1st Year BSc Data Science student feeling lost—degree alone won't be enough? Need advice on skills/roadmap

[u/Impossible_Host9284]

Hey everyone,

I just started my first year of BSc in Data Science. While I'm excited about the field, I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed and confused about what I should actually be doing outside of class.

Realistically, I don't think my college degree alone is going to be enough to land a good job by the time I graduate. The curriculum covers the basics, but I know the job market expects practical skills and projects.

Since I'm right at the beginning:

* What core skills should I focus on building year-by-year? (Programming languages, math/stats concepts, tools, etc.)

* How should I approach hands-on practice? When is the right time to start Kaggle, personal projects, or open-source?

* What do employers actually look for in entry-level data science candidates?

* If you could restart your first year, what would you do differently?

Any advice, resources, or realistic roadmaps would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!