What Do You Do When CS Isn't Fun Any More? 1177
wonderless asks: "Long ago and far away, I thought that I was going to be a Great Geek, and that I was going to provoke a revolution in the computer industry--and indeed, the world--with my mastery of technology. I could hardly wait to throw myself into an intense, highly technical curriculum and shine. But as I said, that was long ago and far away. Now I'm one semester away from graduation, with a 3.5 average overall and a lackluster 3.0 in CS, and I'm liking it less and less every day. I used to be able to say that at least it pays well, but now I can't even take solace in that. I drag myself to classes and through projects, and it all seems really pointless--I'm just implementing what's written in the book, and eradicating the countless off-by-one bugs is nothing short of mind-numbing. I'd like nothing better than to recapture the feeling of joy I used to get out of doing this, and to once again be able to say I'm doing what I love. What do you do when it isn't fun any more, but you'd like it to be?"
do some projects of your own (Score:2, Interesting)
Get a job (Score:2, Interesting)
Don't Major in CS! (Score:2, Interesting)
Far better idea: Get a degree (or 3) in something you're truly interested in. Like History, or Geography (or GIS, like me
You major in what you love to do, and use computers to make what you love that much better.
Like.... be a programmer who happens to be a genius in Physics! You think that wouldn't be in demand?
Do what I do (Score:2, Interesting)
What do you do? (Score:2, Interesting)
What aspect of CS do you dislike? Programming? There are tons of non-programming jobs out there. As a sysadmin, other than the occasional Perl script, I don't write any code.
Really, just because you graduate with a CS degree does NOT mean that you need to go out and become a programmer, or even need to find a CS-related job. Ironically, I know a few English majors who are now brilliant sysadmins.
I don't mean to sound like a Troll, but if you're that close to graduation, then finish college and look for something which you like. A college degree is just proof that you can learn.
Wrong Motivations (Score:5, Interesting)
That's not a good reason for going into C.S. It reminds me of a trend in medicine, where folks want to become doctors because of the money. Only, somewhere along the line they figure out that they really don't like medicine; this is often after a substantial investment in medschool, which can leave crushing, mortgage-sized debts. Careers should be selected for love of the art, not love of money.
All that said, you're making a decision too early. You're in SCHOOL; the challenges you're facing there are nothing like what you'll be facing on the job. You'll learn more in your first year on the job than you did during the entire time you were in school. You'll face programming efforts with 50,000 lines of code or more in some cases. College C.S. is a good theoretical basis, but it really doesn't show you what you're going to face at work.
You don't have enough experience yet to be jaded, so stop puttin' on those jaded airs.
C//
How to cure boredom (Score:2, Interesting)
Seriously, I got way more out of the practical Computer Programming Specialist courses at Keesler AFB than I did from Washington University's engineering curriculum. Once I was trained, they shipped me off to an honest-to-god Air Force squadron where I wrote code for embedded systems, designed databases, repaired hardware, and got to run around with a gun.
The money was terrible. The hours were tough. It was the best work experience of my life. And, as an experience I can put on my resume, it was spectacularly effective at keeping me employed after I was discharged.
such ennui at such a young age (Score:5, Interesting)
Try working... (Score:2, Interesting)
Real-world CS is a lot different than academia. I'm a junior (CE @ UM Ann Arbor) in college, and while I've liked some of my classes, most of them are merely there to teach the rigor of heavy computer science, so that we have the faculties to tackle the really cool problems in computing. Some people actually like the academia-side more... but those people are crazy (j/k).
The real place where I have fun is my job - not as theoretical as class, and you see real results. The most fun is when you get to actually *use* the stuff that they teach you in class.
Give it a while - and if you can't find an internship in your area, often CS departments have programming clubs, in which the members work on a large computer project together. Personally, I'm not involved with one of these, but it seems everyone involved has a lot of fun.
Good Luck, and remember - when all else fails, stay for a master's degree.
-Mike
When the magic is gone (Score:2, Interesting)
(Them's goooood drugs.)
Formal education is very good for... (Score:2, Interesting)
Finish your degree, you'll get a lot farther with a four-year degree in underwater basket-weaving than with 3.5 years of theoretical physics.
