I can't code for s**t here, although I think it may have to do with the particular curriculum here.Icedawn wrote: ↑Why do you think you'll be better at being a lawyer than coding? To be frank, it surprises me to hear that you consider yourself a "math/logic" person and yet have the problems you're facing in CS. That being said, I definitely hear you when you say you want to excel at whatever you do, and I commend that, but what about law lets you think you're more likely to excel at it than CS? Based on your comments, I think you need to more seriously investigate this question before committing to such a path, particularly because I see a lot of parallels to myself in your comments.
Happy to provide more details by PM if you're interested.
We are thrown projects, assignments, and work where we aren't even taught how to code anything at all, and we're to find out on our own.
Their argument is it prepares you for the "real CS world", and that caught me thinking: If it's that really how it is, I'm not going to survive as a coder because I just can't compete with the other students who are much more talented than me at this area.
What happens is I'll Google endlessly for help and I eventually find/learn what I need, but others will accomplish what I do in perhaps 1/4 or less of the time I take.
Conversely, if I were taught step by step from the basics, I think I'd fare much better. It's like learning how to add first before tacking calculus.
I've never had a problem with the math-related aspects at all... well, it may differ for other CS programs, but UBC's core CS program doesn't contain very much math apart from the four mandatory math courses and one statistics. It was just my luck I've had this bitter programming experience in the rest of it. Don't get me wrong- I enjoy programming when I make something that works, but I hate the demoralization process involved with doing terribly in my classes while trying so hard and watching people around me handle it with ease. Yes grades aren't everything, but fact is if I'm barely passing my CS classes with Cs and C+s I'm not going to get into the large firm I want with such a pitiful GPA, and getting into a large firm and eventually a high position has always been my goal.
First year CS I did well... second I got slaughtered
Yes, as someone mentioned above earlier, law would be somewhat of an "exit" for me.... and it's one of the only ones I have.
The alternative would to be to re-do 3 years of a Bachelor's Degree, which is precisely how long a Law degree is, so I'd prefer the latter.
The only options aside from law I can picture are:
a) Do something non-programming in CS, perhaps something in networking, computer architecture/Operating systems, non-programming IT... and suck it up for a few years of work experience and money, pay off my student loan, get a MBA, and hope things work out
b) Be an engineer and waste away 4 years more of my life (which isn't a very attractive option since this would take longer than law itself for perhaps a lower return)
c) Switch back into business and take 2-3 more years to grad, which is roughly the length of law as well
I can't conclude I'll do better, but it's worth a try because I know I'm not going to get far here, unless things magically turn around in my last 2 years here.