> I'm curious how you came to regret it this much?
I'm not sure regret is the right word, but I am cynical because I was actively recruited by my university's CS dept. and it took me 2 years of study before I realized I was actually studying math, not computers, which was what I thought I was supposed to be studying. But I was mistaken, and it was too late to switch to CE and hope to graduate before the end of the decade. If I had been wise at 17yo, I would have known CE was what I thought CS was. Maybe I would not have worked in the field, but I sure would know a lot more about electronics and engineering, which was really were my young interests lay, I just didn't know any better.
Programming jobs pay pretty well, but if you have your CS degree, you can earn about 20% more starting out by landing a job as a computer scientist, or at least one that advertises for one. Programming is really a part of the IT field, but computer science isn't necessarily. For instance, the FAA uses computer scientists, so does the National Weather Service, so do major automobile manufacturers, the aerospace industry uses computer scientists. I mean, if programming is your thing, carry on, but you're actually limiting yourself if only seeking C++ programmer positions.
I'm not sure regret is the right word, but I am cynical because I was actively recruited by my university's CS dept. and it took me 2 years of study before I realized I was actually studying math, not computers, which was what I thought I was supposed to be studying. But I was mistaken, and it was too late to switch to CE and hope to graduate before the end of the decade. If I had been wise at 17yo, I would have known CE was what I thought CS was. Maybe I would not have worked in the field, but I sure would know a lot more about electronics and engineering, which was really were my young interests lay, I just didn't know any better.
Programming jobs pay pretty well, but if you have your CS degree, you can earn about 20% more starting out by landing a job as a computer scientist, or at least one that advertises for one. Programming is really a part of the IT field, but computer science isn't necessarily. For instance, the FAA uses computer scientists, so does the National Weather Service, so do major automobile manufacturers, the aerospace industry uses computer scientists. I mean, if programming is your thing, carry on, but you're actually limiting yourself if only seeking C++ programmer positions.