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Ask HN: Messed up my education, now 30 and regretting it. What to do?

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Re: Ask HN: Messed up my education, now 30 and regretting it. What to do?

#81

Post by lcall »

More of a general answer than for CS, but for bachlors or masters (some are IT-related, maybe not as cool as you are looking for): check out WGU (it has been discussed on HN before, or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WGU or https://www.wgu.edu/ .

Edit: the reason I mention WGU is that it is accredited (lots, looks like), well-regarded AFAIK, you get credit for what you already know (test out), and take as many classes as you want in a semester for a flat fee (or some such), so you can do it for less $ if you are experienced or have learned material previously. And remote-friendly, I believe.

And in the never-give-up category, 89-year-old becomes a physicist:

https://www.newser.com/story/313396/he-retired-from-medicine...

Re: Ask HN: Messed up my education, now 30 and regretting it. What to do?

#82

Post by lmeyerov »

throwaway_pKmOh wrote: post #20
pezzana wrote: post #15

> As a result I never even finished my bachelors degree, and I'm now in my early 30s and regretting it a lot. I'd really think carefully about why you want that degree. > But then I look around and see the cool jobs in 3D graphics, in distributed systems, in machine learning, or other "hard computer science" fields, and it feels like I will never be qualified without a graduate degree. Why do you feel that? What sign…

Part of it is vanity. Part of it is the feeling that I'll have to defend my lack of credentials for the rest of my career, and that it's ultimately going to hold me back. And maybe part of it is the idea that there are some things I'll never properly learn without taking significant time off work to do focused study. But more than a few commenters here are saying that demonstrating ability is more important than pedi…

To skip creds, skip gov and bigco, esp when new :) Startups & smaller co's are the places that take on the uncredentialed CV risks that everything-aleady-works co's have too much to lose on.

Gov and bigco care about creds, esp early. Managers there are rarely judged on ultimate results as they are often far removed and just need to improve something predictable by say 1% and hit some fungible and redefinable goals. They are heavily into checklists for covering their ass in not going in the other direction: "Your team took down prod / project was late: why did you hire unaccredited ppl? You run a B team. My team needs 2x budget bc we have all CISSPs and PhDs, and are not responsible for final delivery bc that's grunt work." They do matter a bit later too, but more fungible: someone close to me is actively going through a ~50% pay negotiation based on the same work but differently creds & math being recognized.

Startups and smaller companies dont need to protect their fiefdom but make it exist & grow, so credentials mostly matter less and projects matter more. Early on whether you can actually code, which projects show. Later, whether you can actually run a project through various stages, vs ride on the coattails of someone else, which takes 1-3 years.

Re: Ask HN: Messed up my education, now 30 and regretting it. What to do?

#83

Post by convolvatron »

artificialLimbs wrote: post #66

>40 years old. [Hardware] tech all my life. Slacked off, lazy. Never thought I could program. Started programming 3 years ago. Knocked on doors until I got programming spot at a Uni. Going back to school for free. 1 class per semester. Will graduate in 2029 maybe. Remembering to have gratitude for all things in life. ALL things. Have discovered that attitude and aims are important.

getting a job at a university is a great middle path. where I went they let professional staff take up to two classes a term.

Re: Ask HN: Messed up my education, now 30 and regretting it. What to do?

#84

Post by Jansen312 »

Do it now. Sign up. 4 years later you will have it. The longer you wait the more agony you will go through. 89 years old only gotten his PhD. You can do it. I have seen many gotten their degree in their late teens and early 20s and go on to achieve nothing in life by their 40s.

Re: Ask HN: Messed up my education, now 30 and regretting it. What to do?

#85

Post by hidden-spyder »

BatFastard wrote: post #61
rripken wrote: post #34

Are you willing to put in a significant amount of work? Look into Georgia Tech's OMSCS program. Do some searches, read (or watch) some of the press coverage of the program. Its very affordable. But the program is not a gimme - you will have to do significant amounts of work. When you complete the program you will have the knowledge and credentials to pursue some of those cool jobs you see. Seems like the credentials…

My son is currently in the GA Tech Cybersecurity online Master degree program. Seems like a good program over all, very project oriented. I would say he spends 15-40 hours per project, and you have a new one every 2 to 3 weeks. Project are not for the faint of heart...

