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> Now at 35 nobody even asks about the degree anymore. So a degree is not worth that much in this industry compared to practical skills. At 35, maybe. Before

> Now at 35 nobody even asks about the degree anymore. So a degree is not worth that much in this industry compared to practical skills. At 35, maybe. Before that, a degree is worth a lot.

eloff 7y ago
It mattered a lot to my first job, after that almost not at all. I didn't get callbacks from some very conservative companies, and that may be the reason - but those weren't great places to work anyway - so I can't say that it hurt me at all. Sample size of 1 mind you.
- Groxx 7y ago
  Very much the same here. First job is harder, but demonstrate ability and no recruiter has ever asked since. School is essentially trash for demonstrating "can program in a business environment". If you're aiming for a research-heavy position it may help, but that's an extreme minority of jobs. And after a couple years it's useless again anyway - you're either continuing your self-education and improving, or you're stagnant, and your prior education doesn't play all that much of a role.
- tristor 7y ago
  Same here, I did some contracting to start my career as it was less credential-dependent than FTE. After showing what I could do for a few years, nobody has ever concerned themselves with my lack of degree since. I've literally spent my whole life studying computers (my dad is a geek so I started at 4 years old), so college was meaningless. Most of my classes I either already knew the subject matter beforehand or knew more about the subject matter than the instructor, so I dropped out. Most of the information is available for free online or in a library if you're self-motivated enough to learn. There are some people who definitely benefit from structured learning environments, so I don't ever try to dissuade people from going to college. Rather, I try to get everyone to just start building stuff and releasing it open source and contributing to open source as soon as they can. If you can learn how to search effectively, read documentation effectively, and program proficiently in at least one language you don't really need college.
elliotbnvl 7y ago
I'm 23 and have been a web developer for six years. I've never been asked for my degree. I stopped college to go work for a startup after a year of English.
- tzjmetron 7y ago
  Exception, not the rule.
waveyshinobi 7y ago
I'm 27 and nobody has asked except for FANG companies (and still got offers from them despite being a college dropout).
Impossible 7y ago
My lack of degree was a small barrier to getting some early jobs, part of that was transitioning industries to an industry that can be difficult for junior people to break into (pre-iPhone mobile to games). After my 2nd game industry job at 25 no one cared about my degree. If your goal is to get a job at FAANG or another big company early in your career you absolutely need a degree. For other jobs it will make things harder but it's not really a requirement. If you still want to work at FAANG 2 or 3 years of industry experience is worth more than a degree.
Mandatum 7y ago
27. Asked about my degree going for a junior role when I first started, never again since. And I've worked at every place you'd expect it to be required - Big 4, traditional insurance, traditional finance.. May help with the initial job, but to be honest - you don't really want to work for a place that gives a shit about your degree. Just your capabilities or potential. However not everyone has that luxury, especially outside of tech-hubs. And even more so outside of NA.
jimbob45 7y ago
Don't dance around the greater question - was the degree worth a lot or was the knowledge gained from the degree worth a lot?

> Now at 35 nobody even asks about the degree anymore. So a degree is not worth that much in this industry compared to practical skills. At 35, maybe. Before that, a degree is worth a lot.

eloff 7y ago

It mattered a lot to my first job, after that almost not at all. I didn't get callbacks from some very conservative companies, and that may be the reason - but those weren't great places to work anyway - so I can't say that it hurt me at all. Sample size of 1 mind you.

Groxx 7y ago
Very much the same here. First job is harder, but demonstrate ability and no recruiter has ever asked since. School is essentially trash for demonstrating "can program in a business environment". If you're aiming for a research-heavy position it may help, but that's an extreme minority of jobs. And after a couple years it's useless again anyway - you're either continuing your self-education and improving, or you're stagnant, and your prior education doesn't play all that much of a role.
tristor 7y ago
Same here, I did some contracting to start my career as it was less credential-dependent than FTE. After showing what I could do for a few years, nobody has ever concerned themselves with my lack of degree since. I've literally spent my whole life studying computers (my dad is a geek so I started at 4 years old), so college was meaningless. Most of my classes I either already knew the subject matter beforehand or knew more about the subject matter than the instructor, so I dropped out. Most of the information is available for free online or in a library if you're self-motivated enough to learn. There are some people who definitely benefit from structured learning environments, so I don't ever try to dissuade people from going to college. Rather, I try to get everyone to just start building stuff and releasing it open source and contributing to open source as soon as they can. If you can learn how to search effectively, read documentation effectively, and program proficiently in at least one language you don't really need college.

elliotbnvl 7y ago

I'm 23 and have been a web developer for six years. I've never been asked for my degree. I stopped college to go work for a startup after a year of English.

tzjmetron 7y ago
Exception, not the rule.

waveyshinobi 7y ago

I'm 27 and nobody has asked except for FANG companies (and still got offers from them despite being a college dropout).

Impossible 7y ago

My lack of degree was a small barrier to getting some early jobs, part of that was transitioning industries to an industry that can be difficult for junior people to break into (pre-iPhone mobile to games). After my 2nd game industry job at 25 no one cared about my degree. If your goal is to get a job at FAANG or another big company early in your career you absolutely need a degree. For other jobs it will make things harder but it's not really a requirement. If you still want to work at FAANG 2 or 3 years of industry experience is worth more than a degree.

Mandatum 7y ago

27. Asked about my degree going for a junior role when I first started, never again since. And I've worked at every place you'd expect it to be required - Big 4, traditional insurance, traditional finance.. May help with the initial job, but to be honest - you don't really want to work for a place that gives a shit about your degree. Just your capabilities or potential. However not everyone has that luxury, especially outside of tech-hubs. And even more so outside of NA.

jimbob45 7y ago

Don't dance around the greater question - was the degree worth a lot or was the knowledge gained from the degree worth a lot?