I'm 31 and considering getting a degree. Wondering if I should go for a masters in CS or do a bachelor's. Coming from a non-cs background and doing a career change at this point isn't easy. Master's would be much shorter and the Bachelor's obviously would take much longer. Any suggestions?
Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?
21–30 of 99 posts
Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?
#22Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?
#23Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?
#24Both. An education is worth it if it is a master; I do not think, speaking from experience myself and people I have hired, a bachelor is worth much of anything. A master will give you thorough theoretical understanding, it shows you can get through difficult and boring phases but did not give up and you learn to learn and reason systematically. Outside that networking, social life and having fun should be a big part…
ymmv here. the company I work at offers the same starting salary to fresh bachelors, masters, and phds, unless your scholarly work happens to directly pertain to the business. in a lot of cases you will have missed out on 4-5 years of raises and experience. a lot of companies will be calling your peers "senior devs" by the time you get your first job.
Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?
#25I'm 31 and considering getting a degree. Wondering if I should go for a masters in CS or do a bachelor's. Coming from a non-cs background and doing a career change at this point isn't easy. Master's would be much shorter and the Bachelor's obviously would take much longer. Any suggestions?
Usually Masters degrees require Bachelors first. Maybe you mean Associates?
Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?
#26I'm 31 and considering getting a degree. Wondering if I should go for a masters in CS or do a bachelor's. Coming from a non-cs background and doing a career change at this point isn't easy. Master's would be much shorter and the Bachelor's obviously would take much longer. Any suggestions?
Usually Masters degrees require Bachelors first. Maybe you mean Associates?
Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?
#27Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?
#28However, if you're the type-A/self-motivated type, you can totally learn learn enough on your own to land an entry-level gig. I will never be that kind of person, but I work with people who are, and they earn the same if not more than I do doing the exact same job.
Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?
#29Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?
#30I'm 33 years old and have been programming professionally for 11 1/2 years, and I'm self taught. I'm considered "senior". I founded and lead a user group and I've spoken at a conference. I don't say this to brag, I say this to state that despite my success and that a piece of paper won't advance my career, I've always regretted not having my degree. I'm married with a kid and I just started going back to school to fu…