Every year when college entrance exam scores come out and students fill in their applications, this video I recorded in 2023 discouraging people from choosing computer science gets wildly liked:

Meanwhile, I receive many messages asking whether computer science is worth it or what other majors they should choose.

Today, let me give you a unified response: I don't recommend computer science, and not just computer science - I also don't recommend other computer-related or electronic information majors.

Here are the main 3 reasons:

1. No One Can Predict the Future

I have a friend Xiao Liu who didn't get into his preferred major when he went to college in 2010 and was transferred to computer science. He was so depressed that he studied hard and transferred to civil engineering.

As a result, when he graduated, the civil engineering industry was in a downturn, and Xiao Liu could only stay unemployed at home. Meanwhile, his former classmates in computer science caught the wave of mobile internet and quickly bought houses and cars.

This problem existed 10 years ago, and it still exists now. Can you predict which major will have the best job prospects 4 years from now? And a person needs to strive for 30 years.

I myself switched to programming after graduating from law school. Because I had studied subjects that emphasized writing, public speaking, and even business thinking, I was able to do programming while also building a social media presence, sharing my learning experiences and career transition experiences, and gained 100k+ followers on Bilibili along with many opportunities.

Isn't this also an unexpected gain?

I also do Q&A sessions for people switching to programming careers. Many friends who studied other majors in college want to transition to programming after graduation. After communicating with them, I help create a suitable learning plan, and through hard work, they can achieve good results.

Every step in life counts.

2. Internal Factors Matter More

The job market and social environment are constantly changing - you can't catch up even if you try. If you had this ability, you'd just go buy lottery tickets downstairs instead of working hard to earn ad revenue making videos here, right?

But what you like and what you're good at - these internal things are relatively stable.

Rather than chasing a changing external environment, pursue your own interests and passions.

The post-00s generation I've encountered are all very clear-headed, with high awareness of social competition. Since they can't outcompete others even with a practical major, why not study something they actually enjoy?

3. Low Barrier to Entry in Computer Science

Computer science is a major with both high ceilings and low floors. Anyone can become a programmer if they want to.

If you can't find a major you like right away, give yourself 4 years to slowly figure it out, or even get a master's degree and take 7 years to find it.

If your college major isn't something you're interested in, then study more general knowledge and just focus on graduating smoothly.

It's not too late to graduate and talk to experienced people about career transitions. I frequently receive consulting requests about switching to programming through my social media.

When it comes to graduation, writing papers is one of the most frequent tasks in college. You don't just write papers when graduating - many course assignments throughout college are submitted in paper form, and we didn't receive any paper writing training in high school.

Fortunately, we now have large models to help us. Today, I'd like to recommend a book called Write Great Papers: Thinking Models and AI-Assisted Applications. With AI tools, you can write faster and better, giving you more time and energy to explore your interests. Click the link in the bottom left corner of the video now to get a discounted purchase link~

Programmer Wanfeng specializes in AI programming training. Beginners can start working on AI projects after watching his tutorial 《30 Lectures · AI Programming Bootcamp》, a collaboration with Turing Community.

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