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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?

#101

Post by sircastor »

I’m in my early 40s. I just finished my Bachelors last year after 15 years in software. I did it on evenings and weekends, 2 courses at a time for about 3 years (I already had my associates)

I’m really pleased that I went back to school and finished, but school didn’t impart me with some mystical information that I couldn’t learn elsewhere.

University education in the topics under computer science are going to be theory based, which is great if you want to pursue the science of it.

I’m a strong advocate of higher education, and I’m never going to tell someone to not go back. I will tell you that I doubt school is going to give you the things you’re looking for. It might clear your schedule a bit to allow you to go after those things, but university study is largely structured. Sometime in your senior year you might get to structure your own education.

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

#102

Post by avmich »

satisfice wrote: post #89
avmich wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

If computer offers as much as a checkbox, that approach could be problematic.

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

#103

Post by hbogert »

The only advise I can give is, if you go the autodidact route, learn the stuff that you don't like as well. Look up an official curriculum and pick at random. I've been to uni, and I think the major contribution it brings is forcing you the fundamentals of subjects you'd otherwise skip.

I hated compiler construction with passion. But I love that language design is now at least comprehensible for me when looking at new languages.

Of course this is just one example, another being formal methods/ software validation awesome stuff; would have never learnt it otherwise.

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

#104

Post by jesterson »

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…

Came here to write this, but @pezzana did it better.

Having a degree for long time, the only usage where it is important is work visa application - in many countries you just won't be eligible for proper visa without degree. Besides that, the only thing I regretted were 6 years wasted in college.

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

#106

Post by lmeyerov »

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #97
lmeyerov wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

don't apply through HR filter routes nor with a normal application. you need just one person on the team or senior on the decision path to advocate a look. stuff like DEI, veteran hiring, high energy, etc are real, and junior hires are all protected categories, so managers do care about non-unicorn hires and will bat for them . -- startups, esp those scrappy (read: no $30M funding rounds) so aren't using HR recruiter…

> LinkedIn sleuthing -- identify the team you'd want to join and likely hiring lead LI is a giant circle jerk. You shouldn't have to sneak around unofficial channels to get past HR BS.

Agreed! But till that wonderful future, 15-20min on LI can work quite well vs auto-reject.

Most people trust the system despite already knowing it doesn't work, and then get sad when their dream job doesn't happen (or any job). There is no rule you have to do that!

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

#107

Post by stormking »

Depends on where you are now and what you want to achieve. Deal with it, you'll probably never be hired by Google but you can still become a software or system architect in some interesting niche.

I know because I am and I have the exact same background as you, and for the same reasons.

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

#108

Post by snvzz »

An online university might be an option.

They're very flexible, you can go as slow as you want, and get your degree while working.

If the university is worth anything, you'll of course have to attend exams in-person.

I know some options in Europe, which diplomas are approved by the EU, but do not have a clue about elsewhere.

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

#109

Post by mclightning »

I'm in the same boat. Dropped out from B.S. in Computer Engineering in the very last semester when I got a job offer from Sony abroad, initially seemed to be for SF then shifted to a position in Sweden.

I was a rebellious/idealist kid who read all the success stories here in HN and had an overblown confidence.

I am doing very good economically, but when it comes to visa and mobility internationally. Having a diploma helps a lot, I found. Beside having access to more intelectual communities of people through a master's programme for example.

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

#110

Post by mettamage »

> It really bums me out and constantly thinking about it is starting to wear me out mentally. Putting my career on hold for a few years to go back to school has a very high opportunity cost right now, and even if I were to do that I would still feel like a massive screw-up for going back to university in my 30s. At the same time, I feel like I'm throwing away my potential and my curiosity about deeper technical topics.

Send me an email and lets call. I'll tell you my more or less similar story.

The difference?

I have a bachelor in CS and master in CS.

Education credentials are worthless. Educate yourself and be able to showcase within 5 seconds that you're good at it, and you'll be fine.

I know you're on a throwaway, so I get it if you don't want to (and I might not reply, my email is being swamped by spammers :( ).

But as you can see from my comment history, I tend to be quite an open person and I have posted similar-ish questions under this account.

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