Would you please give some examples of those projects?

Re: Ask HN: Messed up my education, now 30 and regretting it. What to do?

#86

Post by aprdm »

If you want to get into 3d graphics, you could apply for an entry level position in the industry, for example, a Pipeline TD in Visual Effects (VFX) or an R&D position.

Usually it's very hard for them to find talent that has experience in the software field, and you can easily ramp up in the 3d graphics field while in the company.

Re: Ask HN: Messed up my education, now 30 and regretting it. What to do?

#87

Post by satisfice »

lmeyerov wrote: post #59

Speaking as someone actively hiring here and having worked with top teams on the PhD + industry side: Pick an area, get dangerous over say 6-9mo on your own time through a mix of planned practice (vs random noodling) + projects, then get more dangerous via an employer with senior talent happy to train some junior talent over 2yrs. From there, you're firmly in. That's not an option for everyone (aging parents, needy k…

Excellent advice. Comports with my own experience (high school dropout w/38 years as tech professional).

Listen to this one, folks.

Re: Ask HN: Messed up my education, now 30 and regretting it. What to do?

#88

Post by satisfice »

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #63
lmeyerov wrote: post #59

Speaking as someone actively hiring here and having worked with top teams on the PhD + industry side: Pick an area, get dangerous over say 6-9mo on your own time through a mix of planned practice (vs random noodling) + projects, then get more dangerous via an employer with senior talent happy to train some junior talent over 2yrs. From there, you're firmly in. That's not an option for everyone (aging parents, needy k…

How is any amount of practice going to get past the ML filters that reject all "unworthy" submissions as determined by somebody in HR filling in some config settings?

You walk right past the filters, because you are known.

The first few jobs I had, in the 80’s and 90’s, I got by applying.

Every single job since then I have been actively recruited— because I made a name for myself.

It’s true no one is going to recruit me to be an AI expert, because I have no reputation in that field, but I was recently hired to be a testing consultant in an AI company. That means they are paying for my education in AI, and I can turn that into whatever opportunity I want.

Re: Ask HN: Messed up my education, now 30 and regretting it. What to do?

#89

Post by satisfice »

avmich wrote: post #64
kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is any amount of practice going to get past the ML filters that reject all "unworthy" submissions as determined by somebody in HR filling in some config settings?

Tell computer that you have an education. Get to talk to the human. Prepare a good explanation why the education part is not so straightforward as a computer may think. Some humans will understand.

You can also explain the situation to the computer using the hot keywords. When a human gets to it, you will not have told a lie.

Re: Ask HN: Messed up my education, now 30 and regretting it. What to do?

#90

Post by satisfice »

throwaway_pKmOh wrote: post #20
pezzana wrote: post #15

> As a result I never even finished my bachelors degree, and I'm now in my early 30s and regretting it a lot. I'd really think carefully about why you want that degree. > But then I look around and see the cool jobs in 3D graphics, in distributed systems, in machine learning, or other "hard computer science" fields, and it feels like I will never be qualified without a graduate degree. Why do you feel that? What sign…

Part of it is vanity. Part of it is the feeling that I'll have to defend my lack of credentials for the rest of my career, and that it's ultimately going to hold me back. And maybe part of it is the idea that there are some things I'll never properly learn without taking significant time off work to do focused study. But more than a few commenters here are saying that demonstrating ability is more important than pedi…

I use my background as an anti-credential credential. When I was hired to teach software testing to engineers at JPL, I was asked by the administrator of the training department not to tell anyone I never graduated from 10th grade. I told him disclosing that was in fact an essential part of my teaching process.

I want people to know I don’t deal in bullshit, and that I always do what I think is right, and that my whole life history qualifies me to cut through the nonsense. Being a dropout gives me street cred.

BTW the guys on the Curiosity Rover test team were great. One of the most satisfying classes I have taught, and I treasure the JPL polo shirt I bought at the campus store.

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