71–80 of 265 posts
> Even if nobody else noticed or cared about that one line on my resume, I think I would notice, and that would make a difference. Just in terms of self-confidence This is the most important line in the article. Perhaps that’s part of being “mid career” but that’s an excellent level of self awareness and shows that there are multiple upside/benefits. I wish him the best of luck!
I've also seen people mentioning if they were going to get a masters they would do so in a different field. I just finished one in policy. I learned much more in this masters than I expected. I realized there are many games to be played, this article was posted to the top page this week and resonated because of it https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31267685
Was it hard? extremely. a lot of concepts were very old in my memory, but it was also a lot of fun. I enjoyed going to class every day.
https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/Master/2021-2022/parallel-and-di... This is the ONLY program I'd like to get into because so far it is the only program that I know deals a lot with hardcore malware analysis. There are probably more programs available but I didn't spend much time researching options. Unfortunately this program is NOT online, and I'm not in Europe. ALAS! If anyone knows a similar online program in NA pleas…
Also did OMSCS. Highly recommend it. The problem with self-learning is that sometimes you convince yourself that you understand something when you really don't. Only when you get smacked by an exam or an assignment you realize that you've been fooling yourself. The ML and Systems track is pretty hardcore. If you survive those you have pretty good foundational knowledge. Fair warning though - the program is not a joke…
Have your classes been built around group projects, or can you go it alone if you're doing it for kicks? I'd love to spend some time studying CS and end up with something to show for it, but I'm not interested in group-work-as-workplace-prep.
Does anyone have experience with the step down from this? I have zero formal CS education but two decades of experience at pretty much all types of development. I live within spitting distance of my local state university (UNH) and don’t really care about any piece of paper, but I would love to take formal/ hard CS classes, whether for credit or audit. Is there a “right” way of doing this? Does it make any sense?
I taught my spouse to program when she decided to change fields, and did a similar thing where she wanted to master the advanced stuff by taking classes (she took them for credit on the off chance she needed it in a masters program) The classes she took were equivalent to three classes majormajor suggests: Data Structures and Introduction to Algorithms: everyone needs this and it is maybe 50% of leet code problems As…
What’s the other 50%? I’d have thought DS&A would cover everything.
Also did OMSCS. Highly recommend it. The problem with self-learning is that sometimes you convince yourself that you understand something when you really don't. Only when you get smacked by an exam or an assignment you realize that you've been fooling yourself. The ML and Systems track is pretty hardcore. If you survive those you have pretty good foundational knowledge. Fair warning though - the program is not a joke…
One reservation I have when I read about these MS programs is that they often sound like they will be heavy on group work. I see where that is valuable to prepare people just starting off in their career, but as someone who has been doing "group work" for the past 10 years irl, I'm not really interested in the mock UN version of having a day job. Have your classes been built around group projects, or can you go it al…
The key is to pick classes that are hard, and form groups early. People that reach out earlier usually have their shit together.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The problem is when you have paid the tuition, and finished the degree, it's so hard to objectively rate it. I have a Bachelor's degree from a decent state school in California. At the time, I felt the courses were too easy, and my four years were a bit of a waste of time. I remember going to a graduation party, and you would think we graduated from med school. The graduates were carrying on like it was so rigrigrous…
I have no idea how one flunks the kindergarten, but I’m pretty sure that it does not reflect one’s intellect in anyway. Am pretty sure there’s an interesting story there somewhere :)
Children as young as four in the province are evaluated by educators on (pages 306–308): the development of the ability to interpret and respond to basic communication, demonstrate independence and "self-motivation" in learning, giving and accepting constructive criticism, developing problem solving skills ("e.g. trial and error, checking and guessing, cross-checking), personal hygiene, self-control of emotions, assertiveness when feeling safe or uncomfortable, and other skills. Indicators that educators look for include phrases from children such as "I'm really frustrated" (page 161) as a demonstration as an awareness and ability to label emotions; "I put my vehicle on the shelf so it would be safe" (page 167) as evidence of problem-solving ability; and persistence in difficult games (e.g. card games and outdoor children's games).
I was also curious whether education in kindergarten could actually have a causal effect on improving long-term outcomes. I couldn't find an immediate conclusion on whether or not interventions are effective, but in at least one paper, it's treated as established knowledge that interventions work. From a quick search, a longitudinal study published in a paper called "Task-Oriented Kindergarten Behavior Pays Off in Later Childhood" [1] with 2837 participants showed a correlation between self-regulation skills in kindergarten and long-term outcomes. The researchers wrote that "early screening by teachers [in kindergarten] introduces the possibility of preventing future learning and behavioral difficulties." They also asserted that "classroom engagement is malleable and amenable to interventions."
While causality was not clearly established in this paper alone, it looks like a reasonable prediction from the correlation that improving classroom engagement as early as in kindergarten could plausibly lead to better life outcomes in years later in life.
TL;DR: While kindergarten in Ontario in recent years may have different expectations than the commenter's time in kindergarten, it appears that educators do evaluate young children on general life skills (e.g. self-control and ability to be aware and label emotions) as a screening tool, and also potentially for interventions to improve engagement in the classroom (which could plausibly lead to better outcomes in years later in life).
[0] PDF, 2016: https://files.ontario.ca/books/edu_the_kindergarten_program_...
All the best for your studies. I also decided to do a mid career masters, but as I did not have a completed undergrad degree I opted for an MBA in AI via a “non prestigious” UK university, as I also wanted part time, online and cheap. I’m a 3rd way through now.
UK doesn’t require undergrad for MBAs?
But it’s also hard in the UK. Maybe there are more universities that allow it but don’t advertise it anywhere but the number who will state clearly they will take work experience in lieu of a Bachelor’s is small.