How One High School Grad Studied Computer Science Debt-Free and Nabbed a $90k Job • Hacker News Board

Re: How One High School Grad Studied Computer Science Debt-Free and Nabbed a $90k Job

#11

Post by jim_greco » Wed, Mar 11, 2015, 5:49 PM UTC

chriogenix wrote: post #9

mateo411 wrote: post #5

If he still has an opportunity to go to MIT, he should do that. It's great that he was able to get into the industry, but not many people have the opportunity to get an education at MIT. He will get to learn a lot of topics(Physics, EE, theoretical CS) that he wouldn't get exposed to in industry. He will probably make some of his lifetime friends there too. This network will be great for his social and professional l…

I'd say it depends on what the costs are. If he has to rack up a TON of student loan debt it may not make much sense. You can make friends and social connections outside of school if you create the environment to do that. Its a lot easier in school but to avoid the traps of student loan debt its probably better to continue making/creating software if thats the end goal.

You don't have to rack up student loan debt at MIT or any of the other elite colleges in America. If your family can't afford it then you'll get a ton of grants from their endowments (and work study to supplement). It's the next level down in colleges, especially at liberal arts schools, where students get stuck with the bills.

Re: How One High School Grad Studied Computer Science Debt-Free and Nabbed a $90k Job

#12

Post by jvrossb » Wed, Mar 11, 2015, 5:53 PM UTC

jim_greco wrote: post #11

chriogenix wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd say it depends on what the costs are. If he has to rack up a TON of student loan debt it may not make much sense. You can make friends and social connections outside of school if you create the environment to do that. Its a lot easier in school but to avoid the traps of student loan debt its probably better to continue making/creating software if thats the end goal.

You don't have to rack up student loan debt at MIT or any of the other elite colleges in America. If your family can't afford it then you'll get a ton of grants from their endowments (and work study to supplement). It's the next level down in colleges, especially at liberal arts schools, where students get stuck with the bills.

Two of my closest friends went $100k+ into debt during their MIT undergrad graduating in 2013/2014. Not everyone gets covered by financial aid.

Re: How One High School Grad Studied Computer Science Debt-Free and Nabbed a $90k Job

#13

Post by qmalxp » Wed, Mar 11, 2015, 5:53 PM UTC

robotkilla wrote: post #6

He should still go to college or budget his time in such a way that he is able to study the things he would learn in college. This is coming from someone who has been in the industry for 12 years. I was homeschooled my entire life (until attending and dropping out of a community college). I thought that meant I was using correspondence courses but recently discovered from my mother that she just purchased text books…

FWIW I regularly got destroyed by the homeschooled kids in math competitions in high school. That said, they were a weird bunch.

Re: How One High School Grad Studied Computer Science Debt-Free and Nabbed a $90k Job

#14

Post by urda » Wed, Mar 11, 2015, 5:54 PM UTC

I obtained my B.S. and M.Eng in Computer Engineering & Computer Science also debt-free, and landed a 100k+ job straight out of college.

I had to work my butt off with a few part-time gigs, had to do some smart saving, and cost managemen. I was able to do it without locking myself into anyone who wanted a cut of my pie.

It's not impossible, but you have to be willing to commit to it.

Re: How One High School Grad Studied Computer Science Debt-Free and Nabbed a $90k Job

#15

Post by robotkilla » Wed, Mar 11, 2015, 5:55 PM UTC

qmalxp wrote: post #13

robotkilla wrote: post #6

He should still go to college or budget his time in such a way that he is able to study the things he would learn in college. This is coming from someone who has been in the industry for 12 years. I was homeschooled my entire life (until attending and dropping out of a community college). I thought that meant I was using correspondence courses but recently discovered from my mother that she just purchased text books…

FWIW I regularly got destroyed by the homeschooled kids in math competitions in high school. That said, they were a weird bunch.

I was raised in an ultra religious hosehold that didn't allow me to associate with people from the "World".

What do you mean by weird? This seems perfectly cromulent to me.

endsarcasm

Re: How One High School Grad Studied Computer Science Debt-Free and Nabbed a $90k Job

#16

Post by rpcope1 » Wed, Mar 11, 2015, 5:56 PM UTC

mateo411 wrote: post #5

If he still has an opportunity to go to MIT, he should do that. It's great that he was able to get into the industry, but not many people have the opportunity to get an education at MIT. He will get to learn a lot of topics(Physics, EE, theoretical CS) that he wouldn't get exposed to in industry. He will probably make some of his lifetime friends there too. This network will be great for his social and professional l…

Agreed. One day app programming will get old, and if you want to do something different, and cool, especially if it involves mathematics or other difficult problems, that MIT degree is probably worth its weight in gold. Just getting to study with the best minds in many fields should be worth it...I guess I'm rather perplexed why anyone would turn down a chance to go study there as an undergraduate.

