Ask HN: I recently dropped out of school. What should I do in the mean time?

#1

Post by freshcsgrad » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 7:16 PM UTC

Long story short, I had difficulty in school and recently dropped out. The good news is I already accepted a fulltime CS job. The bad news is that it doesn't start until June.

I've been improving my Python and iOS skills in the past few months, but I feel like I'm not doing anything meaningful with my life?

What should I do in the next 6 months? I'm a bit short on cash, and just feel lost in general.

Thanks

Re: Ask HN: I recently dropped out of school. What should I do in the mean time?

#2

Post by jessejhernandez » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 7:46 PM UTC

I have a pretty interesting project Im working on, if you interest in building a super complex website, shoot me an email at owlvisuals@gmail.com

Re: Ask HN: I recently dropped out of school. What should I do in the mean time?

#3

Post by trcollinson » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 8:20 PM UTC

I'm not sure where you are from, but I would not trust a job offer that is 6 months out. I don't want to discourage you at all. Just show the reality that job offers aren't worth the paper they are written on, so to speak.

Where are you from? In what area of your education did you have difficulty in school? What would you like to do as an engineer? There are plenty of junior/intern positions where you can go without a CS degree and get some great experience and a solid chunk of pay and even benefits. Although this isn't always easy to implement, you must seek out meaning in your life. Meaning won't seek out you. But, there are a lot of us here to help!

Re: Ask HN: I recently dropped out of school. What should I do in the mean time?

#4

Post by smileysteve » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 9:13 PM UTC

Start Contracting, launch a blog, release an ios app. Build that personal brand.

Re: Ask HN: I recently dropped out of school. What should I do in the mean time?

#5

Post by _RPM » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 11:16 PM UTC

Learn about a new concept that has always interested you. I just finished finals and am now on winter break. I will be learning about compilers.

Re: Ask HN: I recently dropped out of school. What should I do in the mean time?

#6

Post by panjaro » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 11:29 PM UTC

Enjoy life !!! You might not get a second chance !!

Re: Ask HN: I recently dropped out of school. What should I do in the mean time?

#7

Post by MalcolmDiggs » Thu, Dec 11, 2014, 12:14 AM UTC

trcollinson wrote: post #3

I'm not sure where you are from, but I would not trust a job offer that is 6 months out. I don't want to discourage you at all. Just show the reality that job offers aren't worth the paper they are written on, so to speak. Where are you from? In what area of your education did you have difficulty in school? What would you like to do as an engineer? There are plenty of junior/intern positions where you can go without…

Agreed, I would heed this warning. It's not that companies (necessarily) intend to make offers they can't keep... it's that unexpected things happen and circumstances change. I always say that the job offer isn't firm until you've received your first paycheck.

Re: Ask HN: I recently dropped out of school. What should I do in the mean time?

#8

Post by freshcsgrad » Thu, Dec 11, 2014, 12:41 AM UTC

MalcolmDiggs wrote: post #7

trcollinson wrote: post #3

I'm not sure where you are from, but I would not trust a job offer that is 6 months out. I don't want to discourage you at all. Just show the reality that job offers aren't worth the paper they are written on, so to speak. Where are you from? In what area of your education did you have difficulty in school? What would you like to do as an engineer? There are plenty of junior/intern positions where you can go without…

Agreed, I would heed this warning. It's not that companies (necessarily) intend to make offers they can't keep... it's that unexpected things happen and circumstances change. I always say that the job offer isn't firm until you've received your first paycheck.

Is this really a big issue? Im in the US and the offer is from a silicon valley company thats doing ok.

Re: Ask HN: I recently dropped out of school. What should I do in the mean time?

#9

Post by MalcolmDiggs » Thu, Dec 11, 2014, 12:51 AM UTC

freshcsgrad wrote: post #8

MalcolmDiggs wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed, I would heed this warning. It's not that companies (necessarily) intend to make offers they can't keep... it's that unexpected things happen and circumstances change. I always say that the job offer isn't firm until you've received your first paycheck.

Is this really a big issue? Im in the US and the offer is from a silicon valley company thats doing ok.

It's not a huge issue, but it's worth minimizing your exposure/risk, so to speak. In other words, I would just keep your options open and continue to entertain other offers. 6 months is a very long time in Silicon Valley. All kinds of things can happen (the person who offered you the job gets fired, there is a restructuring, the company undergoes a merger/acquisition, it downsizes, it pivots in a different direction and no longer needs you, or it scales up and ends up needing to fill the role faster with somebody else, etc etc).

By their nature, tech companies know what they need today, predicting what they need in 6 months doesn't always go well.

Re: Ask HN: I recently dropped out of school. What should I do in the mean time?

#10

Post by Warewolf-ESB » Thu, Dec 11, 2014, 5:14 AM UTC

Open source! Find a project you are like and contribute. Your skills and experience will increase, and it's great for your CV for future work. You might even be able to get some freelancing work out of it via an Elance or similar. Whatever you do, don't sit at home and get into a slump. Good luck