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I’m doing a distance data science degree at a fraction of the cost and I would imagine I’m getting much more out of it than this September intake will. There’s

I’m doing a distance data science degree at a fraction of the cost and I would imagine I’m getting much more out of it than this September intake will. There’s been a revolution in remote working, will education follow?

ketanmaheshwari 6y ago
Could you post the link to the degree that you're taking.
blackrock 6y ago
I hope the education is free. Because without the human presence, paying $250,000 USD for a university education sounds like a ripoff.
- brighton36 6y ago
  Even with the human presence. There's so much unneeded bundling - these campuses have turned into prestige factories.
  - watwut 6y ago
    As opposed to which exactly the year and country?
    - brighton36 6y ago
      As opposed to which... What? Colleges used to manufacture knowledge.
      - watwut 6y ago
        They still do manufacture knowledge. This part was always by employees.
        brighton36 6y ago
        Then, the prestige it sells, is probably not all that legitimate.
- chrisseaton 6y ago
  Is anyone genuinely paying a quarter of a million dollars for a degree? That seems extreme even for a non-scholarship medical doctorate degree, let alone a simple data-science degree.
  - DreadY2K 6y ago
    I'm a current college student, and my school costs about $80k per year, counting tuition, room & board, supplies, etc., before financial aid. That would be $320k for 4 years, well over a quarter of a million. I'm personally getting a significant amount of financial aid, so that it will end up costing much less than that for me, but I know people who are paying full price. EDIT: I'm an undergrad at a 4-year university.
    - chrisseaton 6y ago
      Obviously I believe you if you're saying that, but I've heard that nobody really pays these full sticker-prices and everyone's really getting some kind of aid unless they're literally a billionaire - is that not the case?
      - HaloZero 6y ago
        I don't think so? I did a lot of tax work for VITA and met a lot of parents. Mostly low income and low-middle income got full scholarships and grants but if you're middle class it highly depends on the institution. The larger schools with huge private endowment do cover a lot but a public school like any in the UC system? Nah. It's basically all loans which have to be paid back. *My knowledge is limited to California in the United States. I know there exists programs in Georgia and other places that do cover full rides but I think they are anomalous and not the rule.
      - drfuchs 6y ago
        Typically, in the Ivy League / Stanford, a one-child family with annual income of over $150k to $200k (depending on the school) will pay full tuition. Really. And incomes of less than $65k-ish get you a free ride. Details vary.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- atemerev 6y ago
  I am a researcher and a lecturer in a Swiss university. Switzerland is famous for being expensive, and the reputation is well deserved. However, the price of education for our students is about $1200/year. Which includes famous schools like EPFL (where Scala was born and still developed) and ETH (which contributions to computer science are too many to mention here). The students can e.g. collaborate with CERN researchers as part of their projects. For $1200/year. Available for everyone regardless of their nationality. The best part is that for many master degrees and some bachelor degrees you can study remotely while living in your own country, only coming to Switzerland once or twice a year. I don’t know why there are so few American students studying outside the US. (We do have some Canadian and Australian students though).
mdorazio 6y ago
Be careful in your assumptions here. Online degrees still carry a huge negative stigma with them (which is interesting given that all students in the current cohorts at normal universities will have had several semesters of remote learning). Signalling of the college brand is also largely underappreciated by online students. You're getting a degree for a fraction of the cost of an in-person one, but it may or may not also carry a fraction of the job market value. Note: I do not know which school you are referring to. It might be Berkeley's $70k+ degree or one of the many lower-tier schools, so YMMV.
- ckdarby 6y ago
  I believe they're specifically talking about data science and fields related? I'm a prior software development manager and degrees in general in this kind of field don't carry much weight outside of academic hires and very select companies. While some companies or hiring managers might frown upon this it doesn't matter if there is an active hiring group that doesn't put any weight on them. I guess one could argue that the ones who frown upon the degree pay more competitive but I've only found the opposite to be true with my experience. (I'm ignoring FAANG because they're so unique that they're an exception to everything in the "real world")
  - mdorazio 6y ago
    I'm specifically talking about data science as well. My experience has been pretty much the opposite of yours. Data science boot camps and online programs have been cranking out grads for a few years now, so the base credential isn't all that valuable anymore. The big companies I work with are specifically looking for traditional degrees from Top 20ish colleges. On the other hand, it's probably quite different with smaller companies and especially non-unicorn startups.
- bllguo 6y ago
  wow, berkeley has a $70k online DS program?? Does your comment change re: stigma if OP was in fact talking about said berkeley degree?