Then, go do something you like. Be a DJ, paint pictures, write stories, go hiking, and find a way to make money at it. The challenge of keeping yourself fed while doing something you care about will be a lot more rewarding.
Definitely finish the degree though, it shows potential employers that you're not a quitter.
Broaden your horizons! (Score:5, Interesting)
Academics: Take an extra year and do a minor. Chances are you've already got most of the prerequisites for something way off your field, like biology or english. You'll learn something new and interesting, and possibly even pick up a new skillset. Besides, it sounds cool to say that you've mastered two completely unrelated fields.
Time Off: Take a weekend, week, month or year off; whatever you can afford to get away for. In that time *DON'T TOUCH A COMPUTER*. Don't even bother with email. It also helps to get away from where you're doing most of your work. This could be a trip to another continent, or just to the next town over.
Hobbies: Non-geeky hobbies are great for "fixing your head", I've found, especially if they're somewhat physical. Get a bike-- mountain biking is a brilliant quick fix if there are trails near where you live, or since winter is coming, go skiing. Hell, even a quick run (as much as I hate running) will put things into perspective sometimes, especially if done on a cool, crisp fall evening.
Of course there's always the weeklong bender of booze and drugs, but that's just not that healthy...
Now go! Turn of the computer and get away from Slashdot! There's hope for ya yet!
Re:I'm in EE and I feel the same way. (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:It doesn't get any better (Score:5, Interesting)
It's called being selective of the job you want, and not taking the first job you get an offer letter for. Everyone that I know that goes, "Man.. IT sucks! Coding sucks!" took a job too quickly. Any developer who has been in the field for more than 2 years can be selective, and take a job that is fun.
If you are burned out, I would say it is definitely a "bad decision that you have to live with" because it was your decision to take that job. You're 28, so you have probably been in the field for a while. Even the way the economy is going, I managed to find a great contract (I prefer consultancy, get to work on a new project every 6 months is even better) at a great environment, with great people. My previous contract was quite similar, but a bit absurd.
My advice to anyone who claims burnout without being in the field: Go work on an open source project and write real code. Not silly book examples, not fixing stupid bugs (And I'm sorry, if you are a senior an getting off-by-one bugs then you should either pay more attention or should choose a career and make other developers lives easier).
you're young. You have time. (Score:2, Interesting)
It sucks. I'm in a rut. I am looking at bailing and moving back to my homestate, buying some land, and developing a sustainable dwelling while doing something that I'm passionate about. It is going to take time.
Complication: I am supporting a wife and two children. Recently, my wife has come round to support my view of what is important in life. IT IS NOT MONEY.
So, my advice is: finish the degree, find a job, and explore your passion. You have time. You don't have to have everything now. Exercise patience.
Re:Go do something else, maybe (Score:5, Interesting)
Yeah, I can really see a potential employer asking me about Turing machines... or to code them a little application in Prolog. Another misconception my CS program makes is that all CS majors want to be programmers. I *hate* programming. I'm much more interested in the hardware/network/administration aspects of computer systems. Coding up a Java application to simulate an ATM is like pulling teeth.
Maybe that's just the CS program here at SUNY Binghamton [binghamton.edu]. What's it like elsewhere?
I can honestly say I've garnered myself more experience / knowledge setting up and administering the network in my *house* than I've learned in any classroom.
Right now the objective is to finish up my degree and get out. Like a co-worker suggested to me a couple summers back (I should have listened) -- your degree -- and 75 cents -- will buy you a cup of coffee at 7-Eleven. And as was mentioned earlier, the declining job market/salaries isn't much of a motivator either. That's why I have a job at one of the local commercial radio stations here (in addition to working at the campus station), -- it NEVER hurts to have a backup plan.
Solidarity, my brothers and sisters in CS suckiness...
Mike
Re:Go do something else, maybe (OT) (Score:5, Interesting)
Anyway, here's my last ditch effort to make this on topic. I left the military after 14 years because it simply wasn't what I wanted to do anymore. The path I was taking was crystal clear and I wanted nothing to do with it, so I left and I am doing well in my new compu-centric career. It's never too late to change your mind. If you don't like it, leave and find something you do.
