>> And so, if you want to be a software engineer, a strong background
in computer science is going to be the most helpful.
That doesn't mean it's the only option.
I know physicists who ended up at Google.
I know, you know, pure mathematicians who've never touched a computer in their life
to end up being a software engineer.
But if you want to walk in day one knowing what you're doing and not have to kind
of relearn foundational pieces, computer science as a major is a great aspect.
Things that will help you in your pursuit of a career in computer science: Definitely come in
and take advantage of your classes, learn all that you can.
Don't fall for the trap that classes are everything you need.
You'll learn a lot in classes, but if it's something you enjoy,
you kind of have to pursue it to the largest extent that you can.
I think a good example of this is internship, ceasing opportunities to actually see what life
as software engineer is, not just because it'll be the environment you work in,
but because most corporations who hire engineers have systems built around the idea
that they're grooming these interns to take on a full-time role.
I was a Google intern.
That helped me line up a full-time Google position.
And as an intern, I learned, you know, skills I learned, pieces of the Google, you know,
environment that translated better to being a full-time employee
than someone right off the street who would have to take a few months extra to learn that.
I also got to work with really talented engineers who kind
of raised me up in the right culture.
So internships are excellent.
Class projects are really great.
You're going to have to work with people in industry.
Nothing you're going to solve in industry's a vacuum.
So understanding how to work with people and understanding how
to build something real is really valuable.
And if you want an interview in a tech company, as I see it now, you really have to demonstrate
that you can think on the fly and you can produce tangible code to demonstrate
that not only can you solve a problem, but you can turn that answer into reality.
So anything you can do that builds that skill set is great.