Trying to get a read on the real-world stack. Vote for what you use to personalize at scale. If you use a combo, pick your primary and drop details in the comments.

I'm a 22M in my final year of a CS degree. After 2 years in my program, I realized just how fast the tech world is moving, and with the rise of AI, the gap feels like it's getting wider every day. I use AI in my workflow, but it still feels like I'm missing something.

There s this constant feeling that my uni and side projects are lacking, but I haven't figured out what it is yet. On top of that, trying to get a job as a Data Analyst or AI Engineer without an online presence feels like a massive disadvantage especially since I'm an introvert and pretty camera shy. I actually tried showing what I build through faceless videos and slideshows, but it just didn't work out.

To give you an example: I recently spent almost 2 months building a project (between learning a new language, testing AI techniques, exams, and life in general), only to see someone build the exact same thing in 2 hours. Props to that guy honestly, I clearly have a lot to learn, haha.
How are other grads or introverted devs handling this right now? Just want to see things from your perspective.

I keep a spreadsheet for our mortgage. Overpay early or invest the difference, that is the whole question, and I have rebuilt it maybe ten times.
Every version gives a different answer, and always because of one cell. Expected return. Change that one number and the answer flips. Everything else in the model is arithmetic I can check.
Runway is the same shape. The answer depends on a growth rate nobody knows, and the rest is addition.
The difference is that the mortgage sheet has no audience. Nobody sees it, so I never round anything in my favour. The startup model gets shown to people, and that is exactly where the definitions start drifting.
Do you keep a personal money model? And is it more honest than the one you show to investors?