Hello, Habr.
This article is aimed at high school students in grades 8-10 and first- and second-year college students who dream of devoting their lives to IT, although perhaps some 'older' individuals will find it just as engaging. So, now I will share my story and try to caution you against the mistakes of beginner programmers through my own experience. Enjoy your reading!
My yet unfinished journey into the programming profession began around the 10th grade. After three years of intense love for physics, followed by the OGE (aka GIA), which somewhat cooled my enthusiasm, I entered a grueling period of preparation for the Unified State Exam in that same physics, now coupled with computer science (just for absolute precaution back then). While solving mechanics problems and 'C-sharp' optics, I understood that I had lost my affinity for physical sciences.
Mistake 1
I decided to go into IT
This decision came to me too late and there was little time to prepare for the final exam, as well as to comprehend what computer science actually entailed. There was also the following problem involved.
Mistake 2
I graduated from school with a golden medal
This is one of the mistakes I regret now. The fact is that during my schooling, I was not particularly interested in my future career, the knowledge and skills needed for it. I was 'working' for grades, and this cost me significant time resourcesāvery significant. Those time resources could have been spent on activities I actually enjoyed (and I'm not just talking about educationāI would have had time for guitar lessons or improving my boxing skills).
As a result, not understanding what would be better to take, I chose two subjects that I would have done better in separately. Based on the results of the Unified State Exam, I ended up in a field related to Robotics and Physics.
Mistake 3
I played it safe
I chose computer science largely out of considerations like 'if I donāt pass physicsāitās difficult' and only somewhat because I actually liked it. That was foolish.
Well, when I got into this field, my first thought was, "Okay, if I didn't score enough points to enter with Computer Science, thereās a chance to transfer to the IT faculty." I started to catch up on programming skills at university and successfully enhanced them by reading books and completing coursework.
But...At the expense of other course subjects
Error 4
I was diligently studying
Diligence is an excellent quality; however, an excess of it can be detrimental. Due to my confidence that everything except programming wouldnāt be useful in this "other stuff," I struggled significantly. Consequently, this impacted my life negatively.
Now Iām in my second year at the Department of Management Problems, majoring in Mechatronics and Robotics at MGTU MIREA, catching up on my studies and enjoying learning. Why?
Iāve realized the mistakes mentioned above, and although Iāll likely make many more mistakes in the future, I want to share a few "recipes" for avoiding them.
1. Don't be afraid
All mistakes were made under the influence of fearāfear of bad grades, fear of not getting what you desire, and others. My first piece of advice is: do not be afraid. If you want it and are working towards your dream, you will succeed regardless of the situation (it sounds magical, but this is how it happens).
2. Don't jump
If during your education in school or university, you suddenly realize that instead of archaeology and paleontology, you want to program microcontrollersādon't panic. There is always a chance to roll back, transfer, or shift to another branch. After all, you can always enroll in a masterās program that is completely unrelated to your specialty.
In my opinion, many events in the lives of students and applicants will lead themāand youāto make mistakes. Donāt regret themālearn from them and become better compared to your past self.
Thank you very much for your attention!
P.S.
I will definitely write something else about my attempts to get into IT if youāre interested.)
Source: habr.com
