--- title: CS degrees dropped low-level programming and the... description: A viral video by YouTuber Laurie Wired argues that CS programs fail students by teaching Python first without ever following up with material that builds an... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/cs-degrees-dropped-low-level-programming-and-the-industry-is-noticing-vyrrxpneq twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: CS degrees dropped low-level programming and the industry is noticing | daily.dev og:description: A viral video by YouTuber Laurie Wired argues that CS programs fail students by teaching Python first without ever following up with material that builds an... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/cs-degrees-dropped-low-level-programming-and-the-industry-is-noticing-vyrrxpneq og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/vyrRxPneQ.png og:image:alt: CS degrees dropped low-level programming and the industry is noticing og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # CS degrees dropped low-level programming and the industry is noticing **[Trends](https://daily.dev/sources/trends)** · 2 min read · 149 upvotes · 36 comments ## Summary A viral video by YouTuber Laurie Wired argues that CS programs fail students by teaching Python first without ever following up with material that builds an understanding of memory, cache behavior, and hardware fundamentals. GPU engineer Seb Aaltonen and a TheStandup panelist add supporting anecdotes, including one panelist admitting they aced a Java-heavy degree without ever understanding heap vs stack. The discussion turns into a broader debate about whether CS degrees should split into applied (job-ready) and theoretical (foundations-focused) tracks, with the consensus being that Python as a first language is fine, but skipping a low-level course entirely leaves a lasting gap that hiring engineers keep noticing. ## Content A video by YouTuber Laurie Wired arguing that CS programs are failing students by starting them on Python instead of C or C++ has been making the rounds, and the reactions are pointed. The core complaint isn't really about Python. It's that most programs never follow up with anything that forces students to understand what's actually happening on the hardware. Memory management, heap vs stack, SIMD, cache behavior, virtual memory - the stuff that stays relevant for decades - gets skipped entirely in a lot of curricula. Seb Aaltonen, a GPU engineer, put it bluntly: "It's problematic that CS majors don't understand how computers work anymore. C/C++ translation to ASM is easy enough to understand. We have debuggers showing the emitted instructions that machine will execute. Python is too far from HW." One of the TheStandup panelists admitted to acing a Java-heavy CS program without ever genuinely understanding heap and stack memory, calling it a personal failure. That kind of confession is doing more work than any abstract argument - it's a working developer saying the degree didn't actually teach them how computers work. The more interesting debate underneath all this is what a CS degree is even supposed to be. Theory? Job prep? Both? The panel floated the idea of splitting into applied and theoretical tracks, similar to how math programs handle it. Applied CS gets you job-ready fast. Theoretical CS gives you the foundations to understand systems at a level that doesn't expire when the framework does. The consensus forming in the discourse: Python as a first language is fine. The mistake is treating it as the only language, and never making students sit with something that forces them to think about what the machine is actually doing. A strong low-level course - C, Rust, doesn't matter much - isn't about the language. It's about building a mental model that survives the next 30 years of tooling changes. The people pushing back hardest on the current state of CS education aren't academics. They're engineers who hire new grads and keep running into the same gap. ## Questions this post answers ### Why do some engineers think CS graduates don't understand how computers work? Many CS programs teach Python as the primary or only language and never require students to work with memory management, heap versus stack, cache behavior, or how code translates to assembly. GPU engineer Seb Aaltonen argues Python is too abstracted from hardware, while C or C++ makes the translation to machine instructions easy to inspect via debuggers, building a mental model that survives decades of tooling changes. _daily.dev surfaces perspectives like this for developers deciding how deep to go on systems fundamentals._ ### Should CS degrees split into applied and theoretical tracks? Some educators and engineers propose splitting computer science degrees into applied and theoretical tracks, similar to how math programs are structured, so applied CS gets students job-ready quickly while theoretical CS builds foundational understanding of systems that doesn't expire when frameworks change. The idea emerged from a panel discussion responding to criticism that current programs teach neither well. _developers weighing curriculum and career paths can follow this debate on daily.dev._ ## Community discussion Top comments from developers on daily.dev. **@taiwofrancis** · 26 upvotes > I don’t think it’s really a Python problem either. Plenty of people come out of C-heavy programs still shaky on memory. The bigger issue is that most curricula don’t force you to work with those concepts long enough for them to actually stick. **@codingtornado** · 8 upvotes > I fully agree, it's not python the problem, it's the degree as a whole that needs to teach you that. We need to remember that computer sciences IS a science, it's about understanding what really is going on and making questions about what could be, and that means you need a wide base of knowledge of different fields otherwise you end up being a slop consumer with no free will or opinions on anything. > > Splitting into tracks to "satisfy the industry" and get CS students job ready is a a bad choice, because it will only worsen the problem. You will either have most people doing the theoretical... **@radmilomarkovic** · 4 upvotes > It seems that everyone is rushing with AI but not many people focus on core topics which is essential for appropriate engineering. **@kingsleydaprime** · 2 upvotes > This makes a lot of sense actually. Still trying to learn the fundamentals. **@limbojunkie** · 2 upvotes > Let CS degrees die. Most of them are useless and a cash grab. ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [CS Grads Now Have Higher Unemployment Than Art Majors](https://daily.dev/posts/cs-grads-now-have-higher-unemployment-than-art-majors-6mrblnc8g) · Medium · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#python](https://daily.dev/tags/python), [#career](https://daily.dev/tags/career), [#c++](https://daily.dev/tags/c++) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/cs-degrees-dropped-low-level-programming-and-the-industry-is-noticing-vyrrxpneq) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"CS degrees dropped low-level programming and the industry is noticing","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/cs-degrees-dropped-low-level-programming-and-the-industry-is-noticing-vyrrxpneq","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/cs-degrees-dropped-low-level-programming-and-the-industry-is-noticing-vyrrxpneq"},"datePublished":"2026-09-06T15:23:55.208Z","dateModified":"2026-09-13T20:05:50.234Z","description":"A viral video by YouTuber Laurie Wired argues that CS programs fail students by teaching Python first without ever following up with material that builds an...","image":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZKxq7lgqpIM/sddefault.jpg","thumbnailUrl":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZKxq7lgqpIM/sddefault.jpg","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Trends","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Trends","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--ZfSp3asX--/f_auto,q_auto/v1780996004/logos/trends?_a=BAMAMiWQ0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/trends"},"commentCount":36,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/cs-degrees-dropped-low-level-programming-and-the-industry-is-noticing-vyrrxpneq","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":149},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":36}],"keywords":"python,career,c++","timeRequired":"PT2M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Trends","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/trends"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"CS degrees dropped low-level programming and the industry is noticing"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/cs-degrees-dropped-low-level-programming-and-the-industry-is-noticing-vyrrxpneq","comment":[{"@type":"Comment","text":"I don’t think it’s really a Python problem either. Plenty of people come out of C-heavy programs still shaky on memory. The bigger issue is that most curricula don’t force you to work with those concepts long enough for them to actually stick.","datePublished":"2026-09-07T00:18:41.880Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/vyrRxPneQ#c-lM6ZtMTmd","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Taiwo Francis Oguntade","url":"https://daily.dev/taiwofrancis","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--px3_Pvo4--/f_auto/v1785515368/avatars/avatar_FStpm3ZejUD3qGlEeoOUS?_a=BAMAMicg0"},"interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":26}},{"@type":"Comment","text":"I fully agree, it’s not python the problem, it’s the degree as a whole that needs to teach you that. We need to remember that computer sciences IS a science, it’s about understanding what really is going on and making questions about what could be, and that means you need a wide base of knowledge of different fields otherwise you end up being a slop consumer with no free will or opinions on anything.\nSplitting into tracks to “satisfy the industry” and get CS students job ready is a a bad choice, because it will only worsen the problem. You will either have most people doing the theoretical heavy track and complaining the whole way that “in a real job we use X, why are you not teaching X??” to get the full real content of commuter sciences, or you will have most people doing the applied one where they get the same gaps in learning here described. Because the industry optimises for profit and not for quality, whatever the ignorants decide is not useful geta chopped and that is how it enshittified education at all levels all around the world.","datePublished":"2026-09-07T12:37:43.944Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/vyrRxPneQ#c-lWtZsqhzS","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Urist McCoder","url":"https://daily.dev/codingtornado","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--O0TOmw4y--/f_auto/v1715772965/public/noProfile"},"interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":8}},{"@type":"Comment","text":"It seems that everyone is rushing with AI but not many people focus on core topics which is essential for appropriate engineering.","datePublished":"2026-09-07T19:49:22.678Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/vyrRxPneQ#c-jKpThxcTg","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Radmilo Markovic","url":"https://daily.dev/radmilomarkovic","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--gblKAFwc--/f_auto/v1774901807/avatars/avatar_pw9CkxZCzHWQjy1MHbhtO?_a=BAMAMiWQ0"},"interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":4}},{"@type":"Comment","text":"This makes a lot of sense actually. Still trying to learn the fundamentals.","datePublished":"2026-09-08T07:23:54.929Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/vyrRxPneQ#c-4m1W26IzY","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Kingsley Ihemelandu","url":"https://daily.dev/kingsleydaprime","image":"https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/96929942?v=4"},"interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":2}},{"@type":"Comment","text":"Let CS degrees die. Most of them are useless and a cash grab.","datePublished":"2026-09-08T17:52:41.088Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/vyrRxPneQ#c-xblUJOEKX","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam","url":"https://daily.dev/limbojunkie","image":"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a/ACg8ocJtYuJrFvx0EEGn8HjNaevjuG7SOMdXYclWxIElBNjDukkipowy=s96-c"},"interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":2}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/cs-degrees-dropped-low-level-programming-and-the-industry-is-noticing-vyrrxpneq#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Why do some engineers think CS graduates don't understand how computers work?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Many CS programs teach Python as the primary or only language and never require students to work with memory management, heap versus stack, cache behavior, or how code translates to assembly. GPU engineer Seb Aaltonen argues Python is too abstracted from hardware, while C or C++ makes the translation to machine instructions easy to inspect via debuggers, building a mental model that survives decades of tooling changes. daily.dev surfaces perspectives like this for developers deciding how deep to go on systems fundamentals."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Should CS degrees split into applied and theoretical tracks?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Some educators and engineers propose splitting computer science degrees into applied and theoretical tracks, similar to how math programs are structured, so applied CS gets students job-ready quickly while theoretical CS builds foundational understanding of systems that doesn't expire when frameworks change. The idea emerged from a panel discussion responding to criticism that current programs teach neither well. developers weighing curriculum and career paths can follow this debate on daily.dev."}}]} ```