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I didn’t get a CS degree. Just started programming when I was 8 or 9. I’m in the $200k/yr, house paid off, never had college debt, and 23 year-ish of gains in s

I didn’t get a CS degree. Just started programming when I was 8 or 9. I’m in the $200k/yr, house paid off, never had college debt, and 23 year-ish of gains in stocks following a “buy and hold” approach since the 90s. Apple at $8-$9/share right before that iMac was a good call. I also have deep and engaging conversations with mathematicians and physicists. I’ve tutored them in odd math they’ve simply never encountered. Unless collective resources are needed for something like a nuclear reactor design study, a whole lot of application doesn’t require the college debt. It’s almost as if we just need to agree on what some things are for social stability reasons, and we can debate the rest. Instead we seem keen to be filtered for willingness to go into debt on education and housing, so we can justify demanding $200k/year for something open source programmers do for fun. I’m pretty sure a whole lot of why we do things is satisfy social memes, and little to do with economic utility.

sp527 6y ago
If you’ve been working since the 90s and are only making $200k/yr in tech (less than the total compensation of some new grads going into FAANG), then you’re actually a case study on behalf of the value of a (good) CS degree.
- nevertoolate 6y ago
  Funny to read about these salaries from Europe, where you can hire two pretty GREAT programmers from that money. For me it doesn’t tell anything about university degree AT ALL.
  - P_I_Staker 6y ago
    OP's perspective is clearly very skewed, even for the USA. $100-150k is considered absurd compensation for most of the country that isn't silicon valley.
- subjctvtime8 6y ago
  Well, I don’t live in SF. Salaries are relative. Those grads haven’t been offloading overvalued investment properties bought in the 2010s. That paid off much cheaper properties from the mid-00s, which are much closer into the urban hub. Curious to see how much they’ll be worth as the move to rebuild the urban area as live/work/retail structures replace the houses there now. Even if this bubble bursts, they’re paid off (as well as the house I live in). I don’t make as much salary, but did mention I’ve been their stock. FAANG is making me rich otherwise. Given my more “midwestern” cost of living, I could probably retire. But again like I said I’ve been coding since I was a kid. It’s like speaking English and making a PB&J for me. I’d be doing it anyway. It’s like free money without the Silicon Valley bullshitshow.
- jason0597 6y ago
  >If you’ve been working since the 90s and are only making $200k/yr in tech (less than the total compensation of some new grads going into FAANG) I think you should be clear that when you say "some new grads going into FAANG", the word "some" actually means "very very few". Because, very very few grads going into FAANG actually make $200k/yr starting.
P_I_Staker 6y ago
I agree with you up to a certain point. College isn't necessary to learn most things. For many disciplines, very little of your college education will be applicable. However, it can be much more difficult to get a job with no degree. Part of what you're paying for is that you get to be a product that the university sells to industry. There's a very stable and consistent path to employment for some degrees. That's worth $80k+ for many people.

sp527 6y ago

If you’ve been working since the 90s and are only making $200k/yr in tech (less than the total compensation of some new grads going into FAANG), then you’re actually a case study on behalf of the value of a (good) CS degree.

nevertoolate 6y ago
Funny to read about these salaries from Europe, where you can hire two pretty GREAT programmers from that money. For me it doesn’t tell anything about university degree AT ALL.
- P_I_Staker 6y ago
  OP's perspective is clearly very skewed, even for the USA. $100-150k is considered absurd compensation for most of the country that isn't silicon valley.
subjctvtime8 6y ago
Well, I don’t live in SF. Salaries are relative. Those grads haven’t been offloading overvalued investment properties bought in the 2010s. That paid off much cheaper properties from the mid-00s, which are much closer into the urban hub. Curious to see how much they’ll be worth as the move to rebuild the urban area as live/work/retail structures replace the houses there now. Even if this bubble bursts, they’re paid off (as well as the house I live in). I don’t make as much salary, but did mention I’ve been their stock. FAANG is making me rich otherwise. Given my more “midwestern” cost of living, I could probably retire. But again like I said I’ve been coding since I was a kid. It’s like speaking English and making a PB&J for me. I’d be doing it anyway. It’s like free money without the Silicon Valley bullshitshow.
jason0597 6y ago
>If you’ve been working since the 90s and are only making $200k/yr in tech (less than the total compensation of some new grads going into FAANG) I think you should be clear that when you say "some new grads going into FAANG", the word "some" actually means "very very few". Because, very very few grads going into FAANG actually make $200k/yr starting.

P_I_Staker 6y ago

I agree with you up to a certain point. College isn't necessary to learn most things. For many disciplines, very little of your college education will be applicable. However, it can be much more difficult to get a job with no degree. Part of what you're paying for is that you get to be a product that the university sells to industry. There's a very stable and consistent path to employment for some degrees. That's worth $80k+ for many people.