Ask HN: What was the most useful elective you took in school?
26 comments
Unix System Programming. A course largely based around https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Programming-UNIX-Environment...
An interesting side-effect of this course - I got _really_ good at using a console/command prompt and handling text with vim and pipes and filters and other text manipulation. I think this has helped me me productive at my jobs way more than I thought it would :)
An interesting side-effect of this course - I got _really_ good at using a console/command prompt and handling text with vim and pipes and filters and other text manipulation. I think this has helped me me productive at my jobs way more than I thought it would :)
Various economics courses, such as macro/microeconomics and corporate finance. These gave me a foundation for understanding investing, once I had some money to invest. (I was a CS major.)
The most useful one by a long degree for me was one where the professor was exceptional and one I related heavily with and learned from personally. At least at my uni there were very few of those. It was a capstone course in some humanities subject. I have come to believe that students often significantly underestimate the effect a professor can have, and it’s very worthwhile to research and even meet potential future professors/mentors prior to signing on to a course where $100s-$1000s will be spent (it’s actually kind of insane that most people don’t spend more time on this given the cost.)
Probably the two most useful courses I took period were electives as part of my business minor.
Financial Accounting has been incredibly useful to understand how businesses operate and why they make many of the decisions they do. Not to mention understanding a bit about finances helps with investing.
Marketing was also a very important course, though not as a direct application as it is taught. Finding a job, and indeed many things at work require you to market yourself and/or your ideas. Understanding the principles of marketing makes being successful at your career much easier.
Financial Accounting has been incredibly useful to understand how businesses operate and why they make many of the decisions they do. Not to mention understanding a bit about finances helps with investing.
Marketing was also a very important course, though not as a direct application as it is taught. Finding a job, and indeed many things at work require you to market yourself and/or your ideas. Understanding the principles of marketing makes being successful at your career much easier.
As a computer science grad, I am glad that I took few subjects from humanities stream like science technology and society, introduction to Plato etc. It equipped me to read much larger literature, taught me to raise right kind of questions and challenged me go out of my context and rethink my own opinion
A really practical one is some type of finance course. It’s amazing how few people understand basic finance, accounting, debt management, etc. An alternative could be a business or entrepreneurship course, if you’re interested in going your own way.
I was studying geology and took a course on programming for geologists. Getting a job as a geologist is very hard, instead I built an entire career on that one course.
That’s amazing
That was 50 years ago, and the barriers to enter the programming profession were much lower. I'm sure that I couldn't do it today.
Japanese. Led me to study in Japan, get married and start a small business here.
What is your small business? How is it to setup and operate business in Japan?
Candyjapan
He has a blog about it.
He has a blog about it.
I can second taking a language as the most useful elective...and it leading to moving to Japan, studying here, getting married etc.
Quantitative Systems Neuroscience. I was pursuing an EE degree and while I like signals and embedded, this class introduced me to the idea of neurological circuits and machine learning, and I've since been pursuing a career in academic research around that.
Symbolic logic 1, 2, and 3.
Years later I launched a career in programming and these classes gave me an enormous edge
Years later I launched a career in programming and these classes gave me an enormous edge
Journalism.
Specifically, basic journalistic writing practice. Taking a pile of info and turning it into a very concise and efficient written report. Valuable beyond measure.
Psst, here’s the secret (same as with breeding guppies): cull, cull, cull.
Specifically, basic journalistic writing practice. Taking a pile of info and turning it into a very concise and efficient written report. Valuable beyond measure.
Psst, here’s the secret (same as with breeding guppies): cull, cull, cull.
Accounting, typing, psych class (human growth and Dev), graphic design and photography.
Figure drawing.
It taught me how to see. The professor was absolutely amazing, and the stuff he taught us was as much about life as it was about drawing.
This led to later courses in painting and photography that expanded on this. I almost became a professional photographer, but I realized that the art was addictive for me in an unhealthy way. I would get lost in my art and forget to eat, sleep, etc. While exhilarating, that was not the life I wanted to lead.
Note that the quality of the professor matters much more than the specific medium for most art courses, imho.
It taught me how to see. The professor was absolutely amazing, and the stuff he taught us was as much about life as it was about drawing.
This led to later courses in painting and photography that expanded on this. I almost became a professional photographer, but I realized that the art was addictive for me in an unhealthy way. I would get lost in my art and forget to eat, sleep, etc. While exhilarating, that was not the life I wanted to lead.
Note that the quality of the professor matters much more than the specific medium for most art courses, imho.
Entrepreneurship, as a CS major. Only exposure to business, and has helped me a lot. Having some sort of process is invaluable to someone new to the (startup) industry.
Probability and Statistics. Forms the basis of modern AI ;)
Art History. Gives you new eyes. Also...if you’re a boy—great place to meet girls. PG reccomend this and I followed and second his advice.
Spanish
Technical Writing
Can you explain a bit more?
In grade school English classes there was always an emphasis on creative writing with rich imagery and a strong aesthetic sense. That is wonderful for entertainment and humourus conversation, but when taken too far makes your writing voice sound flowery, condescending or simply difficult to understand.
Technical writing teaches you to have a second voice which is simple, direct and unambiguous. It's a huge asset for business communication, documentation and SOPs.
Technical writing teaches you to have a second voice which is simple, direct and unambiguous. It's a huge asset for business communication, documentation and SOPs.
Interpersonal communication
Political philosophy, intro to finance, and business law
Speech. I learned I'm really good at speeches.
[deleted]
Spatial Information Systems
Distributed systems
Computers
Which ones have you found to be the most practical?