ketanmaheshwari 6y ago

Could you post the link to the degree that you're taking.

blackrock 6y ago

I hope the education is free. Because without the human presence, paying $250,000 USD for a university education sounds like a ripoff.

brighton36 6y ago
Even with the human presence. There's so much unneeded bundling - these campuses have turned into prestige factories.
- watwut 6y ago
  As opposed to which exactly the year and country?
  - brighton36 6y ago
    As opposed to which... What? Colleges used to manufacture knowledge.
    - watwut 6y ago
      They still do manufacture knowledge. This part was always by employees.
      - brighton36 6y ago
        Then, the prestige it sells, is probably not all that legitimate.
chrisseaton 6y ago
Is anyone genuinely paying a quarter of a million dollars for a degree? That seems extreme even for a non-scholarship medical doctorate degree, let alone a simple data-science degree.
- DreadY2K 6y ago
  I'm a current college student, and my school costs about $80k per year, counting tuition, room & board, supplies, etc., before financial aid. That would be $320k for 4 years, well over a quarter of a million. I'm personally getting a significant amount of financial aid, so that it will end up costing much less than that for me, but I know people who are paying full price. EDIT: I'm an undergrad at a 4-year university.
  - chrisseaton 6y ago
    Obviously I believe you if you're saying that, but I've heard that nobody really pays these full sticker-prices and everyone's really getting some kind of aid unless they're literally a billionaire - is that not the case?
    - HaloZero 6y ago
      I don't think so? I did a lot of tax work for VITA and met a lot of parents. Mostly low income and low-middle income got full scholarships and grants but if you're middle class it highly depends on the institution. The larger schools with huge private endowment do cover a lot but a public school like any in the UC system? Nah. It's basically all loans which have to be paid back. *My knowledge is limited to California in the United States. I know there exists programs in Georgia and other places that do cover full rides but I think they are anomalous and not the rule.
    - drfuchs 6y ago
      Typically, in the Ivy League / Stanford, a one-child family with annual income of over $150k to $200k (depending on the school) will pay full tuition. Really. And incomes of less than $65k-ish get you a free ride. Details vary.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
atemerev 6y ago
I am a researcher and a lecturer in a Swiss university. Switzerland is famous for being expensive, and the reputation is well deserved. However, the price of education for our students is about $1200/year. Which includes famous schools like EPFL (where Scala was born and still developed) and ETH (which contributions to computer science are too many to mention here). The students can e.g. collaborate with CERN researchers as part of their projects. For $1200/year. Available for everyone regardless of their nationality. The best part is that for many master degrees and some bachelor degrees you can study remotely while living in your own country, only coming to Switzerland once or twice a year. I don’t know why there are so few American students studying outside the US. (We do have some Canadian and Australian students though).

mdorazio 6y ago

Be careful in your assumptions here. Online degrees still carry a huge negative stigma with them (which is interesting given that all students in the current cohorts at normal universities will have had several semesters of remote learning). Signalling of the college brand is also largely underappreciated by online students. You're getting a degree for a fraction of the cost of an in-person one, but it may or may not also carry a fraction of the job market value. Note: I do not know which school you are referring to. It might be Berkeley's $70k+ degree or one of the many lower-tier schools, so YMMV.

ckdarby 6y ago
I believe they're specifically talking about data science and fields related? I'm a prior software development manager and degrees in general in this kind of field don't carry much weight outside of academic hires and very select companies. While some companies or hiring managers might frown upon this it doesn't matter if there is an active hiring group that doesn't put any weight on them. I guess one could argue that the ones who frown upon the degree pay more competitive but I've only found the opposite to be true with my experience. (I'm ignoring FAANG because they're so unique that they're an exception to everything in the "real world")
- mdorazio 6y ago
  I'm specifically talking about data science as well. My experience has been pretty much the opposite of yours. Data science boot camps and online programs have been cranking out grads for a few years now, so the base credential isn't all that valuable anymore. The big companies I work with are specifically looking for traditional degrees from Top 20ish colleges. On the other hand, it's probably quite different with smaller companies and especially non-unicorn startups.
bllguo 6y ago
wow, berkeley has a $70k online DS program?? Does your comment change re: stigma if OP was in fact talking about said berkeley degree?