Hi, i'm new here and i'm looking for advice about what to study in college, possibly from people working in design or computer science. I already have a coding background and now i have to decide what to study in college. I've always been interested in creative things and the different kinds of media, especially in the way it can make people feel different emotions. I've always had a need to help people and i feel like art is one of the many ways to do so. But i'm also really good and interested in problem solving. I was one of the best at coding classes and thought i should keep studying cs in college so i could get better at it and get a good job in the field which could also give me some financial stability. I was thinking of studying front-end dev since is more focused on the user interaction, but the thought of coding all day doesn't seem too appealing now, i'm afraid of having to code so much that it'll become boring or that in the end it'll completely lack the "humane" side of it. Also i'm not that good at math and i worry it'll get too hard at some point studying it. So i thought of changing path and study design but i have no real knowledge about it. Now i'm stuck thinking if i should try to study cs first and maybe then major in design or just go straight with design from the beginning. Not sure if it would be easy to switch from cs to design though. What are your experiences in the fields? What do you think is better in terms of job opportunities and what do you think would be best suitable for an infj-t?
Communication design or CS?
- Thread starter Ley21
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I'm not on all of the fields you mentioned, however I would advise that you try out these fields that you are less exposed to. If you still have time, it wouldn't be a bad idea to at least take a longer peek into these fields you could like even if you don't have any experience in it.
Design is a different demon from coding, I would assume, because the former requires astute taste, depth, creativity, and an innovative mind. Design school in my day tended to be heavy on critique too. How would you fare under heavier than usual criticism?
From experience, I was dead set on what I wanted to study in college from when I was thirteen but it took me a couple of years to find where my interest in the specialization was. MBTI or not, we can gain something from approaching a pursuit first from a broader mindset and then later to its profundity.
I suggest you consider a more generalized coursework that could give you an option to proceed with particular specializations eventually. Don't be afraid to venture in stranger waters. I believe there is always something to gain in something new.
Finally, listen to your sense of fulfillment in alignment to your personal resources. Ultimately, higher studies require physical, mental, and emotional stability so go where you can cultivate those as well. Learning is not just about pursuing a degree for its paper merits, but for you as a person and who you will eventually become.
Why not both?
Though if you must start with one or the other, I'd suggest CS. A fundamental understanding of how to build something can contribute to your design sensibilities. I say this as someone who studied design and still tries to improve on my CS skills some twenty years later. I'd also say learning is forever etc., so don't feel like you have to squeeze in your studies in a given period and then stop when you begin working in a chosen career. You'll find careers are amorphous, reacting to your growth and opportunities over time.
Though if you must start with one or the other, I'd suggest CS. A fundamental understanding of how to build something can contribute to your design sensibilities. I say this as someone who studied design and still tries to improve on my CS skills some twenty years later. I'd also say learning is forever etc., so don't feel like you have to squeeze in your studies in a given period and then stop when you begin working in a chosen career. You'll find careers are amorphous, reacting to your growth and opportunities over time.
The whole coding all day paradigm is something non-existent in the current work-reality. You'll be doing meetings, collaborate with different teams on the job (project managers, testers, other devs, product owners, etc.), do different parts in development, etc. It's more of a collaboration than a one-man-does-it-all thing. A modern "coder" is expected to do a bit of everything now.
Try cs for a year, see if it energises you. Mathematics will be the hard wall to handle on this one.
If not, go designer.
Try cs for a year, see if it energises you. Mathematics will be the hard wall to handle on this one.
If not, go designer.