Do I need to go to university?
colah.github.io
Do I need to go to university?
1–10 of 279 posts
Re: Do I need to go to university?
#2I'm really tired of the same anti-college circlejerk. Maybe programmers don't need it, but I'm not going to a doctor that didn't go to med school and I'm not driving over a bridge designed by someone that went to a trade school.
Re: Do I need to go to university?
#3Yes, you do.
Re: Do I need to go to university?
#4I went to mediocre uni here in the UK studying Web Development. The educational value was pretty much worthless. I learnt more in a year at my first job than three years of university. But being forced to move out and become independent was invaluable.
Re: Do I need to go to university?
#5I just graduated (this summer). Previously I wasn't sold on university and did a year long internship with IBM in the UK. They offered me a full time 'degree-apprenticeship' in cyber security or consulting, but I instead left and studied literature at a UK University instead.
I often think the biggest difference between a graduate and non graduate is three years. As an 18 year old there is no way I would have been able to withstand the culture for another three years at IBM without it significantly affecting me (positively or negatively), but at 21 I feel much more mature and ready for a career. In many cases, does University just function as a waiting room in which young people can mature?
Re: Do I need to go to university?
#6[deleted]
Re: Do I need to go to university?
#7If you have the option to go and you want to advance on your career, then there’s almost zero reasons to not go.
Yes, there are some exceptions but in most places and for most people a degree is what matters, not how many commits you do have in your side projects in github.
Re: Do I need to go to university?
#8I just graduated (this summer). Previously I wasn't sold on university and did a year long internship with IBM in the UK. They offered me a full time 'degree-apprenticeship' in cyber security or consulting, but I instead left and studied literature at a UK University instead. I often think the biggest difference between a graduate and non graduate is three years. As an 18 year old there is no way I would have been ab…
Yes. And meet people outside of the tech bubble.
Do you really want to be engulfed by a male-dominated IBM/Google monoculture for 4 formative years?
Re: Do I need to go to university?
#9I went to mediocre uni here in the UK studying Web Development. The educational value was pretty much worthless. I learnt more in a year at my first job than three years of university. But being forced to move out and become independent was invaluable.
Some education isn't all that useful. I had a computer-something-related class in college where we were talking about how computers were getting faster.
Professor: If you think computers are fast now, it'll blow your mind that back in the 60s the NSA has computers running at 1000.
Me: 1000? You mean 1000 megahertz?
Professor: No, 1000.
Me: facepalm
I'm still paying off those student loans.
Re: Do I need to go to university?
#10Yes, you do.
1) Yes, you do.
2) No, you don't.
3) Depends.
2&3: I knew a guy, his father had sheep, plenty of them. He never bothered with Uni. He has been studying/training on seminars regarding agriculture, animal care, etc. He is set for life. He will never sit on a university theatre and keep notes. He does use technology (I remember how he was shocked when he discovered YouTube videos that exploded his mind and knowledge).
He picks up the phone and speaks to vets, he talks to agriculture specialists, he watches seminars, he gets better. He stays on top/ahead of things. He never spent 1 (pick your own currency) on University, housing, (Uni) books.
He stays in touch with his peers both in his country and abroad (he was taught English early on and how he sees the value of that investment).
I see him though being a guest lecturer in a Uni, to speak as a professional on this/his industry, speak on his part of the supply chain, what he would expect of "Education" to provide for him (his industry) in the future, what he would like to see people do for the promotion and progress of his industry. But pay for classes? Never.
So.. 2 & 3 :)
Edit: typos