HACKER Q&A
📣 amichail

Can you tell if CS interests you without getting a degree in it first?


Maybe hobby programmers just assume they will find CS fascinating, only to discover much later — after earning a degree — that CS is not really the focus of their interest in programming?


  👤 taylorbuley Accepted Answer ✓
This touches on the subtle but significant distinction between computer science (CS) as an academic field and programming as a skill or profession. I would say that not all paths to programming emanate from CS. But, practically, I'd say most people who get a degree in CS are not destined to work abstractly for life. Why does this matter to you? Are you worried about committing to a CS degree as a hobbyist programmer?

👤 PaulHoule
I studied physics in college, my one regret is I never took a compilers class but that reminds me to go down to the student services office downstairs and sign up for one.