My name is Bless Kimbi
Starting a Computer Science degree, I thought I had a rough idea of what I was signing up for. I was wrong about a lot of it. Here's what I wish someone had told me before day one.
1. Grades don't matter as much as you think projects do
I spent way too much energy chasing perfect exam scores early on. What actually opened doors later was having things I'd built: a scrappy CLI tool, a half-broken web app, a bot that automated something I was too lazy to do by hand. Employers and even professors care more about "show me what you made" than "show me your transcript."
Takeaway: Start a side project in your first semester, even a bad one. Ship something.
2. You will not use most of what you memorize
Big-O notation, sorting algorithms, compiler theory some of it sticks, most of it fades unless you keep using it. What does stick is the way of thinking: breaking a messy problem into smaller pieces, reasoning about tradeoffs, knowing where to look things up. CS isn't really about memorizing facts, it's about training a particular kind of problem-solving muscle.
Takeaway: Focus on understanding why something works, not memorizing syntax or formulas. You can always look up the formula.
3. Imposter syndrome doesn't go away it just changes shape
I assumed the constant feeling of "everyone here is smarter than me" would fade once I got comfortable. It didn't disappear; it just moved. First it was "I don't understand recursion." Then it became "I don't understand system design." Now it's "I don't understand this new framework everyone's using." Turns out that's just what being in tech feels like — always slightly behind the frontier.
Takeaway: That feeling isn't a signal you don't belong. It's a signal the field moves fast. Everyone's faking it a little.
4. Math matters, but not in the way you'd expect
I worried a lot about being "not a math person." In reality, most day-to-day CS work leans more on logical thinking than heavy calculus. But when math does show up discrete math, linear algebra for ML, probability for algorithms it shows up hard, and skipping the fundamentals makes those courses miserable.
Takeaway: Don't panic about math, but don't blow off discrete math and linear algebra either. Future-you will thank present-you.
5. Your network matters more than your GPA
Study groups, TAs, professors, classmates who become coworkers later these relationships compound over years. I underestimated this hard. The people you sit next to in a 8am lecture might be the ones referring you to your first job, or the ones you're building a startup with in five years.
Takeaway: Show up. Talk to people. Join the club, go to the hackathon, ask the dumb question in office hours.
6. "Learning to learn" is the actual degree
Technologies you learn in year one will likely be outdated (or at least unfashionable) by the time you graduate. The real skill CS teaches is how to pick up something new quickly — read docs, debug from first principles, tolerate being confused for a while before it clicks.
Takeaway: Get comfortable being a beginner over and over. That never stops in this field.
7. Burnout is real, and "just push through" isn't a strategy
I pulled a lot of unnecessary all-nighters trying to prove something to myself. It made me worse at the work, not better. Sustainable pace beats heroics almost every time.
Takeaway: Protect your sleep and your off-hours. Tired brains write bad code.
If you're just starting out, none of this should be discouraging it's honestly a great field, and most of these lessons just mean you'll enjoy it more once you know them going in.
What do you wish you'd known before starting? Drop it in the comments.
Connect with me:
- GitHub: https://github.com/Blesskimbi
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bless-kimbi-09413936a/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blesskimbi
- Instagram: https://ig.me/m/blesskimbi
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