Hey everyone! I'm currently a second-year Chemical Engineering student at a college in India, and I've been feeling a bit lost about my career path. While I've dabbled in C++ and Python, I'm looking for advice on which tech skills to focus on. I've considered areas like web development (both frontend and backend), app development with Kotlin, algorithms and problem solving (Leetcode), cybersecurity, blockchain, machine learning leading to data science, and even low-level development like assembly and embedded systems—but I'm not sure what's still relevant with AI becoming so powerful. After picking up some HTML, CSS, and JavaScript over the summer, I'm curious if web development is still worth pursuing or if I should shift my focus. I'd really appreciate any guidance on this!
4 Answers
I totally feel you on the AI anxiety! The important thing is to start with your strengths. If you enjoy creativity, web or mobile development is a natural fit. If you're more into math and logic, data science or machine learning may be the way to go. Just remember, most devs switch paths during their careers, so getting a solid start is key. Also, I wrote a guide on selecting a programming language and career path—it could help clarify your direction! Just keep learning and adapting; that’s what will keep you ahead, no matter how fast AI advances.
It's a great idea to start with either web development or Python for data analysis and gradually build small projects. Once you gain confidence, branching out into areas like machine learning or app development will be much easier. Just make sure to focus on what excites you.
Focus on building a strong foundation. Web development is definitely still relevant because it teaches you the basics of how the internet operates, and it connects to many other tech fields like data science and machine learning. Plus, having deployable projects is super beneficial for your portfolio, especially if you don't have internships yet. You don’t have to pick one path right away—experiment with a couple of areas for a few months and see what clicks for you. Keep honing your algorithms and problem-solving skills too, since they’re crucial for job applications in India.
AI is great for coding, but it can't fully understand customer needs and tailor solutions like a human can. Bill Gates believes programmers will remain necessary for the foreseeable future, as complex solutions require context that AI struggles with. Just keep in mind that productivity may increase with AI, but it won’t fully take over programming.
That's true! After learning HTML and CSS, I made a few simple projects pretty quickly, and with AI, I feel like I could do even more in a short time.
So you're saying I should complete my web dev projects fully while working on DSA/CP. Sounds like a solid plan since I’ve got four months this semester!