Big Tech’s Hot New Talent Incubator: Community College • Hacker News Board

Re: Big Tech’s Hot New Talent Incubator: Community College

#101

Post by tombert » Sat, Jul 07, 2018, 11:10 PM UTC

One of my biggest regrets in life is how dismissive I was of community college back when I was applying to schools as a teenager. If the school didn't have "university" as part of the title, then I wasn't interested.

I went to a university, paid a ton of money, dropped out, and then found work as an engineer. If I had done community college, I would have probably gotten the same quality of education, but not have to spend the first year and a half of my post-dropout years paying back loans.

Re: Big Tech’s Hot New Talent Incubator: Community College

#102

Post by paultopia » Sat, Jul 07, 2018, 11:20 PM UTC

barry-cotter wrote: post #17

chrisseaton wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't you need about 20 years of top tier papers to get to the rank of professor?

No, it’s just a title. Directional State University will have professors because they have a status hierarchy and titles are a significant part of that, and the total compensation. As I understand the US system for four year universities TOP Professor with an endowed chair University or Full Professor Associate Professor (They have tenure and time in position) Assistant Professor (They don’t have tenure. This is thei…

VAP is basically adjunct, some places, postdoc others, otherwise this is accurate.

Re: Big Tech’s Hot New Talent Incubator: Community College

#103

Post by Tycho » Sat, Jul 07, 2018, 11:24 PM UTC

oflannabhra wrote: post #83

My state has a network of community and technical colleges. There is a program that allows one to get their Associates degree through community colleges, then transfer to a state school and continue paying community college tuition. 10 years ago, this allowed for earning an engineering degree for $2k a year, or $8-10k. In my experience, community colleges were very much viewed as remedial. I’d guess that many of the…

Not surprising really. The big schools skim off the top student talent, brand them with a degree, place them in top jobs, and repeat the cycle. There's no particular pressure for them to be great educators.

Re: Big Tech’s Hot New Talent Incubator: Community College

#104

Post by mixmastamyk » Sat, Jul 07, 2018, 11:27 PM UTC

toomuchtodo wrote: post #34

mixmastamyk wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suppose that could work, but you’re still vulnerable at the tech interview, aka test that can’t be studied for, or haven’t encountered in years. I’ve found the kinds of places that focus on these things tend to coincide.

My comment assumes the only signal you’re missing is the degree. You still have to nail the tech interview.

I write code every day sans a gun to the head.

Re: Big Tech’s Hot New Talent Incubator: Community College

#105

Post by bitwize » Sat, Jul 07, 2018, 11:29 PM UTC

oflannabhra wrote: post #83

My state has a network of community and technical colleges. There is a program that allows one to get their Associates degree through community colleges, then transfer to a state school and continue paying community college tuition. 10 years ago, this allowed for earning an engineering degree for $2k a year, or $8-10k. In my experience, community colleges were very much viewed as remedial. I’d guess that many of the…

> In my experience, community colleges were very much viewed as remedial.

"Community college is like a disco with books. Here's $10, let me go get my learn on!" --Chris Rock

Despite not being taken seriously as higher institutions, they're a godsend for focused, unconventional learning, and certainly an attractive alternative to for-profit bootcamps. State schools had many of the same advantages as CCs. I ended up graduating from state school; compared to the mid-tier private university I went to, the state school's profs were either clueless, or very interested in teaching.

Re: Big Tech’s Hot New Talent Incubator: Community College

#106

Post by MoBattah » Sat, Jul 07, 2018, 11:45 PM UTC

ransom1538 wrote: post #96

oflannabhra wrote: post #83

My state has a network of community and technical colleges. There is a program that allows one to get their Associates degree through community colleges, then transfer to a state school and continue paying community college tuition. 10 years ago, this allowed for earning an engineering degree for $2k a year, or $8-10k. In my experience, community colleges were very much viewed as remedial. I’d guess that many of the…

This. I took a course for fun at a local community college: physics. There was nothing more fascinating learning physics from someone that did accident reconstructions for 30 years. It is a different feel than being lectured to by someone that hasn't finished their graduate program. Then for fun I tried again: Oracle. My teacher? A former executive at WellsFargo and Oracle. He was extremely wealthy, and taught for fu…

Where was this?

Re: Big Tech’s Hot New Talent Incubator: Community College

#107

Post by moab » Sat, Jul 07, 2018, 11:47 PM UTC

oflannabhra wrote: post #83

My state has a network of community and technical colleges. There is a program that allows one to get their Associates degree through community colleges, then transfer to a state school and continue paying community college tuition. 10 years ago, this allowed for earning an engineering degree for $2k a year, or $8-10k. In my experience, community colleges were very much viewed as remedial. I’d guess that many of the…

I think university experiences are bi-modal. If you're going to an essentially unranked university with very poor professors/a non-existent graduate program, you'd probably be better off going to community college and saving an order of magnitude in tuition. On the other hand if you're going to a, say, top-25 school, the price tag is probably worth it and opens the door to graduate schools and research mentorship that you can't find anywhere else.

Re: Big Tech’s Hot New Talent Incubator: Community College

#108

Post by im3w1l » Sat, Jul 07, 2018, 11:54 PM UTC

ourmandave wrote: post #19

Back in the mid-80's my local CCs were teaching COBOL, JCL and Fortran. Probably because of that mainframe they had chilling in the server room. Personal computer courses were non-existent, except for one day "How To Use Your PC or Apple" class.

What are you trying to say? I lack context here.

That community colleges were behind the curve? Ahead of the curve? Or is there even a message?

Re: Big Tech’s Hot New Talent Incubator: Community College

#109

Post by itronitron » Sat, Jul 07, 2018, 11:56 PM UTC

oflannabhra wrote: post #83

My state has a network of community and technical colleges. There is a program that allows one to get their Associates degree through community colleges, then transfer to a state school and continue paying community college tuition. 10 years ago, this allowed for earning an engineering degree for $2k a year, or $8-10k. In my experience, community colleges were very much viewed as remedial. I’d guess that many of the…

Way back in the 1990's, between undergrad and graduate school, I took introductory statistics, linear algebra, and 3 advanced calculus classes at night at a local CC which had ~4 different campuses in the metro area. It was mostly college or grad level students taking the courses for credit. Most of the professors had a separate, professional day job. Two were heads of their respective departments at the school.

Based on my experience I would say that community colleges are great for learning the material, and universities are great for socializing and learning stuff outside of the classroom through self-directed interests (especially in graduate school).

Re: Big Tech’s Hot New Talent Incubator: Community College

#110

Post by zeth___ » Sun, Jul 08, 2018, 12:35 AM UTC

Sounds like regular college students are too expensive for the tech companies because they have a hard floor below which they will not work. Having a cursory look that is due to student loans being easier to service if you're unemployed than employed at a low -relative to the cost of living- wage.

So now they are looking for a pool of labor that will take even lower salaries.

Expect the vulture capitalist friends to pump up community college prices in the next decade.