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Ask HN: What other good careers exist for those without a college education?

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Re: Ask HN: What other good careers exist for those without a college education?

#11

Post by ztjio »

baron816 wrote: post #7
finaliteration wrote: post #2

I know some people who sell cars and don’t have a college degree but pull in close to six figures. They enjoy it but they also work for higher end dealerships and get to take fun cars (like a brand new WRX STI...) for a spin sometimes. Cooking or baking is another option. Some great chefs out there never graduated from college or culinary school. Running a business also doesn’t require a college degree. My wife owns…

> Cooking or baking is another option. Celebrity chefs can make a lot of money, but I’m pretty sure just about everyone else is just barely scraping by.

Just like lawyers.

Re: Ask HN: What other good careers exist for those without a college education?

#13

Post by samatman »

exolymph wrote: post #12

Your real issue here is the irrational worry, not the lack of alternative career paths. I'd look into techniques for coping with anxiety if this seriously bothers you.

I'm sure there was a more polite way to put this, on the one hand.

On the other hand, I have to agree. Six years experience means OP is a developer eligible for 'senior' roles; just stay current and do your job well, you'll be fine.

Re: Ask HN: What other good careers exist for those without a college education?

#14

Post by dabockster »

vinayms wrote: post #9

Your problem seems that you are relying on someone else to employ you. Why not create products by yourself and become a potential employer? Unless the society itself crashes due to large scale wars or natural catastrophes, people will always want and use useful software, and that includes time wasting entertainment ones. There are so many things that need to be done, so as long as what you create is not yet another t…

> Why not create products by yourself and become a potential employer?

Usually the added hassle of the business logistics (paperwork, additional business taxes on top of your payroll, etc) and everyone under the sun trying to lowball you. Not everyone has the intuition and patience necessary to handle all this extra work. There's also the added time commitments.

Re: Ask HN: What other good careers exist for those without a college education?

#15

Post by willbw »

ztjio wrote: post #11
baron816 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Cooking or baking is another option. Celebrity chefs can make a lot of money, but I’m pretty sure just about everyone else is just barely scraping by.

Just like lawyers.

Lawyers earn a median amount of $120,000 a year - https://www.bls.gov/ooh/legal/lawyers.htm#tab-5

Chefs and head cooks earn a median amount of around $50,000 a year https://www.bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/chefs-a...

So I'm not so sure about your point.

Re: Ask HN: What other good careers exist for those without a college education?

#16

Post by krackers »

vinayms wrote: post #9

Your problem seems that you are relying on someone else to employ you. Why not create products by yourself and become a potential employer? Unless the society itself crashes due to large scale wars or natural catastrophes, people will always want and use useful software, and that includes time wasting entertainment ones. There are so many things that need to be done, so as long as what you create is not yet another t…

It's a lot higher risk to start up a business yourself.

Re: Ask HN: What other good careers exist for those without a college education?

#17

Post by Ologn »

> I always wondered what I would do if for some reason the market for software developers would go down. I worry I would not able to find an interesting job, let alone a lucrative one.

You are right to worry ( https://stackoverflow.com/jobs?q=bscs ). It will be more of a problem when you're in your late 40's, maybe married with kids, and laid off in a tight economy, without a degree. I mean, if you ever see it in job ads, or have it mentioned in interviews, then it is a thing.

Consider signing up for a local college with a decent CS program (public or private) and taking one course a semester at night or on weekends. Then the default becomes you graduate eventually. Also, the fact that you are going and making progress helps as well. It also helps your programming - reflecting on mutual exclusion and critical sections for a semester will not hurt you any in your job.

Re: Ask HN: What other good careers exist for those without a college education?

#19

Post by daveguy »

BadCompany57 wrote: post #10

The illusion of the requirement for a College Education to get a high paying job in any field is starting to diminish. Now Yes, it will be a bit harder to get a job when your competition has 6 Masters degrees and 2 PHDs. All a degree tells a potential employer is that you are supposed to know the degree field. It isn't ordinary for employers to give you a test to determine your knowledge, that's why everything on the…

1) almost no one has multiple Masters and even fewer multiple PhDs.

2) A degree tells a potential employer you have knowledge in a field and the persistence to stick with a project/goal for 4-6 years. The latter possibly being more important than the former.

3) Focus on persistence and experience in particular technology or projects is definitely a good boost.

Re: Ask HN: What other good careers exist for those without a college education?

#20

Post by DyslexicAtheist »

Brajeshwar wrote: post #18

Lambda School comes to mind. Try them, they seem to be working out for lots of people.

had to look that one up. seems like a refreshing concept:

>Lambda School trains people online to be software engineers at no up-front cost. Instead of paying tuition, students can agree to pay a percentage of their income after they're employed, and only if they're making more than $50k per year. If you don't find a job, or don't reach that level of income, you'll never pay a cent.

it has been discussed here before too: https://hn.algolia.com/?query=lambda%20school&sort=byPopular...

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