BTW, another option (Score:3, Interesting)
I always thought it would be really cool to do something like that. Especially if you could get a computer science class going, or an after school club. There are lots of free tools that you can use to create really great lab projects. (Even Microsoft has free development packages - check out the development environment they provide for FREE for WindowsCE. It even comes with neat emulators.)
So, you could get a chance to be THE COOL TEACHER and you could really paint a vision for kids of their own futures that they might not otherwise get. And, you would get some time to wind down and think about what you really want to do for your life.
Re:Games (Score:2, Interesting)
Fall in love! (Score:5, Interesting)
Stick your head outside the computer lab. English lit. and anthropology majors are a good bet. They spend their whole academic careers focusing on stuff like "Psychosexual imagery in the religious poems of Robert Herrick" and "mating rituals in Samoa." This may be your last sojourn among thousands of unattached young ladies in a carefree, party-centric college environment. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. (And if you knock one of them up, boy, will you ever have a motivation to get a job and start making money.)
Re:the problem word here is "undergrad" (Score:3, Interesting)
Grad school will break you out of the its-been-done rut you seem to be in.
Delusions. In grad school, you'll start out covering the same old "core" material. When you start working on research, you'll have to get lucky enough to find an advisor doing something related to your interests. Oh, and you'll need to get interested in something.
Sounds like the problem is you want to be a superstar, but you don't have any motivation. Things don't really work like that. If you were motivated, you would be doing interesting things already, and maybe one of those things would be a "big deal." You need to motivate yourself.
What do you do when it isn't fun any more, but you'd like it to be?
Take a long break from it. Read books, get away for awhile. Think about what made it fun in the first place and try to find out where your interests lie. If your stuck, go back and really read your CS books from upper-level courses. See if any of the topics seems interesting at all. If so, do that. If not, explore topics that either weren't offered by your school or that you didn't take.
If none of that works, get a random job in the industry. There's nothing like 8+ mind-numbing, stress-filled hours a day doing exactly what you hate to get you thinking about what you REALLY want to do.
When I was balked finding a research topic, I took the big, insurmountable idea that got me started in computers and wittled it down until I had a manageable piece. That became my starting point. It took forever, and it required a little work researching the subfield, but it got me there.
If you don't want an advanced degree, then once you figure out what sort of programs interest you, or what about programming interests you, get hired by company that does that. Most software houses have enough divisions that you can float around for a bit working in different areas. Hell, try QA.
Fall In Love. (Score:2, Interesting)
I both work and go to grad school. I find this keeps them both interesting too. It's exciting when you can apply grad tech to a project in development.
In case you're interested, I fell in love with OS X and Java. OS X has a wonderful programming environment called Cocoa, and my personal project is to better learn the Java API through writing apps. Find a cool technology and fall in love with programming again!
Find a "fun" project (Score:2, Interesting)
Do some just for yourself (Score:3, Interesting)
If you're always doing what other people want, you'll lose interest and the whole experience becomes a mix of drudgery and frustration. You need to take some time following a few rabbit trails of your own interests:
Just keep in mind that it's not the "CS" trade that has you bummed... it's the fact that you haven't had time to do it just for the fun of it lately.
A carpenter can put up framing for houses for a living but he doesn't loathe his tools when he gets home. He might even pick them up to make some patio furniture, a bookcase or something for himself now and then, and his professional skill will show in the quality of his casual project. And the unrelated projects may lead him to find or invent techniques that will enhance his work performance as well.
Same with us, only more. Because CS deals so much with information we can find correlations between the skills we know and nearly everything! Lots of people have what seem to be ultra-low-tech hobbies and then they end up writing software to help out. (I haven't seen any flint-knappers' applications yet though.)
Go do something else, Definitely (Score:2, Interesting)
I left midway through my Junior year of Computer Engineering because I got sick of classes and mindless busywork. I also had the job experience to know that it wouldn't be much better (for me) outside academia.
I spoke with advisors, friends, parents, and anyone else I could think of and they all recommended I stay in school and at least get that damn piece of paper.
I left anyway.
