u/TheBeastyPlays

Okay so I'm about to enroll in BS Software Engineering, and I'm stuck between UET KSK and PUCIT. Before anyone says "university doesn't matter, self-learning does," I know. I already dug through both curriculums myself, and honestly it confirmed my fears more than it reassured me.

UET is still teaching Adobe Flex. Let that sink in. A technology Adobe itself killed off years ago. PUCIT isn't much better, Java Servlets is still sitting proudly in the syllabus like it's cutting-edge. So if anyone's about to tell me "trust the degree," I've already seen the receipts. That said, if someone here has actually studied at either, I do want real input: faculty quality, peer network, society culture, which one actually pushes students toward internships/jobs rather than just handing out relics of a syllabus.

But the bigger question I need this sub's brain trust for is what to actually self-teach.

Here's my situation: I like coding, I'm willing to put in a full year of serious, focused work, and my end goal is freelancing, I need this to eventually pay for my own tuition. What I don't want is to burn a year chasing a skill that sounds good in tutorials but is dead on arrival in the actual market.

A few walls I keep hitting:

Frontend/MERN: I don't have the taste for UI work, and from the outside it looks brutally saturated. WordPress devs, MERN bootcamp grads, everyone and their cousin is competing for the same $50 Fiverr gigs. If I'm wrong about this, if there's real money and real demand hiding behind the saturation, tell me, because I'd rather be corrected now than find out in month 8.

Node.js backend alone: every time I look closer, pure backend gigs seem rare on freelance platforms. Most listings want a full-stack person, which drags me right back to frontend.

So, developers of Pakistan, if you were 18 again, sitting where I am, chasing freelance income with zero interest in frontend, what would you actually put your hours into? Scraping/automation? Something backend-adjacent but standalone? Or am I wrong about MERN's saturation being a dealbreaker?

Genuinely not looking for hype or an echo chamber, looking for what's actually landing people paid work in 2026. Roast my assumptions if you need to.

Curriculum for both still teaches dead tech (Adobe Flex at UET, Java Servlets at PUCIT 💀). So I already know the degree won't make me industry-ready, I'm self-teaching regardless. Two real questions for this sub:

1. PUCIT or UET KSK? Not asking about the syllabus. Asking about faculty, peer network, and which one actually pushes students toward internships/jobs.

2. What should I self-teach for freelancing?

No taste for frontend, so MERN is off the table for me personally

Pure Node.js backend: most gigs on Upwork/Fiverr bundle it with full-stack, hard to sell standalone

MERN/WordPress in general looks oversaturated to me. Millions of devs, race to the bottom pricing

If I'm wrong about any of this, correct me now, not in month 8. Willing to grind a full year, just want to grind on the right thing. What's actually landing people paid freelance work in 2026?

Curriculum for both still teaches dead tech (Adobe Flex at UET, Java Servlets at PUCIT 💀). So I already know the degree won't make me industry-ready, I'm self-teaching regardless. Two real questions for this sub:

1. PUCIT or UET KSK? Not asking about the syllabus. Asking about faculty, peer network, and which one actually pushes students toward internships/jobs.

2. What should I self-teach for freelancing?

No taste for frontend, so MERN is off the table for me personally

Pure Node.js backend: most gigs on Upwork/Fiverr bundle it with full-stack, hard to sell standalone

MERN/WordPress in general looks oversaturated to me. Millions of devs, race to the bottom pricing

If I'm wrong about any of this, correct me now, not in month 8. Willing to grind a full year, just want to grind on the right thing. What's actually landing people paid freelance work in 2026?

I want to learn any skill. I know my university isn't going to make me industry ready, so I want to self learn. Can someone suggest me what should I should learn which I could eventually freelance?

