I'm currently pursuing my CS degree after a couple of decades working as a programmer. The big difference is that you will miss "why" and learn mostly "how", unless you have a very inquisitive mind. On the other hand, not everybody can afford years of no income or crippling debt.
A CS degree is better than teaching yourself how to code?
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Re: A CS degree is better than teaching yourself how to code?
#12Everything here can be earned elsewhere for far less money. In fact, if you get an entry-level job you can learn all this while getting paid! IMO the advantages of CS college are this: - You can reach a higher salary. - It's easier to learn hard math/CS ideas in school than on your own. - It's easier to make friends in college than elsewhere.
Many self learners have no clue about processes, threads, memory allocation. Nor do they care about algorithmic complexity. They end up using a list for a map etc.i.e. there are foundational gaps in their knowledge. A CS program ensures that there is at least an attempt to build a foundation.
> Many self learners have no clue about processes, threads, memory allocation.
This all also applies to “many CS graduates”. My systems-programmer wife has given up asking basic systems questions to new grads in technical interviews because she just expects to get blank stares at this point.
Stuff that was expected knowledge of anyone programming computers in any capacity up through the 1990s is now a mystical secret known only to gurus.
Someone who takes hard college courses in operating systems, database implementation, networking, distributed systems, etc. can obviously learn a lot of useful stuff. But those are often not required for a CS degree.
Re: A CS degree is better than teaching yourself how to code?
#13> These skills are often gained through completing an undergraduate degree.
Disagree.
An apprentice or even a bootcamp grad can learn these skills in their current job or in a online MOOC course without a degree.
What the author fails to mention is the amount of student debt that comes with the CS degree. In some cases a CS degree isn't worth the debt if the curriculum doesn't align with the market or if the university is less prestigious. It's no good becoming a graduate and leaving with no experience + £50k in debt and convincing employers that you are "qualified" for the role.
Given that most or if not all of these CS and soft skills can be learned online for free, students utilising free courses can find work debt free with the same skills as a CS grad with the added bonus of hands-on experience if they are apprentices. Unless you are after a research position, it is economically better to teach yourself for a typical developer position these days.
Re: A CS degree is better than teaching yourself how to code?
#14A CS degree means better HR screening pass rate.
Isn't this obvious...
Re: A CS degree is better than teaching yourself how to code?
#15I'm currently pursuing my CS degree after a couple of decades working as a programmer. The big difference is that you will miss "why" and learn mostly "how", unless you have a very inquisitive mind. On the other hand, not everybody can afford years of no income or crippling debt.
I imagine other students would be extremely grateful to have your experience to know the motivation behind some of the seemingly arbitrary ‘whys’ they are required to learn.
Re: A CS degree is better than teaching yourself how to code?
#16Why teaching yourself to code is better than a CS degree * Far cheaper, no debt accumulated * Follow your bliss in learning what you want, but still with the option to absorb the best of the CS textbooks. * Not compelled to learn languages and platforms behind the curve. * Less able to lean on teammates, you learn to solve problems more independently. * There's no illusion that your education has an end date, and tha…
You missed a few:
* Poster candidate for Dunning-Kruger
* Cheap and fast but low quality
* Single pointed focus. More likely to be a one-language savant
* Degrees are for chumps: this is a delusion.
Re: A CS degree is better than teaching yourself how to code?
#17Everything here can be earned elsewhere for far less money. In fact, if you get an entry-level job you can learn all this while getting paid! IMO the advantages of CS college are this: - You can reach a higher salary. - It's easier to learn hard math/CS ideas in school than on your own. - It's easier to make friends in college than elsewhere.
Your second point is only true if you add a constraint to learn alone, nothing wrong with seeking out other self learners. Salary is generally true but that really depends on your negotiating skills.
Re: A CS degree is better than teaching yourself how to code?
#18> These skills are often gained through completing an undergraduate degree. Disagree. An apprentice or even a bootcamp grad can learn these skills in their current job or in a online MOOC course without a degree. What the author fails to mention is the amount of student debt that comes with the CS degree. In some cases a CS degree isn't worth the debt if the curriculum doesn't align with the market or if the universi…
>can be learned online for free
Can is the key word here. Most people don't have the discipline to go through a CS curriculum on their own.
Re: A CS degree is better than teaching yourself how to code?
#19these have nothing to do with coding skills!
any degree will get you those skills. project planning, deadlines, networking, dealing with people, etc. college will always give you access to people.
what is missing is basically easy & sometimes free access to knowledge. god i miss having access to nearly any library and all these books, and all these publications you can print for free. i still have a trove of PDFs on a USB stick somewhere...
and also all the discounts you get on most software. poor student me would have never had the monies to buy full visual studio back then...
Re: A CS degree is better than teaching yourself how to code?
#20"College degrees far outweigh teaching yourself to code (Or coding bootcamps), as they provide you more skills than simply knowing how to code." But the majority of the skills listed are not intrinsic to computers, computer science, or software at all. "There are many skills that Developers now require besides just coding. They need time management skills, organisational skills, people skills, translating skills, neg…
Totally agree with your last statement. I've fired more CS degree programmers than self learners.