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Completing a computer science degree on Coursera

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Re: Completing a computer science degree on Coursera

#171

Post by theflyingpigeon »

epolanski wrote: post #152
appplication wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had an unrelated undergrad did my MSCS online (not JHU but same idea). It was great. But if you’re already senior at FAANG I’m not sure you need further legitimacy.

> But if you’re already senior at FAANG I’m not sure you need further legitimacy For rat raceing the pyramid it is still a differentiator at executive level. Nobody wants to be held accountable, if projects go south, for having promoted to a leadership position a self taught engineer. It's really about politics and accountability more than anything.

I absolutely agree with this, and it is my main motivation TBH. I know I’m capable of learning almost anything in my field by hands on experience, but having the advanced degree from a strong institution will help on the rat race. At the end of the day I’m competing with equally capable peers that have a degree from a good school.

Re: Completing a computer science degree on Coursera

#172

Post by theflyingpigeon »

stonecoldman wrote: post #140
theflyingpigeon wrote: post #96

I have a similar trajectory. I attended two very competitive military schools in Brazil but never finished and moved to America. Today I’m a senior software engineer at a FAANG company. The lack of diploma has never been a barrier and I progressed very quickly in the company from junior to senior (4 years). But this has always been a perceived pain point and limiter for me so I decided to get a CS degree during COVID…

So you got into one of Faang before 2020’s hype? Not surprising that you could do that without any degree. Nowadays there are so many smart guys from unis and colleges like Standord or MIT who couldn’t get into even a small company. “No degree but no problem” sounds like totally ignoring your own luck.

I got in 2020, during COVID. But before that I was already working at a large financial services and tech company.

Re: Completing a computer science degree on Coursera

#173

Post by theflyingpigeon »

alephnerd wrote: post #105
jmalicki wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For break-the-bank options, Stanford and Columbia have good programs too. If you're looking at the potential returns to a graduate degree in a high paying field, $60k spread over a few years isn't an insane investment, but yes, it is worth considering the value vs. GATech/UT Austin.

Columbia as a program isn't worth $70k in tuition, and the Columbia name doesn't open any doors that GT or UT Austin couldn't unless you live in NYC or China. Stanford HCP is great (I've worked with plenty of their grads), but a large portion end up switching to FT because Stanford is a once in a lifetime experience.

Stanford would be interesting as well. Applications for the next cycle open in mid-September I believe.

The company I work for will pay around $10K per year, so UT Austin or GT would be fully covered, but I would have to fork some money for JHU.

Still weighing my options - and waiting for UT Austin decision.

Re: Completing a computer science degree on Coursera

#174

Post by dorjoy »

theflyingpigeon wrote: post #170
dorjoy wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am in a similar boat where I never completed my degree. I am from Asia. As far as I know even if a job does not require a degree, lots of countries do require Bachelor's degree to get a work visa, for example, for USA it's either bachelor's or 3/4 years of experience per university year I think. I would appreciate if you could share your story of how you moved to America.

My move to America was not related to my work :D I got married here and that made things a lot easier. I was fortunate enough to not have the visa barrier. I agree that most jobs don’t require a degree if one has experience, but one ends up limiting themselves on the kinds of opportunities they can get abroad (if that is something the person is interested in).

Thanks for the response!

Re: Completing a computer science degree on Coursera

#175

Post by jamwil »

CrimsonRain wrote: post #134
bfung wrote: post #32

Congrats! > Group projects were also a common complaint. You were randomly assigned a group, but it was often unclear if the participants were even doing the course - many people were in completely ghost groups. I see that nothing has changed in 20 years. Even when attended the courses physically in person, group project usually had 1 or 2 people doing all the work and the rest nowhere to be found, or just hanging ou…

I still remember in a varsity project, we're a group of three. I took over the design and coding. Another guy was bad at coding, so he took over all the documentation etc. The last guy was doing db design and write some basic SQL for the CRUD. We were supposed to integrate everything a week before submission. Project was assigned about 6 weeks before submission. The last guy kept saying he's working on it and we don'…

The point of group projects is not to make the best project, it’s to learn to navigate working with other people and all the messiness that entails. Soft skill development and the slackers are a feature not a bug. Doing group projects solo completely defeats the point of the exercise—I’m surprised you got approval from any profs for that.

Re: Completing a computer science degree on Coursera

#176

Post by protocolture »

>I've heard from other students that before COVID, people actually went to local teaching centres for their exams.

The testing/proctoring industry in Australia seems to be completely dead.

I actually liked using testing centres, I hate the invasiveness of remote proctoring.

Re: Completing a computer science degree on Coursera

#177

Post by CrimsonRain »

jamwil wrote: post #175
CrimsonRain wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I still remember in a varsity project, we're a group of three. I took over the design and coding. Another guy was bad at coding, so he took over all the documentation etc. The last guy was doing db design and write some basic SQL for the CRUD. We were supposed to integrate everything a week before submission. Project was assigned about 6 weeks before submission. The last guy kept saying he's working on it and we don'…

The point of group projects is not to make the best project, it’s to learn to navigate working with other people and all the messiness that entails. Soft skill development and the slackers are a feature not a bug. Doing group projects solo completely defeats the point of the exercise—I’m surprised you got approval from any profs for that.

You are not completely wrong but you are missing out a lot too. It is accountability without authority issue.

Yes, learning to navigate working with other people is important. But why are you learning that? Because you will need that in work place.

You know what is there in workplace that is not present in varsity project?

Accountability: If someone is not doing their job, you can complain to the manager/boss. There is none in group project.

Authority: In varsity project, everyone is equal. I have no authority over others, even when I have much more experience/know-how. Telling prof one guy is slacking doesn't get much done.

Right to Choose: In work env, if I am highly skilled, I have the option to choose the place I work and thereby increasing the chance of like-minded like-skilled peers. In varsity project, I can get paired with a dumbass and have to bring myself to lowest common denominator. Sorry, I don't (have to) work with idiots in an equal setting. There's a reason that guy is doing some unrelated bank managerial job for $1k/month and I buy $1k worth of collectible items per month without blinking an eye.

If a varsity project is setup in a work env way where I get to interview who joins my team and have the right to fire them if they don't get their shit done, then I'm happy to do group project. Similarly, I'm happy to go thru the same process to join another person's team (if I consider them better).

PS: I did 2 group projects with a friend before that incident and we had zero issues with anything. Simply because we did the work and our skill levels were similar. He's working as Principle Engineer at Oracle now and it is no surprise.

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