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Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?

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Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?

#51

Post by mwnorman2 »

In my opinion, the industry wavers back and forth on CS degree or just 'git-er-done'. I remember the early computer 'craze' (1970's) when all you had to do was open a company called "Compu-NNNN" and money would flow. Later, people wanted to see diplomas, degrees, certifications so then lots of folks when to school: undergrad, or grad-school if you already had undergrad degree. Now, things are a bit different: information as well as the opportunity to acquire skills is global, no one place is 'ahead' of the other

My advice: choose a path you are comfortable with in terms of time, money.

Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?

#52

Post by HiroshiSan »

Buttons840 wrote: post #30
stevenwadejr wrote: post #12

I'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…

How do you deal with classes like "intro to web development", where you will learn what a GET request is, when you've been a senior web developer for 10 years? (Just as an example, maybe you've worked in something other than web development?) Is cleping classes realistic?

You just slog through it and use the free time to dive deeper in your other courses or to go above and beyond what's required for the course.

Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?

#53

Post by tropo »

It can be worthwhile, even though you are getting ripped off very badly. That 4-year degree gets you about 1 year of valuable education, 1 year of nice-to-have education, and 2 years of disinformation.

If you just got the 1 year of valuable education, you'd still need 2 years (only part-time though) due to long chains of prerequisites. This is easily demonstrated at some schools by the fact that a person with an AA degree (totally generic liberal arts, like repeating some high school classes) can upgrade to a BS degree after 2 more years. Since half of those classes would be outside the major, the clear conclusion is that the 4-year degree only gives you 1 year worth of valuable education.

So there you are, giving up 4 years of salary and paying 4 years of tuition and living expenses, to get just 1 year worth of valuable education. It sucks, but it might still be your best option.

Higher education is sort of a cartel. You are offered what they feel like selling, even though the customers are really annoyed, and every place is roughly the same. It's like dealing with De Beers or OPEC. The colleges even exert control over the accreditation organizations, ensuring that no college can cheat.

Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?

#54

Post by [deleted] »

nolemurs wrote: post #45
nwallin wrote: post #19

Both. Do not expect a college to teach you how to write good code; they won't. You can write terrible code and still get Cs/Bs. ("Cs get degrees") It's up to you to learn how to write good code. If you want to progress in your career, you will need to be able to write good, maintainable code, and that isn't a skill that's taught in college. If you're "that guy" on the team that writes shitty code, sure, you'll get a…

I'd add that there's a big difference between having a non-CS degree and having no degree at all. With a non-CS degree it may be a little harder to get an interview, but if you can interview well, it's not going to count much against you. A degree in a strong technical field (like Physics or Engineering) might even count in your favor compared to a CS degree if you can still do well on an interview. With no degree at…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?

#55

Post by martin_ »

I moved from the UK to the US when I was 20 with no degree, just self taught. Have been working in senior engineering roles for ~8 years. I do feel as though I’ve struggled more with the academic side of CS but the practical side is what you’re measured on post-inverview. You can’t go wrong by going to school, but it is becoming decreasingly necessary

Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?

#56

Post by acchow »

martin_ wrote: post #55

I moved from the UK to the US when I was 20 with no degree, just self taught. Have been working in senior engineering roles for ~8 years. I do feel as though I’ve struggled more with the academic side of CS but the practical side is what you’re measured on post-inverview. You can’t go wrong by going to school, but it is becoming decreasingly necessary

under what visa?

This would be hard to do today.

Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?

#57

Post by tastyham »

My experience hiring lots of engineers is that people with comp-sci or other stem degrees are on average much more successful at software engineering. Yes, there are great self-taught and code-schooled engineers, but on average they are less successful. Plus even the great ones seem to get started later with their careers instead of getting hired straight out of college like comp-sci majors.

I imagine it will also be difficult to network and build relationships in the industry without attending a 4 year school unless you are very outgoing. Who you know is often more important than what you know.

Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?

#58

Post by bthornbury »

nwallin wrote: post #19

Both. Do not expect a college to teach you how to write good code; they won't. You can write terrible code and still get Cs/Bs. ("Cs get degrees") It's up to you to learn how to write good code. If you want to progress in your career, you will need to be able to write good, maintainable code, and that isn't a skill that's taught in college. If you're "that guy" on the team that writes shitty code, sure, you'll get a…

Good, maintainable code has it's place in the engineering cycle.

But so does quick, slapped-together code from late last night.

Depending on the complexity and impact of either, you can progress in your career.

College won't teach you either, but it gives you an (otherwise very difficult to obtain/justify) opportunity to study full-time for four years on complex subjects and a foot in the door.

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