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Tell HN: I just wanted to say: thank you, Hacker News

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Re: Tell HN: I just wanted to say: thank you, Hacker News

#91

Post by DGAP »

50something wrote: post #13

I am finishing my bachelors in CompSci at Harvard Extension and just got hired by Google. And I've got about 20 years on you. So yeah, absolutely, this can work! It was fun and challenging competing with top computer science students. In the long run, my organizational skills, focus, determination and world experience outweighed their raw brainpower and better memory. It's an ultramarathon, not a sprint.

I didn't realize that this was even an option - are there any other well regarded online Masters programs in CS, infosec, or software development I should be aware of?

Re: Tell HN: I just wanted to say: thank you, Hacker News

#92

Post by 50something »

DGAP wrote: post #91
50something wrote: post #13

I am finishing my bachelors in CompSci at Harvard Extension and just got hired by Google. And I've got about 20 years on you. So yeah, absolutely, this can work! It was fun and challenging competing with top computer science students. In the long run, my organizational skills, focus, determination and world experience outweighed their raw brainpower and better memory. It's an ultramarathon, not a sprint.

I didn't realize that this was even an option - are there any other well regarded online Masters programs in CS, infosec, or software development I should be aware of?

I don't why Coursera gets so much attention for an online CS masters when it has been available for years at Harvard. Even Stanford relaxed the prior constraint of being in a member company for their online masters in CompSci.

http://scpd.stanford.edu/admissions/apply-and-enroll/master%...

Re: Tell HN: I just wanted to say: thank you, Hacker News

#94

Post by spyhi »

wikibob wrote: post #89
spyhi wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know how it is in other schools, but at mine you can get a masters in CS even if you didn't do your undergrad in CS. They just have you take the core undergrad CS courses, which is about 1-1.5 years of work. With an ME, it might not even be that long. You should look into that before going for a second bachelor's.

Which school?

University of Hawaii at Manoa. I'm finishing up an undergrad degrees in CS and Business (started school at 30 after time in the military, so another success story for this thread), but I have a few friends in the masters program who came from other disciplines, which is how I know about this, though it's also listed on their site.

http://www.ics.hawaii.edu/welcome/academics/graduate-degree-...

Re: Tell HN: I just wanted to say: thank you, Hacker News

#95

Post by zombieprocesses »

Congratulations on your new career.

On a side note, anyone else a bit worried that there being a tech or economic bubble? Reading this thread, I can't help but be reminded of the dotcom bubble when everyone was getting into tech or the "I just became a realtor" craze before the housing bubble crash.

Anyone maintain a list of indicators other than S&P 500 PE ratio or the interest rate?

I'm generally optimistic on the economy because of the tax cuts and the expected infrastructure spending, but still, don't wait to be caught with my pants down like the 2008 financial disaster.

Re: Tell HN: I just wanted to say: thank you, Hacker News

#96

Post by codezero »

50something wrote: post #80
codezero wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Were you working while you got your degree, or did you pursue it full-time?

I was fortunate enough to be in a situation where I could pursue it full time. I started part time, really liked it, and decided to complete it full time.

Awesome, did you have health insurance/coverage? When I think of going back to school as a slightly older person, this is one of the only things that scares me.

Re: Tell HN: I just wanted to say: thank you, Hacker News

#97

Post by bane »

HN is easily one of the most valuable "tools" I have in my toolchest. 20-30 minutes a day of front page browsing and the occasional post is like having a secret weapon in my tech arsenal. The number of times topics (not just tech) have come up in my professional life that I heard about first, and usually only, on HN...and then my ability to engage reasonably intelligently on those topics because of HN is countless.

Re: Tell HN: I just wanted to say: thank you, Hacker News

#98

Post by rnet85 »

50something wrote: post #13

I am finishing my bachelors in CompSci at Harvard Extension and just got hired by Google. And I've got about 20 years on you. So yeah, absolutely, this can work! It was fun and challenging competing with top computer science students. In the long run, my organizational skills, focus, determination and world experience outweighed their raw brainpower and better memory. It's an ultramarathon, not a sprint.

What kind of a role were you hired for? Is it a pure SDE role or a product/solutions engineer kinda role? I've seen Google largely prefers people with 6 ~ 12 yrs exp for SDE roles.

Re: Tell HN: I just wanted to say: thank you, Hacker News

#100

Post by bnchrch »

megamindbrian2 wrote: post #99

How do you find offers when every resume submission is met with automated replies?

You want to avoid those channels all together. Anytime you find a company that you want to work for or one with an interesting opening try to get in direct contact with someone at the company. Either at the manager level or in HR.

Simply asking for time to talk about the position is enough to bypass any automated process

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