005b2867
genuine question not trolling. my younger cousin is starting college in fall and asked me if he should major in CS.
5 years ago i would have said absolutely. now? the job market is terrible for juniors, AI is writing boilerplate faster than most new grads, and the path from degree to 150k+ TC feels way less guaranteed than it used to.
what would you tell an 18 year old today
f39ebe31
CS degree is still the highest ROI degree you can get. the job market is cyclical. by the time your cousin graduates in 2030 things will look completely different. tell him to do CS
cd17b5fc
do CS but double major or minor in something domain-specific. CS + finance, CS + biology, CS + stats. the pure SWE generalist is getting commoditized. domain expertise is the moat
eaa40c27
i'd tell him to do EE or CE instead. hardware is harder to outsource and harder for AI to replace. plus the pay gap between hardware and software has been closing
9daa1764
the degree is worth it. the expectation that you'll make 200k at 22 with no effort is what's not worth it anymore. that was a bubble and it popped
33867f49
tell him to learn a trade. electricians in my area make 120k with no student debt. i make 180k with 80k in loans. do the math
ab379517
every generation has this doomer moment about their industry. in 2002 people said CS was dead after the dot com bust. by 2010 it was the best career you could have. relax
