Don't know what path to take

I don't know if this is the right board for this but I'll shoot my shot. I am currently in my last year of high school and have been programming for quite some time now. Started learning web dev around 10 months ago. It seemed fun at first and I have made two websites in the mean time. The reason I am making this thread is because I don't like doing web dev as much as I used to. I realized that the pretty whole field is just doing the same problem with different tools (Doing the same CRUD app with different frameworks or making the same design pattern with a different front end library(I might be wrong about this so please do correct me if that's the case.)) . That's why I have been considering trying something new. Because I want to turn this hobby of mine into a job someday and don't want to get stuck into doing something I don't enjoy, I am a little bit more picky about my choices and don't want to waste my time. I considered a few options: >mobile dev I don't really like the mobile market in general as it boils down to either Google or Apple. Also, the smartphone is pretty limited with the touchscreen. >game dev To me, this isn't such a bad idea, although I am not really big on gaming and have heard that the industry can be kind of hostile for newcomers. I've also considered other paths like data science and low-level programming, but I believe I am too stupid to go down that path. This thread might not be that comprehensive or constructive, but I really don't know what to do. Maybe I'm just being dramatic. What do you lainons think?

My professional experience as a web dev is that what you do on a day by day basis largely depends on the company you work for and the kind of customers they have. The greatest part of what I do is the same old CRUD application, but I've had plenty of occasions of doing more interesting stuff (web scrapers, communication with other systems, systems work etc.) So I'd say work as a web dev but train yourself to be a generalist.

I would recommend you to just explore things. Try low-level programming, try data science, try game dev. By taking a closer look at various areas you increase your chances of discovering something great. Moreover, you might not even be aware right now of what is this great and interesting thing. Broaden your experience and great things might come your way.

>>29281 >web dev >mobile dev web developers and mobile developers get work more easily than game developers. All developers (even embedded ones!) should know HTML+CSS+JabbaShit. I would say, go for mobile dev because I think your work can be more varied that way. >data science and low-level programming Try them. Also, Practice math and basic physics. Learn basic/intermediate calculus. If you don't know where to start, I recommend Precalculus Mathematics in a Nutshell by George F. Simmons (it's a small book that contains everything you need to learn before calculus). For calculus, I recommend Calculus: An Intuitive and Physical Approach by Morris Kline (be warned though: the book uses an unorthodox style which may not suit everybody's preferences)

>>29281 >too stupid Almost everything with programming and computing is the way it is because someone decided it to be this way. Most of it is wrong. There is so much more to computing than what we have today but corporate interests won. I recommend learning about the history of computing. Go back to Claude Shannon and read everything between him and Unix. Learn about John McCarthy, Ted Nelson, von Neumann, Turing, Minsky and Doug Englebart. You can go back before the 1930/40s but there isn't much there. Computers are a tool. Programming is a skill that you use to control that tool. Don't focusing on the skill. Focus on what the tool can be used for, what it is capable for and do that.

Not gamedev for sure, its a 110% hostile territory, if you have any doubts or undetermination you dont stand a chance. Its also a fuarrrking ghetto and never pays off. Not sure about mobile dev but its a filthy pit of evil too from what i know.

>>29303 >Computers are a tool. Programming is a skill that you use to control that tool. Don't focusing on the skill. Focus on what the tool can be used for, what it is capable for and do that. I strongly agree with you. However, that was the mindset that led to corporate interests taking over. They use that as an excuse to create garbage/bloated technologies and any shortcomings, redundancies, and defects it brings are excused because "it is all for the sake of getting things done" - only for a few years down the line, after everyone is using that technology, it is discovered to be bloated, limiting, and full of vulnerabilities, but the damage has been done an switching over to something better may take years (mostly due to business models and internal processes). Overall, my point is that, while "computers are a tool" is a valid mindset, it has been misused to justify bad software and, specially, devising of bad programming languages among other atrocities plaguing IT.

OP here >>29283 Thanks for the insight friend, appreciate it. That does sound interesting, however, how often does this interesting stuff come up if you dont mind answering >>29294 Yeah, you are right. I guess my biggest concern is time, it's kind of hard managing school, free time on other activities and preparing for the year-end exam that I have, but I guess those are problems that can be solved only by me. >>29297 I see your point. I may be naive, but I feel like I wouldn't really want to be limited to the Google or Apple ecosystem. >If you don't know where to start, I recommend Precalculus Mathematics in a Nutshell by George F. Simmons (it's a small book that contains everything you need to learn before calculus). >For calculus, I recommend Calculus: An Intuitive and Physical Approach by Morris Kline (be warned though: the book uses an unorthodox style which may not suit everybody's preferences) Thanks for the recommendations, will try them. >>29303 >Almost everything with programming and computing is the way it is because someone decided it to be this way. Yeah, standards set by someone way smarter than you and me probably. Smart people shape society most of the time. >Most of it is wrong. In what ways do you mean wrong? Wrong implies there is a right way to do it, but since these people set the standards, those are the right ways of doing things. (I may be missing your point here) >corporate interests won I guess that is the reason why I have this distaste for web dev in general, but maybe the internet has shaped my opinions too much on this matter. This distaste may also come from the fact that ive mostly heard the sentence "anyone can get into web dev, no college required" when web dev gets mentioned. Along with these 6 month bootcamps that keep popping up, but maybe I'm just focusing on other people too much. >Computers are a tool. Programming is a skill that you use to control that tool. Don't focusing on the skill. Focus on what the tool can be used for, what it is capable for and do that. I guess you are right and there are a lot of things that can be done with that tool, good or bad. The reason I made this thread is mostly because I was lost (still am) and didn't know which way to go. >>29324 >Not gamedev for sure, its a 110% hostile territory, if you have any doubts or undetermination you dont stand a chance. Yeah, i've seen how filthy and nasty gamers can be, it''s not a pleasant sight (Mostly because I used to be one) >>29337 It's crazy how much tech giants have taken over the IT field and how much they have ruined it. But of course they don't care whether they create bloat since their only goal is profit.

>>29339 >how often does this interesting stuff come up Depends on the whims of certain clients. I've been with the company for almost 10 years, so there is some stuff I'm basically the most qualified person to call when new features are needed and when someone has architectural questions. Those were rather big projects that were done when a single team of three people used to do everything, from provisioning the VMs to the last line of JavaScript on the frontend. For some of those I'm the last dev still with the company, so that's when I do stuff a bit out of the ordinary. All of this to say, I can't even guesstimate how often this happens. In 2020 basically half the time, in 2021 not so much, 2022 is anyone's guess.