Title: I'm trying to choose between CS+Stats and becoming an electrician. I genuinely can't tell which is the less stupid decision anymore.
I'm a pharmacist in South Africa. Burned out. Retail/public-facing work drains the life out of me and I need out before I wake up at 45 wondering what the hell happened.
I've narrowed it down to two completely different paths and the more research I do, the more confused I get.
Option 1:
BSc Computer Science + Statistics. Probably aiming toward data engineering / ML infrastructure eventually. Not generic web dev if I can avoid it.
Option 2:
Red Seal electrician. Industrial/maintenance side maybe. PLC/automation stuff looks interesting. Residential work honestly looks miserable.
Here's the problem.
My personality screams CS. I like logic-heavy work. I don't enjoy constant interaction with people. I prefer indoor/technical/intellectual work. Remote work matters to me. I can sit with a problem for 8 hours and not care if it's interesting enough.
But the actual market data keeps dragging me back toward trades.
Electricians seem way harder to replace, easier to emigrate with, and less exposed to AI wiping out entry-level work. Especially industrial guys. Every country on earth seems desperate for them.
Meanwhile every second post about CS sounds like:
"400 applications, no interviews, junior market dead, AI replacing interns, degree isn't enough anymore."
And honestly? I can't tell how much of that is real versus terminally-online doomposting.
Other issue:
I am NOT naturally hands-on. At all. I can handle physical work if I have to, but I don't dream about climbing around industrial sites in summer heat talking shit with crews at 6AM. The long-term wear-and-tear side of trades worries me too. So does injury risk.
But the idea of spending 4+ years studying CS just to maybe fight 2000 other grads for remote jobs also sounds insane.
So I guess I'm asking people actually working in these fields:
- How bad is the CS market really for someone starting from zero in 2026?
- How much of electrical work is genuinely physical/social versus technical troubleshooting?
- Which path actually survives "average ability" better long term?
- Which one emigrates easier in real life, not immigration website fantasy?
- If you were starting over today, would you still choose your field?
No motivational crap please. I don't need "follow your passion." I'm trying to avoid making a catastrophically wrong decision that'll cost me the next 20 years.