Haha fair point 😅 college should’ve been that one-stop place… but let’s be real, most of us walked out knowing way less than we thought we would. A degree proves patience, not that you actually built stuff.
That’s kinda why I keep wishing there was a version of that idea done right — where you actually learn by building, mess with real projects, and get feedback along the way. Would’ve saved a lot of people from the “3 years in and still clueless” panic.
For sure — OSS on a resume hits different, shows you actually worked on real code with real teams. Way better than just listing “C++ basics” or whatever. And honestly, even small projects you’ve hacked together look solid if you can talk about what you built and what you learned. Pair that with some guidance and you’ve basically got a mini-portfolio that stands ou
100%, open source is like a crash course you can’t get in class. Real code, real people reviewing your stuff, you pick up good habits fast. The only tricky part is knowing where/how to jump in — most repos look intimidating as hell when you’re new.
That’s why I feel like having projects you can start smaller with, break apart, and get some feedback on would be such a smoother ramp. Once you build that confidence, contributing to big OSS projects doesn’t feel so scary.
True, if you survived 3 years without failing out, you’re not as hopeless as you think 😂. And yeah, GitHub is stacked with projects — problem is, it’s kinda overwhelming when you don’t know where to even start or what’s worth digging into.
That’s why I keep thinking how useful it’d be if there was a space where stuff was a bit more structured — like projects you can actually pick up, tear down, get some guidance on, and then later flip into your own. Way less random than drowning in a million repos.
Lol true, low expectations are kinda a blessing — nobody’s waiting for you to be a genius on day one. But yeah, the “read some old tickets and figure it out” training style is rough. You end up wasting time guessing what matters.
Way better when you’ve got someone to point you straight or at least a solid project to mess with. Hands-on + a bit of guidance always beats digging through dusty docs alone.
100%. The ones who’ve actually been in the trenches and tinkered their way up make the best mentors. They cut the fluff and show you the real stuff that matters. That kinda guidance + just diving into projects is literally what helps folks like us go from “clueless” to “okay I got this.
Haha respect 👊 that’s the real deal — no college but still mentoring grads shows how little the paper matters compared to hands-on. Books say ROS2, real world says “yo, here’s modbus, break it till it clicks.”
That’s honestly the kind of guidance most freshers need — someone who can cut through the noise and say “this is what actually matters, go tinker.” Makes me think if more of us had that kinda space + mentorship earlier, we wouldn’t waste years stuck in theory.
Yeah, that’s real. Half the time we forget we actually picked up more than we think — even if it’s just knowing how to structure problems or think a certain way. That stuff does carry over.
And true, no one expects a fresher to roll in like a senior dev. What matters is showing you can learn fast once you’re in the game. That’s why I keep coming back to projects — building stuff, even small hacks, forces you to learn by doing. And if you can get a little feedback along the way, you level up way quicker. That combo of “mindset from uni + learn-by-building” feels like the real win.
Haha yeah, that hits. School’s mostly just endurance training — sit through boring crap, collect the paper, prove you can stick it out. Doesn’t really mean you walk out job-ready. And you’re right, nobody actually knows anything straight out of school, the real test is how fast you can pick stuff up once you’re tossed into the fire.
That’s why I feel like the smartest move now is just to start building/rewiring your brain through actual projects. Even small ones. Tear something apart, rebuild it, mess with it till it makes sense. Pair that with a bit of guidance from people already in the grind and boom — suddenly you look less like a clueless fresher and more like someone who can adapt fast. And that’s honestly all most companies are looking for anyway.
Yeah true, no magic hack here — you gotta put in the hours no matter what. Can’t dodge that part. But I feel like there are ways to make those hours hit harder. Like instead of grinding random theory, grab a project that already exists, break it down, mess with it, and learn as you rebuild. Cuts out a lot of wasted time.
Plus if you’ve got someone experienced to point out “yo, focus here, skip that” it saves weeks of trial and error. So yeah, hours are non-negotiable, but you can still optimize the grind so it doesn’t feel like you’re starting from zero.
Facts. Diploma’s just a piece of paper, man. What really counts is the stuff you actually make. Writing, building, whatever — as long as it’s useful and not just textbook bs. Half the time we get stuck solving fake problems no one cares about, instead of creating something we’d actually use ourselves.
Even if it’s messy at first, just grab some project, tear it apart, mess with it, make it your own. That’s where the real learning happens. Guidance helps, sure, but end of the day it’s just you building stuff you vibe with. That’s what actually sticks
Haha wow, Minecraft mods as a tween? Respect 😂. Totally feel you — college teaches the basics, but anything actually used in the real world you’re usually left to figure out on your own.
Props for grinding Spring + React on your own — that’s exactly how you actually learn stuff. Makes me wish there was a space where you could start with real projects, tinker, get some guidance, and slowly build a portfolio without scrambling last minute. Way less chaos than figuring it all out solo in the final year.