The Underlying Logic
I've been constantly advising people to study computer science. This advice, along with my suggestions to sell houses and invest in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, is not unfounded or impulsive. It's the result of extensive and long-term analysis and research. If you don't believe me, you can go through my previous tweets or videos to see if my analysis makes sense.
Real Estate as an Analogy
Take real estate for example. I recommend selling houses because I've analyzed and calculated the reasonable price of real estate. I've provided data from the United States, Europe, and Japan to show that no matter how high the real estate bubble is, it will always return to its mean. The reasonable price of real estate is about 30 times the annual rent, and rent should be around 40% - 50% of an ordinary person's monthly income. Through this quantitative analysis system, we can determine the real price level of China's real estate, and it's bound to decline.
Computer Science: The Best Choice
Studying computer science follows the same logic. I'm not just knowledgeable about computer science; I'm familiar with many other majors. I graduated from automation, and I've also studied biomedical engineering, electronics, and electrical engineering. In my early years, many of my classmates, like me, won provincial or national first and second prizes in mathematics. I can explain majors like mathematics, physics, chemistry, applied mathematics, computational physics, computational chemistry, and computational biology clearly. I've analyzed all these majors one by one and concluded that computer science is the best choice among them.
Misleading Advice and the Truth
Some people give irresponsible advice. For instance, they say that because there's a trend in brain-computer interfaces, everyone should study neuroscience or biomedical engineering. This is pure nonsense. They can't analyze the logic behind the news. Just because a company like Neuralink is established or hiring doesn't mean they can analyze how many people the company has, how much funding it has, or how large the industry is.
I say computer science is good because the technology and internet industry, as well as software outsourcing and programming-related industries, are huge in China, the United States, Europe, and Japan. These industries can fully guarantee the employment rate of graduates. Even in China, where it's said to be very difficult to find a job, computer science and programming are still the easiest fields. Many people claim that programmers are unemployed, but compared to other majors, the employment situation of computer science is much better. For 985 - level universities, the employment rate of computer science majors is over 95%, and for ordinary first - and second - tier universities, the employment rate of computer science majors is still around 40% - 60%, which is much higher than that of other majors.
Other Relatively Good Majors
Besides computer science, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering are also good choices, especially if your scores are not high enough for computer science. Although their upper limits are lower, their lower limits are relatively stable. For example, the employment rate of mechanical engineering majors in all Chinese universities is almost 100%. Even if you're not very good, you can work in factories, doing testing or research and development. Electronics majors also have a relatively stable employment situation. You can work in small embedded systems companies in Shenzhen, doing PCB design, circuit design, or writing single - chip microcomputer programs.
Majors to Avoid
However, some majors are not recommended. Some people advocate that mathematics and physics are extremely good, saying that all problems can be solved by mathematics and physics. Don't listen to them. There are also those who claim that majors don't matter and that engineering majors will make you a "tool person," and you should avoid becoming one. But for most ordinary people, including 90% of Tsinghua University students and 99.9% of students below the 985 level, it's almost impossible to escape the fate of being a "tool person." In today's economic situation, it's a blessing to be able to be a "tool person" for a lifetime.
The Myth of AI Replacing Programmers
Some people say that programming is no longer important because of ChatGPT and AI, and you can use AI to program without studying computer science. This is completely wrong. These people may not have programmed, completed a large-scale project, or worked in a company. They don't know how a large-scale software project operates in a team. AI is actually the hardest to replace programmers. Solving coding problems with ChatGPT is still very difficult, while AI has already been very mature in replacing lawyers, accountants, screenwriters, and public account writers.
The Illusion of Wealthy Families
Some people think that children from wealthy families don't need to study computer science and can study philosophy, literature, business, or economics instead. This is also a misunderstanding. Many wealthy people in their 60s don't have the ability to let their children choose not to work. Even in the wealthiest families in China, the value of the assets they leave may depreciate over time. Many people think they have a good business, but they don't know how long their company can last. In today's economic situation, many companies are closing down. You can't assume that your child doesn't need to work and can just inherit the family business.
The Importance of Practical Skills
For many families, you need to have your own judgment. If your family can't provide 100% support for your child, you should let your child learn a practical skill. Computer science is the best choice. Some people say that mathematics is the best major because it can solve financial and computer problems. This is also wrong. In the field of computer science, a computer science background and experience are very important. Although mathematics is useful, the mathematics courses in computer science undergraduate programs are sufficient.
Other Considerations
In addition to computer science, majors like electronics, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering can also ensure employment. Majors like clinical medicine are also good, especially for students with scores between 580 and 630. Majors like medical laboratory science, nursing, stomatology, and veterinary medicine are also options. There are also some majors that are highly specialized for specific industries, such as railway and civil aviation majors, which can lead to stable jobs in related industries.
However, majors like management, humanities, and social sciences, as well as some theoretical science majors like mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology, are not recommended. These majors may lead to limited career development and a large gap between expectations and reality.
The Reality of Product Management and Operation
Some people think that they can become product managers or operations without studying computer science. This is also a wrong idea. The competition for product management positions is extremely fierce. Even students from top universities like Tsinghua and Peking University have a hard time getting product management jobs in top technology companies. Product managers need a lot of internships and practical experience, and they are highly dependent on the platform. Once they are laid off, it's very difficult to find a new job. Operations positions are also not as good as they seem. They are often regarded as打杂 jobs, and the employment situation is not stable.
The Key to Success in Computer Science
Finally, some people choose computer science but still can't find a job. The main reason is that they don't study hard. Computer science is a practical major. Even if you only attend a three-month training course without a college degree, you can still find a job if you study hard. But if you don't study at all during your college years, even if you graduate with a computer science degree, you won't be able to find a job. You need to master basic knowledge such as data structures and algorithms. In short, choosing computer science is not a guarantee of success. You need to study hard and gain practical experience to succeed in this field.
I hope this article can help you make a more informed choice about your future major. Remember, choosing a major is like a second chance at life, so make sure you choose wisely.
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