Is 4 years of going to school really worth it? Or should I just try to learn as much as possible on my own and carve my own path?
Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?
1–10 of 99 posts
Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?
#2both
Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?
#3If you are paying for it in loans/cash, be very very careful about where you go and how motivated you are.
If it's mostly subsidized at little cost to you, probably worth it
Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?
#4both
Seconding this. My degree comes in handy all the time conceptualizing software and architecture problems into computer science problems, which are much less murky to solve. My practical experience comes in handy all the time with the day-to-day usage of libraries and frameworks, and "hands-on" skills ie debugging, deploying, etc.
Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?
#5No one can answer this for you.
If you want the fastest path to get a $50,000 -$90,000 job - you may want to consider self study. There are jobs in every city that could fit for this.
If you want a career path and want to work on high level engineering, then go to college. You will need the basics and a network.
If you are asking and not sure, you should most likely go to school.
Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?
#6Depends on a lot of factors, age, savings, debt, etc...
Recently had to make this choice for myself as a 24 year old.
Reach out to me if you want to discuss it further and I may be able to provide some insight.
Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?
#7How young are you? If you're around an average college student's age, you should definitely get that degree.
Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?
#8Get a degree. It is so much easier to get a job, and you are more likely to complete it since you have skin in the game.
Go to an in-state school with a good CS and Engineering program if you can. Also you can consider going to community college first and transferring in your credits to save money.
Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?
#9Yes, I would say worth it. Not just for the degree itself, but the networking and internship opportunities being a student gives you. If you live in an area with a strong tech scene you can get high quality paying internships which give you a strong foot in the door at many companies.
It's possible for you to carve your own path but from my experience companies are looking more and more with people that already have professional experience even for entry-level jobs. As long as you can afford it without going knee-deep into debt then I would say it's a good idea.
Re: Ask HN: Is a computer science degree worth it or should I learn on my own?
#10Get a degree. It is so much easier to get a job, and you are more likely to complete it since you have skin in the game. Go to an in-state school with a good CS and Engineering program if you can. Also you can consider going to community college first and transferring in your credits to save money.
A good engineering program also exposes you to higher level maths and physics as well, stuff you might not encounter or need if you did mostly self-study.