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Four Steps to Google, Without a Degree

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Re: Four Steps to Google, Without a Degree

#31

Post by sejordan »

jamesaguilar wrote: post #12
mahyarm wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even with six figure student loans?

There are many, many solid schools you can go to that would not require six-figure loans. Alternately, if you can be in the top 1% of kids, the best schools, like Stanford, are starting to only charge those who can afford it.

Also, the community college. In-district tuition at community colleges is typically less than $4000 for the whole year. The in-state tuition at Purdue is about $10,000 per year. Assuming no grants or scholarships, that's $28,000 for a degree from Purdue (their graduate CS program is ranked #20 (us news), not too shabby).

Re: Four Steps to Google, Without a Degree

#33

Post by gems »

mc-lovin wrote: post #25
gems wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I made the comment because I don't think we should be reaching this level of discussion. We should be discussing something like how we're going to help people, rather than giving each other steps on getting employed. I have a tendency in believing there are better and worse motives. Content like this also shifts the attention away from what is actually important. It's an opinion, you can ignore it.

>We should be discussing something like how we're going to help people If helping people is a good motive, why isn't helping yourself? While people must strike a balance between doing what benefits themselves, and what benefits others, that is basically a personal decision. People who work at Google and other tech companies pay taxes, and benefit society in many ways through the positive externalities. It's not for y…

>If helping people is a good motive, why isn't helping yourself?

It's a matter of what you think is right. Do you want to have a philosophical discussion?

>If you state it on HN, you can deal with people disagreeing with it, without getting annoyed.

I'm getting annoyed because the first responder was almost offended that I expressed a belief on what I think is right. I don't care if we disagree, but don't pretend like I'm encroaching your rights because I'm asserting myself.

Re: Four Steps to Google, Without a Degree

#35

Post by sejordan »

readme wrote: post #30
stevewilhelm wrote: post #5

Sounds like he reproduced the college experience without a college. Good for him. But in general it's probably more efficient to just to go to college and get a degree.

That's why I'm going back to college. Frankly, you can do it the way he did. There are some pros and cons to that. Pros: * Cost $0 * Flexible Cons: * Probably more difficult than going to college. * You do it alone. * No networking opportunities, no new friends. * No credential. Still, I feel like I'm due for some serious topcoder sessions.

I don't have a college degree. I just enrolled at a local college to finish my BS in Computer Science.

I've not exactly had trouble finding work, and make more than most college graduates. I'm going back because:

    * I don't want my resume thrown out because I don't have a degree. The climate is great for developers right now, but that may not always be the case. I can handle taking classes for the two years it will take me to finish the degree for a little extra job security. 
    * I want to learn the stuff! Being as I'm gainfully employed without a college degree, it would appear that I'm an excellent self-learner. Sure, maybe I am, but I know myself, and I know I'll be more likely to stick with learning artificial intelligence and computation theory if I'm concerned about keeping my grade up.
    * Also, on that end, I'm not good with advanced data structures. When interviewers break out questions that deal with these problems, I struggle. I could study more and learn them on my own, but the structure of a class makes it easier (to me).
    * My employer is paying for most of the tuition costs. I probably wouldn't consider it worth it if they weren't.

Re: Four Steps to Google, Without a Degree

#37

Post by gems »

mosqutip wrote: post #23
gems wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I made the comment because I don't think we should be reaching this level of discussion. We should be discussing something like how we're going to help people, rather than giving each other steps on getting employed. I have a tendency in believing there are better and worse motives. Content like this also shifts the attention away from what is actually important. It's an opinion, you can ignore it.

This sounds like the same line of reasoning as "why do we fund NASA when we could be curing cancer". It's extremely flawed logic. Let people accomplish what goals they want, it's not up to you.

What I'm saying is that you shouldn't focus on getting a job for its own sake. I'm questioning motives, not really the direction you should take your life. The former is more about staying goal oriented, the latter is more about value judgement.

Re: Four Steps to Google, Without a Degree

#38

Post by untog »

ultimoo wrote: post #8

I believe I am a good engineer, I have heard generally positive things about my professional work, have a college degree, etc. I am however terrified of programming challenges (topcoder, spoj, interview-street, etc.) I have tried solving some problems there using Ruby (back when it was 1.8.x, too slow for these kind of problems) and given up. Maybe I should give it a shot with C. Any ideas how to start, considering t…

I am similar- I don't perform well with abstract code challenges. So I don't interview with companies like Google that require them- it's just a coincidence (or is it?) that I don't particularly want to work at those companies either.

In my most recent interview I was given a computer hooked up to a projector and a real world challenge to solve. I went step by step, describing to my interviewer what I was doing. I got the job.

Re: Four Steps to Google, Without a Degree

#40

Post by davidbyttow »

chrisa wrote: post #13

You mention Ruby on your "become fluent" list, but I get the impression that Google doesn't use much ruby. Is the feeling there that skills in ruby can transfer, or is it more important to focus on Java, C++ or Python?

As long as it's a multi-paradigm language. I'm not a huge Ruby fan, and you're right, Ruby at Google is almost non-existent. But I know a lot of developers like it, and a lot of companies look for it. So long as you master one of these languages and learn a couple others, I figured you'll be fine.
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