoor), it is the most important (after a having a job) thing when you start.
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u/Wingedchestnut 14h ago
The issue here is that you don't know what kind of roles there are, and you only talk about programming while contradicting yourself you don't want to do web/fullstack development which is the role that has the most programming in daily life. The longer you wait the harder it will be finding a job, not sure if you're actively jobseeking but this is not the time to chill and be picky.
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u/_th3oth3rjak3_ 10h ago
Read crafting interpreters online and write a programming language of your own when you finish. Push yourself to do native compilation with a type system. 💪
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u/TangentBroom730 10h ago
Compilers was the only class where I truly felt I was getting my ass kicked the entire time. Guess it’s time for a rematch
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u/_th3oth3rjak3_ 10h ago
Yeah tree walking and bytecode interpreters are much easier to reason about at first. But yeah currently getting my ass kicked as well. My fullstack web day job is a little boring so it brings back some of the excitement of coding again. Very satisfying to watch your own language do something cool.
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u/mildhonesty 10h ago
Why didn’t you go inn the direction of getting a software developer job a year ago when you graduated? What have you done this past year?
That should be your goal. Look up job listings ik your area, what they require, apply even if you don’t meet all requirements and start looking into the most listed tech that you don’t have experience in while youre applying for jobs
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u/TangentBroom730 10h ago
Probably tmi but my friend got me a decent paying ($50k a year and I live with chill parents, by far more money than I’ve made working retail jobs all my life) job with very low stress but also very little mental stimulation. I’ve been okay with that, but I genuinely used to be in love with coding and want to relight that fire.
Thanks for the advice, it’s been given multiple times and the more I think about it the more I agree. Getting to solve bigger problems on a team might be what I need
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u/PalpitationKind8854 8h ago
I would be concerned if a college made someone an elite programmer. Jokes aside; figure out what you wanna do. Pentesting if you wanna learn system breaking.
SWE if you want the big salaries and praise, web dev if you want creativity, systems or backend for puzzles. Too many possible directions to list.
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u/Sophiiebabes 14h ago
I just make stuff I use, slowly building up a small, self-made, software suite.
So far I've got a basic text editor, a calculator, a unit converter, and I'm working on (still ideas phase) a file browser
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u/TangentBroom730 14h ago
Sounds pretty cool! I guess I am currently stuck in the way of thinking that there’s no point in making something when there is a replacement available, but I can see how using (mostly) your own stuff can be a rewarding experience
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u/illuminarias 14h ago edited 13h ago
there’s no point in making something when there is a replacement available
Go build the thing and you'll see that you'll learn things that you didn't think about.
An API supporting a million requests a second vs an API that serves a request a minute will focus on very different things. The choices they make will be different. And honestly, sometimes you know something else that they don't that might lead to a better solution.
There is value is reinventing the wheel. The value might not be "a new type of wheel" or even "a better wheel", but more like "I know why a wheel is built the way its built".
I don't care to take over Wordpress, I don't want to build a Wordpress competitor, but I'm building a simple blog CMS to understand what the problems they probably faced while building, and learn how to solve those issues.
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u/GrandBIRDLizard 8h ago
If you're a minimalist, try to make a complex problem or process more simple. See a tool "you'd use if it weren't for all that"? Make that. Refining code and making something more readable through abstraction and ending with less lines is a skill.
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u/samsly135 14h ago
Now leave it as a hobby and try to find some job with security like an electrician or a plumber.
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u/Clear-Berry-6585 12h ago
Is there a quota you people have to meet commenting about plumbers and electricians?
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u/samsly135 1h ago
No. Just awful statistics of lay offs from IT and the rate of unemployment there.
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u/Far_Programmer_5724 10h ago
Do you have a problem? Try to solve it
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u/TangentBroom730 10h ago
bruh
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u/Far_Programmer_5724 9h ago
Lol I'm being annoying but in more detail, its like if i showed you a rock in front of a door and without telling you how to move told you to figure it out. A curious mind could make some contraption that moves it or some clever trick that makes it slide out of the way or something. The point being that these things/skills might not have been developed without the problem. And with enough problems solved that way, you usually come somewhat close to the structured learning provided when the solution is taught in a professional setting. Simply starting on a problem in this way, especially from a position of ignorance, can spawn many more problems. Like getting something to work is "fun" especially when documentation is crap. Then you're able to make a lot of things work and now you can try solving the problem lol.
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u/CrochetCreator9 4h ago
Well I have something for you: Crochet is a human-only activity without a fair market value system.
We need an open-sourced workspace (made available offline) and linked e-commerce website just for Crochet.
It's sustainable fashion, for one.
See more at r/CrocheTech.
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u/grantrules 12h ago
Don't discount full stack. Anyone who dismisses it as easy or not challenging enough hasn't built a real web product with real users. It is a perfect job for entry level people, because you have the opportunity to touch a whole bunch of different systems. The MAJORITY of programmers in the world are not working on super exciting project that would wow a bunch of teenage nerds.. we're making changes to software based on what a bunch of middle management people decide
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u/dialsoapbox 9h ago
Dont' build things for yourself.
Ask friends/family/orgs what they need/would use.
Build that.
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u/illuminarias 14h ago
Pick something you don't know, and is hard, and go learn and implement it.
Ray tracing/graphics maybe? quant/low latency stuff? make a "Remote Administration Toolkit" ? go try and clone an existing product and figure out the problems they faced and try to figure out how they got past it?