Re: How One High School Grad Studied Computer Science Debt-Free and Nabbed a $90k Job

#17

Post by seanflyon » Wed, Mar 11, 2015, 5:58 PM UTC

"Debt-Free" is a real stretch.

> In contrast, students at Make School pay tuition through their internship earnings and 25% of their earnings in the first two years on the job.

Coming out of a 6 month program owing $45k of future earnings sounds like debt to me.

Re: How One High School Grad Studied Computer Science Debt-Free and Nabbed a $90k Job

#18

Post by robotkilla » Wed, Mar 11, 2015, 5:59 PM UTC

jim_greco wrote: post #10

He had to pay 25% of 2 years * $90k for this. This is a terrible trade off. MIT is incredibly generous with grants and work study programs. My girlfriend's family ended up paying ~$10k a year to go to one of the best schools in the world. And when you graduate you're looking at a job well north of six figures. Edit: It was actually ~6k for her. Class of '05.

do they give grants to people in their 30s who already know how to program?

Re: How One High School Grad Studied Computer Science Debt-Free and Nabbed a $90k Job

#19

Post by joshstrange » Wed, Mar 11, 2015, 6:04 PM UTC

As someone who dropped out of college to go into software development full time [0] I can relate quite a bit to this article. After graduating HS I went to college, that's just "what you did", I never considered another path until around my second year in college and even then didn't do anything until spring break my junior year when I worked a full 40hr week and loved it, my stress levels plummeted and I decided "Why wait?" I talked to my parents and my boss then went to the guidance office and dropped out.

I'm still young (24) so I'm not going to say "Everything worked out perfectly" because I can't know that yet but so far it has. After I had 2 companies under my belt I was able to go just about wherever I wanted (That is anywhere that my skill set lined up with what they were looking for) because I've found employers care a lot more about what you can do/what you have done than a piece of paper from a university. I'm not ready to write off college completely but in it's current state I don't see it lasting much longer. The college bubble will burst if they don't start making changes. The world has changed but colleges have not, they no longer prepare student for the real world (if they ever did in the first place) and they don't guarantee a job.

I love my job and what I do. I have no plans on finishing my college education, I might take community classes at some point but really I don't see the point. It doesn't affect me in my job searches and that money could be better used to pay off my college loans. I have older people tell me all the time that I should finish college but I think this is more because they grew up in a time when that worked not because they are actually right that I'll need it in the future. IMHO a degree only helps for your first-second job (if that) and after that no one cares.

I think another important point is a number of people I am friends with or have talked with seem to think the end of college marks the end of learning. That couldn't be further from the truth, I learn every day and spend a vast majority of my free time working to get better at what I know and/or pick up new languages/skills. I didn't drop out to stop learning, I dropped out to start learning things that mattered. If I ever went back to school I don't know if I would even go for my CS degree but instead take classes on subjects that are not as easy (for me) to learn online or that I might just like the classroom atmosphere for like writing or history maybe.

[0] http://joshstrange.com/why-i-canceled-my-college-subscriptio...

Re: How One High School Grad Studied Computer Science Debt-Free and Nabbed a $90k Job

#20

Post by bradleyjg » Wed, Mar 11, 2015, 6:07 PM UTC

jim_greco wrote: post #11

chriogenix wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd say it depends on what the costs are. If he has to rack up a TON of student loan debt it may not make much sense. You can make friends and social connections outside of school if you create the environment to do that. Its a lot easier in school but to avoid the traps of student loan debt its probably better to continue making/creating software if thats the end goal.

You don't have to rack up student loan debt at MIT or any of the other elite colleges in America. If your family can't afford it then you'll get a ton of grants from their endowments (and work study to supplement). It's the next level down in colleges, especially at liberal arts schools, where students get stuck with the bills.

That your parents could theoretically afford to pay for college doesn't mean that they will pay for it. The usual rule is that parents are not obligated to pay anything for their children over the age of 18. Only in some divorce cases is the situation otherwise. Before you mention emancipation or a dependency override, check the requirements, they are quite difficult.