I found out shortly thereafter what each of those individuals personal agendas were and why they wanted me to stay, and that they recommended a course of action for me that satisfied their own objectives. I learned lots from this, and have remembered since that other people (even those who care) don't always have your best interests at heart--and frequently they're not aware that they don't.
After I left, I accepted an offer of a job/partnership as a professional ballroom dancer/teacher. My first serious pro performance was on Broadway, and my partner and I run a studio in Massachusetts. We're entering pro competition next season (re-entering for her; she's a Nationals Champion), and I've never been happier. We stumbled upon a fantastic investment and purchased our own building about 6 months ago, and I used my computer skills and network of friends/associates to get a second fulltime job created for me (from which I'm posting this now) as padding for the mortgage until our business recovers from the move. Now I don't have much free time, but I keep up with tech news and Slashdot, and even get to play with tech (as a tax writeoff!) when I get a chance. I get to maintain our website (see URL above) when I get a chance (currently out of date, but I'm booking myself time to update this weekend)--and what used to be mindless tedium has become an enjoyable tease of the tech I used to live.
In short, find that one thing that lights you up, and do it. It doesn't matter what it is (for me, teaching is much more rewarding --and challenging-- than profiteering ever could be), just do it, and when you look back you'll discover that not only do you not regret, but you'll find enjoyment in teases of the life you used to live. (like my current project of a TB+ fileserver to store our CD collection losslessly
Good luck!
Dan
Re:the problem word here is "undergrad" (Score:3, Interesting)
Actually, going to grad school can be done pretty reasonably. Find a program that pays a stipend and gives a tuition waver. Granted, your contemporaries will be working in jobs and making more money than you will be as a student, but eventually this will change either in academia or industry and financially, you might always be behind the earning curve for retirement (although lots of comp sci folks have made quite a good living after grad school), but you might find it personally rewarding pushing the envelope.
Just look at some of the alumni of our CS department and what they have done: David Evans and Ivan Sutherland of Evans and Sutherland fame, Robert Barton who was the principal architect of all Burroughs computer systems, Tom Stockham who essentially pioneered the field of digital audio processing, Alan Kay who I am sure you know as one of the creators of the GUI, inventor of Smalltalk and now an Apple fellow, John Warnock founder of Adobe, Alan Ashton founder of Word Perfect, Henri Gouraud who created the gouraud shading system for polygons, Ed Catmull who is a visionary in animation and currently at Pixar, Jim Clark Founder of Silicon Graphics Inc. founder of Netscape Communications Corporation and founder of Healtheon/WebMD, Bui Tuong-Phong creator of the Phong shading method that was talked up so much at Siggraph this year, Martin Newell founder of founder of Ashlar, Inc which pioneered much of the CAD industry, Frank Crow who developed anti-aliasing methods for edge smoothing. I could continue to go on, but you get the idea.
Check out the CS dept. here: http://www.cs.utah.edu
Re:Games (Score:2, Interesting)
My first couple of real development jobs were in games but the pay was abysmal and the industry dominated by chancers and cowboys so I moved over to commercial. 4 years later I'm getting a little bored with all this stuff and decided to have another look at the games industry. I actually find that the pay scale tops off at what I'm earning now with very few salaries coming anything near what I'd exepct to earn for a good, if dull, days work. I thought it might just be a British thing but when I checked the salary survey over on Gamasutra I find a similar situation stateside..
Plus at least in commercial I don't have to deal with the superior attitude of a bunch of mostly actually quite poor coders who think they're it 'cause they do games.. and earn about half what I do...
So.. my advice... commercial is crying out for good coders.. games is vastly oversubscribed.. go do a 9 to 5 for some dull company and spend the extra money and time you'll have on developing a raging coke habit...
t o b e
Depends on yourself (Score:3, Interesting)
As for myself, I studied physics and gradually moved into IT. I am a fanatic and never get enough of it. I consider myself lucky that I can have work that I really like, and I intend to stay into technically challenging jobs, i.e. not go into management, until I'm 60 (hope to retire then, I'm 35 now).
I keep being fascinated by all new developments and things that come along, in a faster pace than in most other professions; I guess that in the end there is a boring element in all jobs, but those that really love their profession will always see interesting things and be able to cope with the negative things that occur everywhere.
