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Show HN: I spent 2 years building Tablane as a 17-year-old

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Re: Show HN: I spent 2 years building Tablane as a 17-year-old

#91

Post by aryik »

marconlp wrote: post #48

I've seen a lot of discussion about my choice of looking for a job directly after Highschool. Reasons against college - I recently visited a College Conference and wans't really impressed by any of them, mainly because their presented curriculum where basic js, css, html, react, easy leetcode algorithms which I already know - I don't really happy with my current position in School, where I sit and listen to the teach…

First of all, congratulations! This is fantastic work at any age, let alone 17.

One piece of advice - you should do some research on US/Canadian immigration policies and how a college degree affects (or doesn’t affect) your ability to immigrate. This is something that may not be top of mind for you, but if your goal is to move to the US it’s a very important factor to consider.

Re: Show HN: I spent 2 years building Tablane as a 17-year-old

#93

Post by GoldenMonkey »

hugs_vs_toph wrote: post #76
amitprasad wrote: post #12

Hey Marcus! Super cool to see another fellow Minecraft-jumpstarted developer. I got into programming way back in 2013 with Minecraft mods and then Bukkit/Spigot plugins. > I decided to look for open Developer positions, to work with a team of experienced developers so I can learn even faster. Seeing as you're in Europe and not in the U.S. (with exorbitant tuition costs), I would actually recommend against skipping ou…

If I could go back and skip college I would. Worst years of my life by far.

Those with degrees, don’t see the downside of not having a degree.

Re: Show HN: I spent 2 years building Tablane as a 17-year-old

#94

Post by 0xbadcafebee »

Hi Marcus,

I don't want to take away from the awesome tool you've written. It looks really cool!

But, as a person who followed a similar path to you, I really wish I had taken my teenage and young adult years to not focus on my career or computers. I'd encourage you to spend as much time as you can learning about music, art, film, history, psychology, philosophy, food, dance, sports, nature, traveling, starting useful habits, trying new things, and most of all, hanging out with people that don't work with computers :-) College is where most people make lifelong friendships and meet their life partners, and there's very little opportunity for that (much less trying out random college courses) once you've started a career.

Work will be there for the rest of your life. You're only young once. Spend that time being young!

Oh, and start saving for retirement now! The sooner you start, the less you have to put away each month over time, making it much easier to build a nest egg.

Re: Show HN: I spent 2 years building Tablane as a 17-year-old

#95

Post by throwaycollege »

xupybd wrote: post #58
marconlp wrote: post #48

I've seen a lot of discussion about my choice of looking for a job directly after Highschool. Reasons against college - I recently visited a College Conference and wans't really impressed by any of them, mainly because their presented curriculum where basic js, css, html, react, easy leetcode algorithms which I already know - I don't really happy with my current position in School, where I sit and listen to the teach…

You're probably right that a college is not the fastest or cheapest way for you to learn but the world works in funny ways. You might find a degree opens more doors than it should. That said there are ways to get those qualifications at your own pace and much cheaper. Find a way to speed run a degree. It'll be worth it.

> Find a way to speed run a degree. It'll be worth it.

Yeah there are many options. One thing you can do if you have any other advanced qualification and work experience is directly enroll in an online master's program. Some universities allow it. Some will take passing certain exams at the same level as bachelor but those exams do not require you to spend 4 years specifically. You can take them anytime depending on knowledge.

This way, you can speed run through an advanced degree in 2 years remotely while working full time. OMSCS has good reputation and there are other solid programs.

At last, you could also do part time university targetted at adults which provide more leeway in attendance or group activities.

Re: Show HN: I spent 2 years building Tablane as a 17-year-old

#96

Post by CoastalCoder »

c7DJTLrn wrote: post #81
Octabrain wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I can confidently say that while experience in the industry is great (having worked part-time at a startup, as well as various internships during College), I think the knowledge gained from University classes is often underrated. 100% agree. Great advice. I never went to University, in my case for reasons that I prefer not to mention and it has been a constant source of regret. I wish I had a time machine.

+1 on this. Left school at 16 to do an apprenticeship, then went straight into industry. As a result, my social life is like a withered plant. Don't waste time and money on education you don't need, but also don't grow up too fast. You only get one life and one chance to be carefree.

I have a great family, a phd, and a good job in industry.

My social life is like a withered plan im the middle of a toxic waste dump :)

Re: Show HN: I spent 2 years building Tablane as a 17-year-old

#97

Post by iamben »

filoleg wrote: post #20
amitprasad wrote: post #12

Hey Marcus! Super cool to see another fellow Minecraft-jumpstarted developer. I got into programming way back in 2013 with Minecraft mods and then Bukkit/Spigot plugins. > I decided to look for open Developer positions, to work with a team of experienced developers so I can learn even faster. Seeing as you're in Europe and not in the U.S. (with exorbitant tuition costs), I would actually recommend against skipping ou…

To add to your great points, if OP ever decides to immigrate elsewhere (not even talking about the US specifically, but pretty much anywhere outside of the EU), attempting it without a college degree can range somewhere between extremely difficult and impossible. Yes, even for high-earning fields like software development. Unless there are strong reasons not to do college, I would recommend to not skip it. Disclaimer…

Just my experience, but I'm not sure how much a degree matters in UK after you have a few years experience. The exception probably being 'big companies' and (obviously) graduate schemes. I guess getting your food in a door somewhere (if you have no other way, and no experience) - a degree will probably help.

All that said, I really grew up at university. I loved it. It was great fun, great to expand your social circle and I'd absolutely recommend it if you can.

Re: Show HN: I spent 2 years building Tablane as a 17-year-old

#99

Post by marconlp »

geysersam wrote: post #66
amitprasad wrote: post #12

Hey Marcus! Super cool to see another fellow Minecraft-jumpstarted developer. I got into programming way back in 2013 with Minecraft mods and then Bukkit/Spigot plugins. > I decided to look for open Developer positions, to work with a team of experienced developers so I can learn even faster. Seeing as you're in Europe and not in the U.S. (with exorbitant tuition costs), I would actually recommend against skipping ou…

If you want to work for a couple of years, do it! College doesn't go away, it can wait.

I think that is another great aspect.

Doing a "gap year" and deciding later if I wan't to visit college.

Re: Show HN: I spent 2 years building Tablane as a 17-year-old

#100

Post by hypertexthero »

Congratulations!

I am always glad to see video games leading to creating your own project.

Tablane looks really good and I look forward to trying it.

I second the comment to not skip college, mainly for the friendships you can make and for the chance to explore other fields in the humanities like art, literature, languages, and music.

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