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FWIW, I never graduated from college but turned out quite successful, at least as far as job position and compensation goes. I make well over average at a popul

FWIW, I never graduated from college but turned out quite successful, at least as far as job position and compensation goes. I make well over average at a popular software company in the Bay Area. Still, for the past 3 years I have been using my weekends and evenings to work on my BS in CS. And, while surely I was able to be successful building software without it, a new clarity has come that had never been there before. Perhaps it's because I have industry experience to draw on but I regret not having done this earlier in my life (I'm 39). So my point is, if you're in college reading this now, please do yourself a favor and see it through to completion. You're in a fortunate position (even though the daily grind sucks), take a deep breath, pause, and enjoy it.

accountface 10y ago
It's not worth a whole lot because I imagine tech is one of the few industries that don't follow the trend (especially in the bay area). I know this is a tech site, but MOST careers are not in software.
digitalsushi 10y ago
Is it possible that people just get a clarity with age? I'm 37 and also feel like I have had a fog lift this decade. I would like to hear a few other folks here share whether they felt a general increase of clarity and insight as they have come into their middle ages. My dad always said he did his best thinking in his 40s. He said that he knew he wasnt as fast or as sharp, but still having a lot of that, plus a really good working model of the world by that point, left him with the best product of those factors. Or maybe it's just obvious and not true at all.
- allsunny 10y ago
  It could be. The clarity I'm speaking about came more from being led deeper into areas that I'd never had a need to explore in my job. E.g. How computers truly work, physically and mathematically, the specifics of scheduling algorithms used in operating systems, the utility of bit masking in assembly... I never had a need for any of that. To your point though, I may not have appreciated it when I was 18-22. I think I might have just gone through the learning motions, like when you learn the fundamental theorem of calculus; it doesn't immediately strike you as how amazing it is unless you've got the mind for that sort of thing (I don't) or you have a teacher that forces you to pause. In any event...
  - Jimpulse 10y ago
    Going back to school after being in the software industry seems like it's more effective. I had similar sentiments with how during college I just went through the learning motions. Now going back and going through the material after some industry experience, everything makes so much more sense and is more engaging. Knowing how the concepts immediately relate to my work helps motivate and solidify my learning.
GlennS 10y ago
On top of any age effects, I think there's definitely a thing where academic learning can make more sense and its applications seem more useful once you have some practical experience in the area.

accountface 10y ago

It's not worth a whole lot because I imagine tech is one of the few industries that don't follow the trend (especially in the bay area). I know this is a tech site, but MOST careers are not in software.

digitalsushi 10y ago

Is it possible that people just get a clarity with age? I'm 37 and also feel like I have had a fog lift this decade. I would like to hear a few other folks here share whether they felt a general increase of clarity and insight as they have come into their middle ages. My dad always said he did his best thinking in his 40s. He said that he knew he wasnt as fast or as sharp, but still having a lot of that, plus a really good working model of the world by that point, left him with the best product of those factors. Or maybe it's just obvious and not true at all.

allsunny 10y ago
It could be. The clarity I'm speaking about came more from being led deeper into areas that I'd never had a need to explore in my job. E.g. How computers truly work, physically and mathematically, the specifics of scheduling algorithms used in operating systems, the utility of bit masking in assembly... I never had a need for any of that. To your point though, I may not have appreciated it when I was 18-22. I think I might have just gone through the learning motions, like when you learn the fundamental theorem of calculus; it doesn't immediately strike you as how amazing it is unless you've got the mind for that sort of thing (I don't) or you have a teacher that forces you to pause. In any event...
- Jimpulse 10y ago
  Going back to school after being in the software industry seems like it's more effective. I had similar sentiments with how during college I just went through the learning motions. Now going back and going through the material after some industry experience, everything makes so much more sense and is more engaging. Knowing how the concepts immediately relate to my work helps motivate and solidify my learning.

GlennS 10y ago

On top of any age effects, I think there's definitely a thing where academic learning can make more sense and its applications seem more useful once you have some practical experience in the area.