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Dropping out is probably not for you

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Re: Dropping out is probably not for you

#51

Post by ohashi »

alexholehouse wrote: post #21
yummyfajitas wrote: post #16

I don't think (2) is correct: You don't like to learn, and you need more money...Don't do it. Why? Because that stuff you learn you will need later on, and you will need it badly. Of all the stuff I learned in college, I needed very little of it. This includes many classes I enjoyed. Most of it I've forgotten already. Not only that, I didn't even take the traditional college -> job route - I stayed in academia for 8…

You may not use "what" you learn, but the skills you developed to help get through exams, hit deadlines, learn complicated concepts and work in groups are invaluable.

I absolutely agree. I studied economics and people have asked about it - what do you actually learn? You learn maybe a couple actual skills (regressions being the big one) but more importantly, it was learning about how to think like an economist. The sciences had more practical skills I can say I learned about data structures, theoretical performance, etc, but the biggest thing I learned taking CS courses was how to solve problems and then how to solve them faster, more efficiently, planning my time, and other skills which aren't listed in a course description.

Re: Dropping out is probably not for you

#52

Post by conductrics »

Why did you go in the first place? If you don't care about the 'system' why apply to college and waste a year or two on tuition? Or is it more about nurturing a chip? "yeah, I can get into your school, but here is what I think of it." Look, if you are trying to find an optimal policy in an unknown environment (w/drift) you are going to need to make the exploration/exploitation tradeoff. How you do it is your call, but if you think that the act of 'dropping out' is, in of itself, of positive value as signaling mechanism you are sadly mistaken.

Re: Dropping out is probably not for you

#53

Post by adestefan »

bozho wrote: post #12

Agreed. But I'll just add one option that worked for me. I dropped out after the first semester. Then I found a job as a software engineer. In 4 years I'm a valuable senior java developer that everyone is trying to hire. Have I graduated? Yes, from the school of real-world software projects. I didn't have a startup business (well, I had one which failed, and I'm having one right now, on the side), but it was still a…

Or you could do both. I worked 15-20 hours a week while I was in school with a local software company learning all those things and doing the academic work. Most of my classes were in the morning and I'd work 3-4 hours in the afternoon/early-evening when all my roommates where playing video games. This lead to great summer jobs and I left college with a BSc and real-world experience. This lead to a higher offer out of school and looks great at the same time.

Re: Dropping out is probably not for you

#54

Post by trefn »

pnathan wrote: post #47
abyssknight wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have to disagree. A college education costs about $26,000 for Florida residents here in Orlando for a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. Compare that to my first year's salary which was roughly double that, and the cost begins to look minimal. The opportunity cost is relative, since the people you meet in college may very well be the best resources you have for maintaining your drive, innovative spirit, and w…

In Idaho, the 4 year universities are about 3K per semester. Assuming a 4-year degree, that's 24K in tuition. If it's 5 years, that's 30K. You can live on about 1K per month. So loosely, that's about 20K per year to get a degree here.

it's correct to think about the bigger picture, but you'd be paying rent anyway. I think the right number to look at is tuition + opportunity cost, e.g. 6K + 18K salary or whatever.

Re: Dropping out is probably not for you

#55

Post by gnaritas »

vaksel wrote: post #42

frankly I think dropping out is retarded. 1. You get your food paid for, you get your housing paid for, you have 0 expenses. 2. Schoolwork doesn't take up a lot of effort...hell you can throw it to the wind, and coast by to get all Cs, and still graduate with a decent GPA...it might not be stellar, but at least you'll have something to fall back on 3. Dropping out is fine if you are profitable and the startup is payi…

And where does this magical free food, housing, and lack of bills come from?

Re: Dropping out is probably not for you

#56

Post by radagaisus »

marquis wrote: post #39
radagaisus wrote: post #34

Here is my plan: in a year I'm finishing my army service. I'll be 21. Instead of going to the university I'll take three years off. Right now I practice my software development skills. I practice BDD, pick up new mainstream languages, practice writing good and concise code, working with people, etc. When I'll finish the army I'll have three years experience in software development. I've worked at a couple of start up…

Would army service not be similar to getting a degree, in that you are focused on a daily bases on core learning? It sounds as if your service experience has been as valuable as some schools.

I think it it good for my career. I think it's better to learn theory after a good practice, not before. Otherwise you don't have the context, and you fly into to the clouds without keeping your feed on the ground of I Can Build Stuff With This.

Re: Dropping out is probably not for you

#57

Post by [deleted] »

super_mario wrote: post #38
bozho wrote: post #12

Agreed. But I'll just add one option that worked for me. I dropped out after the first semester. Then I found a job as a software engineer. In 4 years I'm a valuable senior java developer that everyone is trying to hire. Have I graduated? Yes, from the school of real-world software projects. I didn't have a startup business (well, I had one which failed, and I'm having one right now, on the side), but it was still a…

Yeah, and you will also NEVER be a computer scientist. You will never be hired by a team building a compiler, or a team building a database engine. You condemned yourself to a programmer title for the rest of your life, doing mind numbing business logic for the rest of your life (unless you decide to go back to school that it). Besides higher education is NOT about learning skills immediately useful for employment. I…

[deleted]

Re: Dropping out is probably not for you

#58

Post by navs »

I've been struggling in Uni for close to 5 years now. If I don't dropout then I'll just end up wasting more and more money. It looks like this semester my University may make the decision for me and kick me out for my low grades.

I know University is supposed to teach me dedication, perseverance, hard work etc but it seems all it does is make me doubt myself which makes me depressed and lazy.

I make reasonable money as a freelance web developer. I figure by dropping out of Uni completely, I can take on more jobs and focus on personal projects. This is what I want. This is what gives me excitement so why shouldn't I drop out if the only reason I'm in Uni is to finish a degree I don't even care for.

Re: Dropping out is probably not for you

#59

Post by conductrics »

yummyfajitas wrote: post #16

I don't think (2) is correct: You don't like to learn, and you need more money...Don't do it. Why? Because that stuff you learn you will need later on, and you will need it badly. Of all the stuff I learned in college, I needed very little of it. This includes many classes I enjoyed. Most of it I've forgotten already. Not only that, I didn't even take the traditional college -> job route - I stayed in academia for 8…

Isn't this kinda like looking back after running a search algorithm and saying "look at all of those branches that were explored that had nothing of value in them, what a useless waste." You have to explore in order to learn. College helps one learn both how your actions affect the external environment but also the internal one - your goals, utility function whatever you want to call it. What is 'needed' will be a function of what you decide will be needed.

Re: Dropping out is probably not for you

#60

Post by brudgers »

navs wrote: post #58

I've been struggling in Uni for close to 5 years now. If I don't dropout then I'll just end up wasting more and more money. It looks like this semester my University may make the decision for me and kick me out for my low grades. I know University is supposed to teach me dedication, perseverance, hard work etc but it seems all it does is make me doubt myself which makes me depressed and lazy. I make reasonable money…

>"I figure by dropping out of Uni completely, I can take on more jobs and focus on personal projects."

I figure that if you graduate Uni, you can take on more jobs and focus on personal projects.

It's a false dichotomy.

After you graduate, the jobs will be better and the personal projects more deeply informed.

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