r/cscareerquestions rules, stats, and what to post

This community is for people entering the computer science field or already working in it. The goal is to help each other navigate the challenges of the industry and share strategies to be successful. In practice that means career questions, job search struggles, workplace situations, and anything else tied to working in tech. The rules make the scope clear. Posts must relate to computer science careers or the tech industry, and even college questions like which school to attend are pushed over to a different subreddit. So the people posting here are students, job seekers, engineers, and other tech workers looking for real answers about their careers.

The rule that decides most marketing outcomes here is “Promotional or advertising threads are only allowed in the monthly stickied threads.” It says promotional content about a person, service, or website must go in the monthly stickied thread on the first Sunday of each month, and all other promotional posts or comments get removed. Next is “Survey or data-collecting posts require mod approval.” If your post collects data, like a salary-sharing thread or an off-site survey, you need to contact the mods first. Then there is “Posts must show thought, effort, and research.” You are expected to check the FAQ, search the subreddit, and add details before you post, and low effort posts get removed. “Posts must contain a question or foster discussion.” means no rants, no stories, no links without context, and no one-liners. “Posts must be related to careers in computer science or the tech industry.” keeps the topic tight, so a general startup or marketing post will not survive. Finally, “Some questions belong in daily stickied threads.” means certain topics are redirected to rotating sticky threads, so check the full list before you post.

If you are a founder who wants to show up here respectfully, start by being useful, not visible. The best shape for a post is a genuine question about tech careers that you actually have, with the research you already did spelled out. For example, if you built a hiring tool, you could ask engineers in this community about a real pain point in their job search, share what you learned from your own research, and ask for their take. No link, no pitch, just a real question with real detail. You can also answer other people's career questions in the comments, as long as your comments stay on topic, professional, and helpful. If you truly want to share your product, the only sanctioned place is the monthly stickied thread on the first Sunday of each month. And if you want to run a survey or collect data, message the moderators through ModMail first and ask.

The fastest way to get removed is promotion outside the monthly stickied thread. That includes dropping your link in a post, in a comment, or in a reply to someone who asked for tool recommendations. Surveys and data-collecting posts without mod approval are another clear removal. Low effort posts get removed too, so a vague question you could have answered with a search will not last. Off topic posts about anything other than tech careers will not survive. Rants, stories, bare links, and one-liners are all called out by name in the rules. And basic decency matters here, because trolling or being a jerk can get you banned, and comments are required to be on topic, professional, and helpful.

This is one of the few communities where the rules tell you exactly when promotion is allowed, a monthly stickied thread on the first Sunday, and I respect that kind of clarity. The effort rule is the one that would keep me honest, because it means you cannot show up with a thin question and hope the room carries you. If you build something for people navigating tech careers, this is a great place to listen, and a hard place to pitch.