Software engineering question

[Chumbimba]

I’m changing my major from psychology to software engineering/computer science.

What can I expect ? Is programming really challenging? Is it boring ?

[supremeyingyang]

I've studied Social Science, but work as a Developer for 8 Months in a middle size corporation and we have some major corporations as customers. I am an autodidact, who trains programming still very heavy on a daily basis. However, I've contact with many former CS Majors in job who told me about the university.
 

30 minutes ago, Chumbimba said:

What can I expect ? Is programming really challenging? Is it boring ?

1. Depends on you university. But be ready to learn a lot of (seemingly useless) theory like theoretical informatics. In many universities is little to no focus on programming, you have only some courses or so. You could dodge a lot of programming related courses with more theory related courses... have discipline
2. Yes. But learn on piece and you can go a little further, then another and another and then you can solve your problem. That's it. Be persistent.
3. Yes. But you learn to appreciate the boring parts as they are necessary to master anything including programming.

- Consider this : A lot of people will go into programming in the next years. That means you have to use you comparatively early start to get good. Read Thomas & Hunt : The Pragmatic Programmer and Hunt : Pragmatic Learning ( !!!! ). This is for soft skills and little tricks, these guys are HUDGE in the Programmer Community. They invented AGIL with some others ( look it up ).
- If you want to be secure you have have a signature skill like statistics or so to complement your skills. Data Science & Machine Learning still is hot, AI is maybe coming

Edited January 27, 2020 by supremeyingyang

[Chumbimba]

@supremeyingyang thank you ! I’m starting from below ground zero. No math skills really and no knowledge of computers so I am going to have to be ultra patient.

i love psychology but I don’t think it’s practical for a career/ providing value

[supremeyingyang]

I understand. How much time is left until you attend university ?

The number 1 Skill for programming : You can sit on the computer for 8 hours and concentrate on a subject. You have to learn this.

An other tip. The more stressful, hard or responsible the job the less competition is for or in the job. The hard route is in the long run the easy route (if played out right).

Greetings

Edited January 27, 2020 by supremeyingyang

[randomguy123]

2 hours ago, supremeyingyang said:

An other tip. The more stressful, hard or responsible the job the less competition is for or in the job. The hard route is in the long run the easy route (if played out right).

I don't fully agree with this. Competition is always fiercest when more people are participating, making the pressure much, much larger. (Think about trying to become a professional basketball player vs going pro in some unkown sport that few people play.) I feel like a lot of people have this idea that they need to stick it out in the trenches, battling at the lowest level to finally succeed in their aim. That is true as you need to commit to what you're trying to do, but battling it out with all the people at the bottom often will not get you anywhere or it is a much harder road to getting anywhere.

Besides that, competition in engineering jobs is so fierce. I mean when I graduated in engineering, I was competing with Asian people (no offense) that were willing to commit to 16 hours a day of work. They have a fundamentally different goals than people on this forum have, so I guess it's important to consider what you really want.

Competition is always easier at the forefront of society. If you position yourself in a novel and innovating branch, natural expansion tends to happen and it becomes easier to ride the wave. Imagine getting in to the internet business in the early 2000s versus trying to make your way up in something like car sales. Leo also did this, he wasn't out there competing for scraps, he positioned himself at the forefront of self-help. In computer science, things like AI and Blockchain are the name of the game right now and focusing on them will provide you the most opportunity to be successful as these business will expand. Don't let that be a morality though, pursue what you want to do. There's plenty of innovating things going on, just remember to commit and see it through.

Best of luck!

[supremeyingyang]

@randomguy123

Well, this hustler mentality is not for everyone. And lots of people stay where they are. Legions of lowpaid Youtubers or Start-Up Founders. I mean hustle if you want to, but be smart. Make yourself a nice groundwork of skill and you are good.

But yeah, find opportunity where you can.

[LfcCharlie4]

@Chumbimba Psychology can be practical and useful but takes a lot of yeard to get a PhD really as that's where you can truly have an effect. 

[supremeyingyang]

@LfcCharlie4 

Yeah maybe, but OP is out of psychology. I would say that psychology can be very practical in every interaction as you learn about us humans. But to get a job can be a hustle, true. However, you would be amazed what would happen if a psychology major would learn practical statistics and apply for such jobs. There is a permanent shortage of statisticians. Which brings us back to my formula :

23 hours ago, supremeyingyang said:

he more stressful, hard or responsible the job the less competition is for or in the job.

The more math, the more money. The more you learn in the job, the more value you have as a person in a orange economy. The more obligatory a job, the more pay (if the other factors are true). For example what would you do with a broken leg - Buy some art or go to the doctor ? Do you see ? Rent or a Play Station ? A Smartphone or Food ?

 

Of course many go into Psychology to flee math. But if you learn on mathematical framework like basic Statistics plus 2 advanced like multivariate analysis and time series you tripled your employment chances in a decent job. However, we in Germany have far higher standards for what a good job is. Paid overtime, paid vacation, paid if you are ill, health insurance and a 40 hour work week for a full worker is what is given. A Psychologist can easily work all over Germany with a Bachelors as we have a shortage - as long he or she is willing to use math or programming on top of their education.

Edited January 28, 2020 by supremeyingyang

[GrowthPilgrim]

@Chumbimba Go for it! As a software engineer, you will have it way easier to earn money. Psychology can still be your hobby, and in fact, it might be a good place to come from when you transition into software engineering.