The Truth About Computer Science College Specializations In Your Career
Spoiler Alert: It Probably Matters Less Than You Think
Hi all,
Today’s topic is one where I’ve seen my perspective evolve a lot over the past few years, and I suspect that it’ll continue to shift as my career progresses. So, I’ll break it down into two viewpoints - what I used to think back in college, and my view of things now. And, I know there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer here - I’ll call out ‘special cases’ where you might want to think about things a little differently.
I’ll dive more into that down below, along with a few great resources, a sneak peek of what I’m working on, and this week’s question.
- Kyle
The Truth About College Specializations In Your Career
My Perspective From College
In my undergrad, the ability to specialize in two areas (called ‘threads’) was a strong selling point. The expectation was that by taking courses specifically oriented around my interests, I’d be able to go deeper into topics that otherwise might only warrant a class or two in a typical college program. This would simultaneously make the program increasingly useful and enjoyable - I’d take fewer generic courses, and I’d be more interested in what I was studying.
This is what many graduate programs do - after getting a more generalized degree, you can go back to school to take advanced courses in a certain area - and many of the courses I took in my third and fourth years of college were cross-listed as graduate courses.
I focused on “devices” and “intelligence” - in high school, both of these areas sounded exciting (and promising for my career) - and while I did well in the courses and kept a 4.0 throughout college, I didn’t feel like I learned that much. I’ve talked about this issue at length since then, but it meant that when I graduated from college, I knew the basics…but that was mostly it.
At the time, I partially blamed this on the pandemic - the end of my college career was online, courses were watered down, and I assumed that if I’d just had a normal last year and a half of college, I would’ve learned all the stuff I was missing. But since then, I’ve had a change of heart.
My Perspective Now
College is not supposed to make you an expert in any particular domain. I think of it more as the first building block - it helps you establish a foundation and get a feel for whether you like the topic, but it’s up to you to pursue it further (or not). This might be through additional schooling, but a lot of the time this will be 1) on the job learning, or 2) self-teaching.
There’s a good chance that your first job in industry won’t exactly align with your interests. Especially when companies are pulling back on hiring, just getting a solid job is challenging enough, let alone finding one where your role will be perfectly tailored to you. You’ll still learn a lot there, but it won’t necessarily be the types of things you hoped to learn.
A common response to this situation is to think that more schooling will solve the problem. By going deeper into the specializations you first explored in college, you’ll continue building on that foundation to make yourself a stronger candidate once you finish the program. The question is - given the widespread availability of free/affordable online resources, could you learn everything you need to know on your own…without going back to school?
Basically, can you shift the responsibility for your knowledge/experience away from institutions, and to yourself?
When I was in college, I mostly expected professors to teach me everything I needed to know. Thus, when I graduated without being an ~expert~, I viewed it partially as the school’s fault - not mine. Now? It’s up to me to learn everything I want/need to know. If I want to become an expert in a given discipline, I don’t need to spend tens of thousands of dollars to make it someone else’s responsibility - in most cases, it’s just a matter of putting my head down and doing the work.
Doing the work is hard. It’s not fun, it’s not sexy, it’s not a 30-second montage with dramatic music that ends with you becoming everything you ever wanted. But for most people, just putting in the effort is enough to get you 95% of the way there. Yes, additional higher education will provide you with some access to resources/professors/peers that you might not be able to get on your own. Before jumping to the conclusion that you can’t meet your goals without those things, ask yourself if you’ve really done everything that you can.
You might not have a formal curriculum - but that shouldn’t stop you from building your own. You might not have classmates or professors - but that shouldn’t stop you from making connections with other people who are passionate about the same things as you. Learn to put in the work on your own first - then figure out if going back for more education is worth the investment.
An obligatory note - while I think this is sound advice for most people, there are certain specializations that expect additional education. Meaning: even if you’re ‘qualified’ for the role, you won’t be considered because you don’t have a master’s degree. In those cases, what you gain from going back to school is not just more knowledge/experience - it’s also a form of validation. The point of this isn’t to weigh in one way or another on whether that system is “fair” - just to recognize that in some cases it’s the reality (at least for now).
Things Worth Reading
From The Archive
(Video) Why Did You Go To College?
In Case You Missed It
Sneak Peek
Here’s a few things I’m working on…coming soon!
(Video) Putting Learn-To-Code Platforms To The Test
This Week’s Question
I want to hear from you! Leave a comment on this story or email me at support@kylekeirstead.com with your thoughts/ideas.
Did you specialize in college? If so, did you go straight into a job that utilized that knowledge, or did you end up working in a different part of the industry?