All this stuff with %iles and such. It honestly sounds to me like rich people stuff.

Since many exams here use %ile scores, that’s why I used it in the OP. I guess i should have explained it there, but I’ll do it here : say you are in the 90th percentile, it means you scored better than 90% of the other scores (basically, other students) in that dataset. Another way to look at it is that you scored worse than only 10% candidates. While 90%ile may sound like a big deal, the total number of appearing candidates makes a big difference : 90%ile among 1000 candidates - your rank is 100; but 90%ile in 1 million candidates - your rank drops to 100k.

And with the number of seats being ~25k in IITs/NITs, your score (mine, actually) won’t secure you admission.

When you use phrases like “a meagre paying job” what does that materially mean?

Starting salary at WITCH is 3-4 lpa (lakhs per annum, or 300k to 400k, in local currency not dollars) for entry level posts, which is considered meagre by all accounts. Even the government defines EWS (economically weaker section) as having income less than 8 lpa.

If that’s who you are interested in

Not explicitly. Any advice is welcome. That’s why I put it at the bottom.

post in an appropriate forum … such as german-language areas or the 1/2 of the fediverse that is tech-specific.

I could have also gone to my country specific academic subreddit. But I aksed here, because I wanted advice from hexbears.

I see the word “comrade” but I can’t tell what your political goal is if any. IF you are seeking comrades, do not go to school to find them. Join a political organization, campaign, etc.

I was about to, but the communist organisations here are communist in name only. Most student unions are tied to big political parties (you know the ones )

You probably shouldn’t name your school in your post.

Will fix.

I am trying to get out of India, but with the stability of a job overseas or at least a chance to pursue higher education affordably. That is proving to be a hurdle since the living costs are so high.

Bottom line : I will move overseas, If not through higher education, then definitely through a job later in life.

What do you want to get into comp sciences for?

If I had to answer in one word : interest, i believe? I tried to explain it in the OP, but i guess English as a 2nd language has failed me.

Now, the reason why I chose engineering as a field in the first place was because I could pursue my interest ie Comp Sci (i’m not a reactionary techbro, i swear), and get a decent job to boot (could’ve done bsc comp sci or bca but the job prospects are slim). I didn’t and still don’t really care about the ‘engineer’ label. I didn’t imagine myself working for big tech. Rather, I would have loved to work for a small open source project and if that couldn’t help feed me then go for either research or teaching.

If you’re asking why, exactly, do I have an interest in Comp Sci — what, exactly, in the world of computers, fascinates me? — I’m not sure I can explain it very well. I just do - ever since my parents brought home a PC when I was little. I guess I like tinkering with stuff? (god, how i am ever going to pass an interview?)

Sticking with engineering would be good if you’re interested in developing skills relating to 3d modeling or programming CNCs.

While extremely fascinating fields in their own right, I don’t see myself becoming a 3d modeller or CNC programmer. I like the craft, but as a spectator, watching YouTube videos about other people doing it. Maybe If I change my mind in the future?

I would suggest that if you are not able to attend an elite school, focus on finding a school or a professional role where you can develop skills through project work, not just from classwork.

I get the feeling that you’re talking about diploma and certificate/training courses here. If you could provide a few examples (doesn’t necessarily have to be from my country, just something from which I can get a reference), it’ll be extremely helpful.

The time to specialize can come later into a professional career, but it’s much easier to be a good designer if you know a little about many things, instead of a lot about a few things.

That’s why I was inclined towards core CS, instead of specializations like AI or Data Science. And about the mechanical thing — Well, I have already been handed the cancellation letter, so I can’t do much about it.

I’m not sure I’ve been very helpful.

As I’ve said, any little thought — any advice at all — is appreciated.

Just make sure you’re being fair to yourself and not condemning your future self to a long recovery process. Burnout takes 4 years to recover from

Yeah, that’s why I planned to get a sense of the load in the first semester, and see if the technical course would be doable.

but for people in the global south like us that may be a huge sum to put together while you technically can’t even work there. On top of that you have living expenses and so on, and rent in Germany is downright criminal.

That’s exactly what I was worried about. The only people who are able to afford foreign education here are the children of politicians or businessman, of which I am neither. 1000 euro is already more than half of our yearly household income.

Also, given the rightward turn in German politics, and the huge investment in arms at the expense of social services they’re planning, it wouldn’t surprise me if in the future they decided to follow the UK’s or Italy’s lead to charge foreigners a higher price.

Yup, the recent popularity of right wing and anti-immigration parties had me a little worried too. Also one of the reasons I thought, ‘Was putting German in 1st preference the wrong choice?’. Guess I’ll have to continue my higher education here for the time being.

Sorry for rambling, but I hope this is of some help.

Please don’t be. Your experience with both humanities and tech was extremely valuable. The fact you wanted to do nerdy shit after college, just like me, and then changed changed fields, has given me a lot to think about. I’ve read it elsewhere as well, something along the lines of ‘don’t turn your hobby into a job’.

Honesty, I couldn’t have asked for a better perspective.