As a 2nd year Computer Systems Engineering student, what skills/projects should I focus on?
Title: 2nd year Computer Systems Engineering student — what skills/projects should I focus on?
Hey everyone,
I’m currently in my second year doing a BSc in Computer Systems Engineering, and I’ve been thinking about what I should actually be doing outside of my normal coursework to improve my skills and make my CV/GitHub look better.
At the moment I’ve worked with Java, Python, SQL, HTML/CSS/JavaScript, and I’m also using things like Git/GitHub, VS Code, IntelliJ, WSL2 and Docker. Most of what we’re doing at university right now is stuff like databases, OOP/OOAD, data analytics, UML/system modelling and statistical mathematics.
The main thing I’m struggling with is figuring out what I should actually focus on learning and building next.
I don't want my GitHub to just be full of basic calculator, to-do list and CRUD projects. I’d like to build some things that are a bit more interesting and actually show that I understand how systems work.
For example, I was thinking about things like:
- System monitoring tools
- Networking-related projects
- Containerized services
- Database-heavy applications
- Automation tools
- Something involving Linux/WSL
- Projects that combine software with more systems-level concepts
So I guess my questions are:
- What kind of projects would you recommend for a 2nd-year CSE student that would actually be worth putting on GitHub?
- What technical skills should I be focusing on at this stage? Should I start learning C/C++, networking, operating systems, DevOps, etc.?
- If you work in software/systems engineering, what skills do you normally see junior students lacking?
- Are there any resources or projects you would recommend that helped you when you were at this stage?
I’m basically trying to make sure I’m not just learning random technologies for the sake of it. I want to build a good foundation now and hopefully have some decent projects to show when I start applying for internships.