The problem is: there are lots of people into IT that don't have that drive/fascination for technology, but mainly for the money that is/was in it. They are bored by the job since they don't have the capacity or will to research things for themselves, which means that those shall get more routine jobs where less initiative is asked or desired.
If I had to choose between money and what I like, it would definately not be money. You can't be good at a job that you do mainly for money, and if you're not good in your job, your job won't be fun.
The story of my life (Score:2, Interesting)
I made some achievements, I'm not bad at all at programming a 3D engine, I'm quite able to optimize incredibly fast assembly routines and I can code really cool effects. But that's not enough to make a real game and by the time I finish my new engine some new comercial game has already done much better.
And what is it all good for in my daily life: NOTHING! I'm just another programmer doing the crap stuff again and again. My colleagues come to me when they need a problem solved as they know it's easy for me. I'm doing tech support for my fellow coders as well
Now after 6 years working in the field, I'm left with hatred for my job and I'm quite hopeless that my professional life will ever be satisfying.
And if you wanna now the funny part of the story, I've just started working on another game idea while knowing perfectly well that I won't have the time and energy to do it besides my day job.
Re:Go do something else, maybe (Score:2, Interesting)
I have a fellow working for me who is very close to his degree in Nuclear Engineering. He is doing programming and analysis for me. He enjoys it, and he quite good at it. At this point, he may forgo finishing his degree to continue working as a engineering programming consultant. It's probably a good move for him.
Milalwi
You may come back to it (Score:1, Interesting)
I started college as a Political Science major, then switched to Comp Sci, then got bored, then got back into it again.
It's a difficult and somewhat soul-less profession. You have to create the rationale for caring about your work. For some people it's money, for some it's bragging rights, for some it's the love of creation and the beauty of design. You have to appreciate your own work in a way that few people will ever be able to see.
The difference between college and career though is that you actually _do_ something. Don't give up on the idea that you could actually be excited about this stuff again, and don't lose what knowledge you have because it may be useful doing something else if that suits you.
unfortunately I believe you're doomed. (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Get a girlfriend (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Don't Major in CS! (Score:1, Interesting)
I don't consider myself a genius in physics --- those are very few and far between, I think I have met maybe a half dozen or so and I know a lot of physicists. I do, however, have a PhD in particle physics so I think I can speak to your comment.
I learned a lot about large scale data analysis from doing physics.
The demand for someone with my skill set (physics/math/stats + data analysis + coding backgound ) is there. If you want to do anything besides financial derivatives then it's a slow-moving niche market. The search for my current job took about 14 months during which time I worked somewhere that allowed me to hone my coding skills -- good money, self-taught a lot.
In the old days of the hot economy the rule of thumb for non-code-monkey jobs for people with PhD's was to search for 1 month per $10k salary, more if you are picky. I'm not doing physics but every day I use things from the bag of tricks I gathered there.
Sorry if this wondered: here's the summary. Even if you have a powerful and useful skill set it takes time and effort to find a job you love. Additionally, crossing disciplines is good... you bring a different perspective to solving problems.
In response to the initial question. Finish the degree, you never know when it might be handy. Take the minimum CS you need to graduate from now on and beef up somewhere else.
AC
Re:Games (Score:3, Interesting)
My idealism finally completely shattered, I left that dismal shitty life in the past, and now I work as an enterprise Java developer. I am respected in my new role and make more money than I ever thought I could. The work is fulfilling, the code is a lot easier to write than game code, and I learn new and useful stuff every day that applies to real software engineering.
Don't make the same mistake I did, especially now because the games industry is kindof melting down right now.
Stick it out for the last year, then reflect (Score:3, Interesting)
Finish the semester and take a break.
Finish the degree and take a break.
Decide what you would like to do that would be enjoyable, make money, and use your skills at the same time. Do open source programming on the side just for the hell of it.
Formulate a long-term plan for getting there. You are not going to start off in a perfect position, but once you set you goals, you should be able to better see how to get there.
Re:the problem word here is "undergrad" (Score:2, Interesting)
Damn straight it is. And, if you do it right, there's plenty of $$ involved, too. Plus, you get to play with hardware and bandwidth that most people never even see.
