Ask YC: How many people here have a degree and are programmers? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask YC: How many people here have a degree and are programmers?

#161

Post by ibsulon » Fri, Feb 08, 2008, 7:36 AM UTC

BA in communications from the University of Arizona - minor in CS.

They were restricting the students going into the major and I flubbed up the first semester. (I got a D in discrete math. None of the concepts were difficult for me, but they combined it as a proof class and I just couldn't get the hang of them.) Also, I knew I was pretty good with the computers, it was the interaction with people I was lacking.

I'm strongly considering going back for a Ph.D in cognitive science, but I'll likely have to shore up some of my undergraduate weaknesses first. (The years in industry have taught me that as much as I am frustrated with academia, it suits my personality much better.)

Re: Ask YC: How many people here have a degree and are programmers?

#162

Post by ashwinl » Fri, Feb 08, 2008, 8:44 AM UTC

anaphoric wrote: post #75

anaphoric wrote: post #74

Ph.D. Computer Science UCLA 1997

Oh yeah and B.S. Computer Science University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 1991

I'm a current undergrad at University of Michigan, AA studying mechanical engineering. But, I started programming at 11 when I first got paid for my programming skills. I've worked in the "real world" each summer and have found my hacking abilities more useful than many other skills.

Sometimes it's a php script to scrape data, other times it is a vb macro to make excel work more efficiently or a bash script, etc. etc.

Re: Ask YC: How many people here have a degree and are programmers?

#163

Post by ardit33 » Fri, Feb 08, 2008, 8:58 AM UTC

dawnerd wrote: post #134

rokhayakebe wrote: post #44

no degree, can't code, rejected from yc funding 3 times, and still working on my startup.

3 times? That hurts. Shows your dedication though.

or obliviousness... *ducks

Re: Ask YC: How many people here have a degree and are programmers?

#164

Post by ardit33 » Fri, Feb 08, 2008, 8:59 AM UTC

mironathetin wrote: post #77

PhD in Atomic Physics. Started programming with 16, started to love it when I wrote the code to run my lab automatically (adjust the lasers, pump the vacuum chamber, run the electron gun, calibrate the spectrometers and do the measurements), while I was downtown having a beer with my friends. Did it in ansii c on a eltec os 9 lab computer using a camac crate. I still had to type the thesis myself.

Cool. I minored in physics, and I thought it was much harder than CS. Respects from me.

Re: Ask YC: How many people here have a degree and are programmers?

#165

Post by uuilly » Fri, Feb 08, 2008, 8:59 AM UTC

sigstoat wrote: post #45

B.Sc. Computer Science; Colorado @ Boulder

Me too! I don't miss the concrete jungle at all.

Re: Ask YC: How many people here have a degree and are programmers?

#166

Post by ardit33 » Fri, Feb 08, 2008, 9:04 AM UTC

Computer Science major, minors in Physics and Mathematics at Radford university, in VA.

A party school, so my gpa wasn't perfect, but I had a good time. I had a full academic scholarship though.

Re: Ask YC: How many people here have a degree and are programmers?

#167

Post by omakase » Fri, Feb 08, 2008, 10:15 AM UTC

BASc in EE from University of Toronto (in 3 months) -- already into my first startup

Re: Ask YC: How many people here have a degree and are programmers?

#168

Post by wlievens » Fri, Feb 08, 2008, 10:25 AM UTC

Master in Applied Computer Science from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Brussels, Belgium).

Re: Ask YC: How many people here have a degree and are programmers?

#169

Post by Novash » Fri, Feb 08, 2008, 10:53 AM UTC

Working on my degree now. Two more years to completion, suposing I ever attend the classes. I live in Brazil so the name of the University is probably meaningless to you all.

Re: Ask YC: How many people here have a degree and are programmers?

#170

Post by dgabriel » Fri, Feb 08, 2008, 10:56 AM UTC

wallflower wrote: post #139

dgabriel wrote: post #62

Maybe half of a theater degree? I completely failed out of college, then tried to make a living as an "artist," then accidentally stumbled into a programming job at a start-up. Now I'm a principal software engineer.

Do you still practice your art for fun and non-profit? I think exercising creativity is important for personal satisfaction.

Absolutely. I'm very involved as an organizer & I still do workshops, etc. I make maybe $500 a year off of the work I do as an artist, which is great, but also clearly demonstrates why programming is the more prosperous carer path. Fortunately, I really, really enjoy programming & I've been able to use it to benefit the arts community I work with.