FAILING COMPUTER SCIENCE TO WORKING @ FAANG | my cs journey

Summary

Maddie, a junior at UC Berkeley studying Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, shares her challenging journey in college. Despite struggling with rigorous CS courses and scoring as low as 30% on exams, she persevered, interned at Amazon, and found her passion in creative coding and product-focused roles. She emphasizes the importance of surrounding oneself with supportive peers and exploring interests beyond academics.

Takeaways

• 🎓 Maddie is a junior at UC Berkeley studying Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and has interned at Amazon for two years.
• 🔄 Maddie's initial interest was in business, but she was persuaded by her high school computer science teacher to take the subject, which eventually led to her love for front-end development.
• 📉 Maddie struggled with her computer science courses, often scoring below average and even as low as 30% on exams.
• 🤔 Maddie contemplated switching majors multiple times due to the difficulty of her computer science classes, but ultimately decided to stick with EECS.
• 📚 The rigorous nature of Berkeley's computer science courses, including grade deflation, made her academic journey challenging.
• 🧩 Maddie found that she enjoys problem-solving and puzzles, which helped her approach computer science problems more effectively.
• 💻 Her internships at Amazon were different experiences; the first was data analysis focused, while the second was project-heavy with API development.
• 🔧 Maddie realized her preference for product-focused roles and is considering a career as a technical product manager.
• 🤝 She emphasizes the importance of surrounding oneself with supportive people and not being cutthroat in the competitive academic environment.
• 🌐 Maddie's involvement in various clubs outside of her major helped her explore interests at the intersection of business and tech.
• 🎉 Despite the challenges, Maddie does not regret studying computer science and appreciates the skills she has gained in a tech-centric society.

Q & A

What major is Maddie studying at UC Berkeley?

Maddie is studying Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at UC Berkeley.

How did Maddie first get interested in computer science?

Maddie was persuaded by her high school computer science teacher to take AP Computer Science, which eventually led her to apply as a computer science student in college.

What challenges did Maddie face during her first year in college?

Maddie found her first computer science course, CS 61A, extremely difficult, which led to her dropping the class. She struggled with the rigorous coursework and felt overwhelmed by the exams and homework.

How did Maddie perform in her computer science exams during her freshman year?

Maddie struggled with her computer science exams, often scoring below 50%. Despite her efforts, she found the exams very challenging.

What internship experience did Maddie have after her freshman year?

After her freshman year, Maddie interned at Amazon in Seattle through the Amazon Future Engineer program, where she worked on data analysis projects using Python and received a return offer for the following year.

How did Maddie’s approach to studying change during her sophomore year?

During her sophomore year, Maddie started to understand how exams worked at Berkeley and focused more on practice tests. She found some classes like CS 70, which was math and probability-heavy, more enjoyable and managed to perform better in those exams.

What type of roles is Maddie interested in pursuing in the future?

Maddie is interested in software engineering but also open to exploring roles like a technical product manager, where she can be involved in both tech and product development.

What was Maddie’s experience with the course CS 188 (Intro to AI)?

Maddie enjoyed the CS 188 course, finding it similar to CS 70, which she liked. Despite studying only a couple of days before the exams, she performed better than expected, which she attributed to her interest in the subject matter.

How did Maddie balance her academic life with extracurricular activities?

Maddie joined various clubs, including a fashion club, a consulting club, and a sorority, which helped her maintain a balance between her academic and social life. These activities also allowed her to explore her interests beyond computer science.

What advice does Maddie offer to students struggling with computer science courses?

Maddie advises students to persevere through the challenges, surround themselves with supportive peers, and explore other interests outside of academics to maintain a balanced college experience.