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I’ve done online courses myself and found them immensely useful. Unfortunately, I think that to some extent, it signals that “I’m interested, but not committed

I’ve done online courses myself and found them immensely useful. Unfortunately, I think that to some extent, it signals that “I’m interested, but not committed enough to get a full degree.” Your nanodegree realistically will never come close to competing with a formal CS degree. So don’t bother with listing it. List your github projects and apps you’ve released. Get the interview. “Oh and by the way, in my spare time, I’ve self-studied XYZ.” That’ll impress me.

enraged_camel 7y ago
>>Unfortunately, I think that to some extent, it signals that “I’m interested, but not committed to getting a full degree.” This seems quite short-sighted, because the underlying assumption is that not getting a full degree is a signal for unwillingness to commit, as opposed to _inability_ to commit. Not many people can up and quit their "real life" to pursue a degree. With your mindset, you are definitely discriminating against, for instance, people who have medical bills to pay and are stuck at their current jobs, but are also ambitious and dedicated and want to switch to better careers and are willing to do whatever it takes to do it.
- mowingscooter 7y ago
  I’m extremely sympathetic to that situation since I was an unemployed college grad looking to get a developer job when I took my first Udacity course (“How to build your own search engine” - 2012). The problem is that it’s a competitive field out there and to give people false hope that a nanodegree will get them a job is disingenuous. I’ve also listed the alternatives for self-taught developers to help them stand out. I think ultimately, if you weren’t going to get the interview, a nanodegree won’t help you. If you were maybe going to get the interview (by showing impressive original work in the form of projects and apps), a nanodegree might help you the slightest bit.
TuringNYC 7y ago
>> Unfortunately, I think that to some extent, it signals that “I’m interested, but not committed enough to get a full degree.” Commitment is rarely the barrier to a full degree. More likely barriers: - Person wants grad degree but does not want to risk getting off career track and losing momentum (e.g., consulting, banking, etc) - Person wants grad degree but cannot afford it - Person wants grad degree but cannot afford child care - Person wants grad degree but needs salary to support family - Person wants grad degree and can afford it, but has competing time commitments such as children - Person wants grad degree but has visa issues locking them into an inflexible job - Person wants grad degree but work hours do not allow it - Person wants grad degree but cannot afford to downgrade healthcare plan (in the US) Speaking from personal experience, i did my graduate degree 15yrs after my undergrad. I finally semi-retired from Wall Street and was doing a personally co-founded startup which allowed me the flexibility to do a graduate degree in the evenings. My wife had to focus intensely on taking care of the kids in evenings and late evenings while I studied.
internet_user 7y ago
I'd go as far as saying that most formal CS degrees are often useless. FOUR years, and new grads often still can't code. I've met some 3-4 year students in "Cybersecurity" programs that couldn't cogently explain the difference between private/public keys. Think about that.
- mowingscooter 7y ago
  Think about this: those same students could do a nanodegree since there are for requirements to signing up for one.
  - mowingscooter 7y ago
    since there are no requirements

enraged_camel 7y ago

>>Unfortunately, I think that to some extent, it signals that “I’m interested, but not committed to getting a full degree.” This seems quite short-sighted, because the underlying assumption is that not getting a full degree is a signal for unwillingness to commit, as opposed to _inability_ to commit. Not many people can up and quit their "real life" to pursue a degree. With your mindset, you are definitely discriminating against, for instance, people who have medical bills to pay and are stuck at their current jobs, but are also ambitious and dedicated and want to switch to better careers and are willing to do whatever it takes to do it.

mowingscooter 7y ago
I’m extremely sympathetic to that situation since I was an unemployed college grad looking to get a developer job when I took my first Udacity course (“How to build your own search engine” - 2012). The problem is that it’s a competitive field out there and to give people false hope that a nanodegree will get them a job is disingenuous. I’ve also listed the alternatives for self-taught developers to help them stand out. I think ultimately, if you weren’t going to get the interview, a nanodegree won’t help you. If you were maybe going to get the interview (by showing impressive original work in the form of projects and apps), a nanodegree might help you the slightest bit.

TuringNYC 7y ago

>> Unfortunately, I think that to some extent, it signals that “I’m interested, but not committed enough to get a full degree.” Commitment is rarely the barrier to a full degree. More likely barriers: - Person wants grad degree but does not want to risk getting off career track and losing momentum (e.g., consulting, banking, etc) - Person wants grad degree but cannot afford it - Person wants grad degree but cannot afford child care - Person wants grad degree but needs salary to support family - Person wants grad degree and can afford it, but has competing time commitments such as children - Person wants grad degree but has visa issues locking them into an inflexible job - Person wants grad degree but work hours do not allow it - Person wants grad degree but cannot afford to downgrade healthcare plan (in the US) Speaking from personal experience, i did my graduate degree 15yrs after my undergrad. I finally semi-retired from Wall Street and was doing a personally co-founded startup which allowed me the flexibility to do a graduate degree in the evenings. My wife had to focus intensely on taking care of the kids in evenings and late evenings while I studied.

internet_user 7y ago

I'd go as far as saying that most formal CS degrees are often useless. FOUR years, and new grads often still can't code. I've met some 3-4 year students in "Cybersecurity" programs that couldn't cogently explain the difference between private/public keys. Think about that.

mowingscooter 7y ago
Think about this: those same students could do a nanodegree since there are for requirements to signing up for one.
- mowingscooter 7y ago
  since there are no requirements