Do CS degrees set you up to be disappointed with most programming jobs?
CS professors are constantly putting down programming in their teaching. So how can this end well?
As a long-time developer, almost everything sets you up for that because many programming jobs get to be disappointing in a few or many ways. Just like a lot of jobs in general. A few programming jobs make use of lots of CS, most are cranking out more CRUD interfaces or UI controls or setting up build systems or whatever. Set your expectations right, aim high and pick your emotional battles.
CS is just math until you write working code, don’t forget it. I don’t know those profs, get the best grade you can from them and leave their sorry selves behind.
Programming sucks, to do well you really have to enjoy the way it sucks.
You have just 4 years to learn the kind of math that you'll never use,
but will genuinely make you a smarter person. You have 25+ years to
learn programming, which is akin to running a cash register after five
years.