Re:Yes! Listen to this man... (Score:2, Interesting)
You know, I am "taking some time off". Right now I live in Vail, CO. This summer I plan to move to France, because its something I always wanted to do. And after that I think I might start looking at working in the "real world" again.
Many people have told me that the more I am away, the harder it will become to get back into a career. Well, I'm sure they're right. I have no question that I will regret the decision to spend these years traveling and enjoying life. But I am also sure that I would regret not doing it if I didn't. I refuse to spend my ENTIRE LIFE trying to do the right thing and choose the right path to reach some goal. What goal? How will I know when I succeeded? The view of life that so many people seem to have is some sort of staircase, designed like a maze and we're all racing to the top. Take a wrong turn and you'll never make it to the top. Stop climbing and you will get left behind.
I actually have insider info on the top of the staircase. There is no top. Eventually you will just die, somewhere on the staircase. So are you willing to make all of your life choices based on a goal of getting higher up this thing? What is the point of that? The rewards to those who make it further up the staircase are significant, but sadly the mind set required to climb that high makes it difficult to enjoy them.
The fact is life is nasty, brutish in short. The best career advice, in my opinion ( of course, I may feel differently in 20 years) is to try and find happiness.
Of course, the line that you can do whatever you want is a lie. You can't, but happiness must exist without being a film director or a rock musician. Or Larry Ellison. The risk when you do what I am doing is that you will have a typical crisis and start planning your new invention or dj career. Or even start writing your novel. The only way to be rich is to work very, very hard. Happiness however, may be a little easier. (oooh I am rambling)
Re:Fall in love! (Score:1, Interesting)
I don't know if you have ever had a close friend of either sex, but you may discover, or already know, that even in the best of relationships, miscommunications creep up, and if you add sex to that mixture, you ares etting yourself up for PAIN. No, sexual infatuation by itself is nowhere near the solution to life's problems because once that initial wave of ecstasy wears off, you stand face to face with another human being, whether they be pretty or ugly, male or female. Then you have to relate on a purely human level, where jealousy and possessiveness, as they come through in your post, are just sickening and repulsive. That, despite the 'kindness of geeks' will drive someone away just as fast as violence, and can even lead to violence, despite one's normally non-violent nature. I've seen it happen.
For life to actually have meaning, it has to have some purpose, but for life to have a lasting meaning, that purpose had better be solid, and it had better be real. Idolizing CS, or money, or relationships with people will never satisfy a person because people, deep down, desire domething that this world, in and of itself, CAN NOT satisfy.
Either life is just some horrid, painful joke, or the desire for something beyond this life is a desire for something that we simply can not have until we come into a life beyond this world.
Mock this if you will, deny it all you like, but if you can tell me that anything in this life is enough to satisfy completely, I would personally feel sorry for you.
Trust me, being a kind geek is not enough to keep love alive, but even more, the true love can not be found between imperfect people but in the perfect Creator.
By the way, I'm forgetting my password right now, but my Nick is UserID 3.14, and you can send me email. I would be glad to speak with you, or anybody, further.
Re:Yes! Listen to this man... (Score:2, Interesting)
I just finished my BA in Business Mngmt, which I hated by my senior year and have no desire to utilize at all anymore
I put myself through school working in IT and thought this is what I really wanted to do as geek stuff has been a hobby for most of my life. Boy was I wrong.
After a nice 2 month post grad road trip across the country I came back home and quickly found what I had thought would be a type of dream job for me: Unix Systems Engineer/Sysadmin for a mid sized ISP. I get to play on Linux and BSD servers all day. Should be great for a 23 yr old,
More than than anything though I looked at the constant amount of work required to stay competitive and get ahead in the IT/CS world and realized that 40 years from now if I looked back and had nothing more than a wall full of certs and a fat 401(k) to show for the bulk of my life that I wouldn't consider it as time well spent. Prothiro's right life is too short, and too brutal to waste it on anything other than pursuing happiness. For me that pursuit is taking me back to a long abandoned dream, that I gave up on my senior because it didn't seem practicle. Next fall I'll be heading back to college to study journalism and public communitcation, most likely at WSU. It's a big risk, and it'll be years after graduation before I'm even making the money I am right now, but it will be far far better for my soul.
