Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by rawgabbit 1450 days ago
Not all professors are the same. Not all universities are the same. If I was in your shoes, I would try to transfer to a different and hopefully better university. Yes, most of what they teach is archaic, impractical, and more theory than practice. With that said, assuming you live in the US ("college" instead of "university"), getting a bachelor's degree is an important credential to get especially if you can get it in CS. I would only consider changing majors if you believe, you just cannot succeed with CS.

If you attend a public university, most states require the universities to disclose "grade distributions" and sites like ratemyprofessors can give you a hint of which university/professors are good or are just horrific. The grade distributions will tell you the letter grades each professor gave each class. I.e., a university/college has the same admissions standards; if two professors teach the same class but one consistently gives Cs while the other consistently gives Bs -- as the Dean of the college or a student, I would be upset.

1 comments

Not in the US sadly. I am already in the best school in my country, which does have a decent standing in the worldwide rankings and thats exactly why I'm doubting this whole thing.

I mispoke because I'm not from the US. It's what you guys consider a University, not a college.

I do really like computer science, just not how it's taught. I've been a self taught programmer for about 3 years now and have had work experience in a company and some freelancing projects.

I believe you should approach this with a long term perspective in mind. Yes, maybe life will lead you to an unexpected destination. I believe though you should position yourself by giving yourself the best chance possible to succeed. You said you are attending the best university in your country. I would ask my professors for advice before changing majors. Maybe there is an alternative path to CS degree more suited to you. If you do decide to change majors, you should pick a major that can get your foot in the door when applying for a job.
What kind of work experience was it? Was it for the entire 3 years you've been a self taught programmer?