I'm starting university in BS in Computer Science/ Software Engineering. I know this program will make me industry ready on their own (I know my university), so Ill need to self-teach alongside my degree. I want a skill set aligned with Computer Science/Software Engineering that lets me freelance. I'm not in a rush and I'm willing to put in serious time. ChatGPT suggested Node.js backend development (JS, Node, Express, TS, PostgreSQL), plus Playwright/Cheerio and LLM APls for web scraping and automation. How's this plan? I don't want to end up as just another CS/SE grad who leaned on their degree and became a generic web dev. What should I actually learn? Is it realistic to have sellable skills within a year so I can start earning by second year, or should I plan for longer?

I want a skill set aligned with Computer Science/Software Engineering that lets me freelance (learning alongside University work). I'm not in a rush and I'm willing to put in serious time. ChatGPT suggested Node.js backend development (JS, Node, Express, TS, PostgreSQL), plus Playwright/Cheerio and LLM APls for web scraping and automation. How's this plan? I don't want to end up as just another CS/SE grad who leaned on their degree and became a generic web dev. What should I actually learn? Is it realistic to have sellable skills within a year so I can start earning by second year, or should I plan for longer?

I'm starting university this year and torn between UET Lahore/KSK or PUCIT for Software Engineering or should I do BSCS, BSSE, BSAI, or BSDS instead? I'm genuinely interested in all of them. I know none of these programs will make me industry ready on their own, so Ill need to self-teach alongside my degree. I want a skill set aligned with CS/SE that lets me freelance. I'm not in a rush and I'm willing to put in serious time. ChatGPT suggested Node.js backend development (JS, Node, Express, TS, PostgreSQL), plus Playwright/Cheerio and LLM APls for web scraping and automation. How's this plan? I don't want to end up as just another CS/SE grad who leaned on their degree and became a generic web dev. What should I actually learn? Is it realistic to have sellable skills within a year so I can start earning by second year, or should I plan for longer?

I'm starting university this year and torn between UET Lahore/KSK or PUCIT for Software Engineering or should I do BSCS, BSSE, BSAI, or BSDS instead? I'm genuinely interested in all of them. I know none of these degree programs will make me industry ready on their own, so I'll need to self-teach alongside my degree. I want a skill set aligned with CS/SE that lets me freelance. I'm not in a rush and I'm willing to put in serious time. ChatGPT suggested Node.js backend development (JS, Node, Express, TS, PostgreSQL), plus Playwright/Cheerio and LLM APls for web scraping and automation. How's this plan? I don't want to end up as just another CS/SE grad who leaned on their degree and became a generic web dev. What should I actually learn? Is it realistic to have sellable skills within a year so I can start earning by second year, or should I plan for longer?

Seniors, What do you recommend? CS or SE?

CS (Main) vs SE (KSK) vs CS(KSK)

If you say CS,

CS (MAIN) VS CS (KSK)?

There's a penalty for gap yearers in PU. Like for one gap year, your aggregate= aggregate-2 (I hope you understand what I'm saying). Is there anything like that in UET? Does anyone know about that? The admission cell doesn't reply!

السَّلامُ عَلَيْكُم ورَحْمَةُ اللّٰہِ وَبَرَكاتُهُ

I'm starting university this year and torn between UET Lahore/KSK or PUCIT for Software Engineering or should I do BSCS, BSSE, BSAI, or BSDS instead? I'm genuinely interested in all of them.

I know none of these programs will make me industry ready on their own, so I'll need to self-teach alongside my degree. I want a skill set aligned with CS/SE that lets me freelance. I'm not in a rush and I'm willing to put in serious time.

ChatGPT suggested Node.js backend development (JS, Node, Express, TS, PostgreSQL), plus Playwright/Cheerio and LLM APIs for web scraping and automation. How's this plan?

I don't want to end up as just another CS/SE grad who leaned on their degree and became a generic web dev. What should I actually learn? Is it realistic to have sellable skills within a year so I can start earning by second year, or should I plan for longer?

Aggregate 83.37

Possible in A1 Main in CS, DS, Cys

Or A1 KSK in SE, AI, DS, Cys?

I have aggregate of 83.37. I want admission in SE. It's In A1 only in KSK. I want to ask seniors from SE KSK, is it good? Do you recommend? Or I should also add Other computing programs available in A1 in Main? Like DS and Cyber security?