Here's 2 cents (Score:2, Interesting)
1. My school experience has been a rich one. I did 1-1/2 years in California, decided I didn't like the culture there, and returned to the Northwest where I've been completing my studies. I've met a lot of different sorts of people over the last 4 years. Interacting with them and learning from them has been one of the more valuable facets of my education.
2. Everyone wants to do the Big Thing. Sometimes when people fail, they become depressed as they realize that they aren't "as smart as I thought I was." This is entirely self defeating and needless. I used to get depressed when I heard about 16 year old kids porting XFree86 to Macintosh. Or think of the girl in elementary school who knew multivariate calculus and couldn't stop asking questions to which the teacher always replied, "I just don't know." Now, I realize that these people, no matter how intelligent, are completely lacking in social skills and are, generally, quite maladapted to reality. That isn't the sort of thing I'm aiming for. I want my life to be balanced and comfortable, and I'll do what's necessary to make it that way, whether that involves CS or not.
3. I found that pursuing an alternate field of study is helpful. I decided last year to minor in physics, and since I only have three terms left, I am really cramming it in. I feel more like a physics major than a CS major! It's really fantastically distracting, and it seems to help my performance in the one CS course I'm now taking (AI/Combinatorics). Now, I'm excited about combining AI, CS, and physics, and doing my own research in directions people haven't explored before. It's fantastic.
If all else fails, turn to spirituality. No, I don't mean organized religion; I mean sitting down on a log in the middle of nowhere and listening to the Earth. Don't ponder. Don't meditate. Don't strain. Just listen. Relax and let life flow through you, and see where you go. You're on an incredible tour of Planet Earth and you shouldn't miss out just because of some pesky computers.
Happens to the best of us. (Score:2, Interesting)
Then I picked up 3D Studio's MAXScript, and overnight I got back in the habit; I got really carried away with small scripts that turned into major plugins.
Then my interest in video games started bleeding over to the coding arena. Wasn't long before I had the urge to write all kinds of video game code.
So it happens to the best of us. I suppose my advice would be: step back from your college classwork, and try to identify something you really enjoy that's codeable, be it short graphic demos, OS utilities, whatever floats your boat. The problem I had with classwork, which I imagine you're having too, is that it's just -boring-, and not very gratifying at all. Find some kind of code that you find gratifying and your spark might be rekindled.
Also, do consider your being depressed, and take it seriously. I made myself go see a counselor here at Tech, and it's the best decision I ever made. Made me feel better about where I'd been and where I was going; I'd recommend it to anyone, depressed or not! If nothing else, it gives you someone to talk to when friends are in short supply, due to time shortages or what have you.
Try to identify why you wanted to become a coder in the first place and go back to it. Rekindle a hobby-level interest in it again, refresh your memory, and work your way up.
1 semester from graduation? (Score:3, Interesting)
So: Go ahead and graduate. Find yourself a job.
You might end up at someplace where you end up writing stupid HTML for the rest of your time there. That's fun for a while. Learn HTML & JavaScript, and look for a new job.
You might end up in a challenging job. Enjoy, make the most of it, stay put.
Actually, if you end up with a poor job first, that's GOOD for you: You always have a MUCH better chance of getting a good salary if you've been through the negotiations once before, and if you're applying while you already have another job.
You're eager to start to work for them, the job looks fine, but
Roger.
Why I'm not a Biologist (Score:2, Interesting)
I hated it.
So I finished up the bio degree 'cause I was already so close and looked for other things to do. I ended up writing code.
But here's the cool part: It's not that I love debugging programs, or that I like hacking together some project for a clueless PHB. In fact there is nothing in CS itself that really gets me going. I like it, but I don't love it.
The trick is to find something that lets you take your wide variety of knowledge and do what you love.
So now I work in Bioinformatics, and I really like what I do. It has the parts of microbiology that interested me enough to get the degree, without the stuff I hated. And I enjoy writing the code because of the subject matter. I'd be bored out of my skull if I had to do the stupid programs the CS majors in school did, or something like an insurance program. But because I am interested in the problems I'm solving with my code I like doing it.