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How should I prepare for becoming a software engineer (or any other related computer science job) as an upcoming freshmen at a four year university who plans on majoring in computer science?
I plan on majoring in Computer Science in the fall and I know that software engineer is a demanding job for the computer science major. I am unfamiliar with any other jobs, but if you know some and are very familiar with the job info please share below as well!
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Daniel’s Answer
Hi Philip!
I couldn't quite understand if you already have your bachelors degree or not. But I'll assume you do, you are about to enter a majors program. First of all, congratulations if that is the case, there are a lot of people which do not make it as far and you have already proven that you are resilient (which is a very nice feature to have in software engineering). I'll point out some things that you can do to more prepared for the software engineering world and then I'll post some more jobs which you can consider for your career.
In terms of preparation:
- Do an internship, any kind it's fine. I would go for a startup because you get a lot more stuff to do. You get to interact with more people from more departments and you need to develop a lot of skills which you might not have developed in college.
- Develop your soft skills. Many software engineers and computer science students disregard their soft skills and assume that tech skills is all that they need. Believe me, it's not enough. Having said this, do not stress if you do not have the best soft skills ever, they will grow as you grow.
In terms of jobs:
- Cybersecurity engineer
- Quality automation engineer
- Data scientist
- Machine learning engineer
- Data engineer
- Data visualisation engineer
- DevOps engineer
- Site reliability engineer
There are a lot that you can search for. Almost all of them could be considered a specialisation of a software engineer. However, their skillset differs greatly. If you specialise to be a data visualisation engineer you probably won't be a very good DevOps engineer, at least, not at first. Also, the names might be different depending on the company or country, but potato potato. Another great preparation step that you can take, is to understand which one of these jobs resonate more with you and start taking online courses about that. Then, your odds of landing anything related will greatly increase!
Hope it helps!
Best,
I couldn't quite understand if you already have your bachelors degree or not. But I'll assume you do, you are about to enter a majors program. First of all, congratulations if that is the case, there are a lot of people which do not make it as far and you have already proven that you are resilient (which is a very nice feature to have in software engineering). I'll point out some things that you can do to more prepared for the software engineering world and then I'll post some more jobs which you can consider for your career.
In terms of preparation:
- Do an internship, any kind it's fine. I would go for a startup because you get a lot more stuff to do. You get to interact with more people from more departments and you need to develop a lot of skills which you might not have developed in college.
- Develop your soft skills. Many software engineers and computer science students disregard their soft skills and assume that tech skills is all that they need. Believe me, it's not enough. Having said this, do not stress if you do not have the best soft skills ever, they will grow as you grow.
In terms of jobs:
- Cybersecurity engineer
- Quality automation engineer
- Data scientist
- Machine learning engineer
- Data engineer
- Data visualisation engineer
- DevOps engineer
- Site reliability engineer
There are a lot that you can search for. Almost all of them could be considered a specialisation of a software engineer. However, their skillset differs greatly. If you specialise to be a data visualisation engineer you probably won't be a very good DevOps engineer, at least, not at first. Also, the names might be different depending on the company or country, but potato potato. Another great preparation step that you can take, is to understand which one of these jobs resonate more with you and start taking online courses about that. Then, your odds of landing anything related will greatly increase!
Hope it helps!
Best,
Updated
Brian’s Answer
Assuming you are a high school senior considering Computer Science and other potential majors, here are some actionable steps you can take:
1. Experiment with programming at home: Try creating a phone application or a simple PC program to see if you enjoy problem-solving in the context of programming.
2. Take a programming elective in school: If your school offers a computer science or programming course, consider enrolling to have a more formal introduction to the subject.
3. Strengthen your foundation in science and math: Build your logical thinking skills through science and math courses, as they will be helpful in a computer science major.
4. Reflect on your experience with science and math courses: Determine if you have enjoyed these subjects in high school, which may indicate your potential interest in a computer science major.
5. Attend a college survey course: When you start college, enroll in a survey course covering a wide range of computer science topics. This will help you determine if this is the right major for you.
6. Explore other majors: Alongside computer science, consider taking introductory courses in other majors you are interested in to make an informed decision about your academic path.
7. Continue taking math and science courses: Even if they are not major track courses, taking additional math or science classes can help prepare you for a computer science major.
8. Pursue internships or summer jobs in computer science: If your experiences with programming and computer science courses are positive, look for internships or summer jobs in the field to gain more experience and solidify your interest in the major.
1. Experiment with programming at home: Try creating a phone application or a simple PC program to see if you enjoy problem-solving in the context of programming.
2. Take a programming elective in school: If your school offers a computer science or programming course, consider enrolling to have a more formal introduction to the subject.
3. Strengthen your foundation in science and math: Build your logical thinking skills through science and math courses, as they will be helpful in a computer science major.
4. Reflect on your experience with science and math courses: Determine if you have enjoyed these subjects in high school, which may indicate your potential interest in a computer science major.
5. Attend a college survey course: When you start college, enroll in a survey course covering a wide range of computer science topics. This will help you determine if this is the right major for you.
6. Explore other majors: Alongside computer science, consider taking introductory courses in other majors you are interested in to make an informed decision about your academic path.
7. Continue taking math and science courses: Even if they are not major track courses, taking additional math or science classes can help prepare you for a computer science major.
8. Pursue internships or summer jobs in computer science: If your experiences with programming and computer science courses are positive, look for internships or summer jobs in the field to gain more experience and solidify your interest in the major.