4 ms·

A number of folks have already said this, but it helps to have more voices: Don't. I started college at 20, and dropped out a year later to pursue other things

A number of folks have already said this, but it helps to have more voices: Don't. I started college at 20, and dropped out a year later to pursue other things. Although I got into the industry through my own self-learning, it took me a full 20 years more to finally get my Bachelors. It will be a major challenge to go back into school if you leave. Not from an administrative standpoint (probably) but definitely from a social-economic one. Once you get started into your career, it can be very hard to reorient yourself back into academics. For me, I had the hardest time coping with the Sisyphusian nature of school, where so much of it felt like "what's the point of this?" when the real world often had real rewards. You've got the rest of your life to upskill and work (seriously, you'll move jobs frequently, and you'll always be learning stuff.) Maybe more than you want to. Enjoy this situation right now. It doesn't come around again.

shortrounddev2 3y ago
Why did you go back and get a bachelor's if you already had a job?
doublemint2202 3y ago
That's the thing, though, I'd like to be able to do a year-long internship of some kind, and hopefully travel abroad. Research, and then take courses at a local state-school before I return. I feel as though it'd be a good life experience.
- to11mtm 3y ago
  May or may not be but it's worth understanding the potential costs. As an example, once you, the student, make over ~7000 a year, it starts to impact financial aid options. (Obviously, the higher you go, the more the impact is.) When I started working too many hours in the summer/weekends it definitely had an impact on my aid even 20 years ago. [0] [0] - Semi related protip; If you are engaged to someone and they are still going to college, waiting until they graduate to get married may qualify as a good idea financially. This cost me a lot in the short run and my now-ex wife a lot in the long run.
  - doublemint2202 3y ago
    Interesting. Yeah, I'm weighing the options but it seems clear that the advice is it's a risky move. Personally, I'm as excited about doing it as I am determined to upskill. For me this is also about taking time to understand what careers look like in the field I'm studying for, taking time to experience new things, and getting "caught-up" in a sense with many CS students at my level.
gumby 3y ago
I "stopped out" (a Stanford term I heard, though I wasn't at Stanford) for a year and I'm glad I did. Should have done it for two years (that would have been enough). I actually stopped for a calendar year (interrupted my second year). But I already had a plan. That's very important. When I got to the end I'd re-enrolled and started back right where I'd stopped. I had a job for 8 months and a trip for four. It did put my out of sync a bit with the kids I'd started with, but that was no big deal (and in some ways I was ahead). Otherwise school has its own calendar so it was no big deal. Another self-inflicted problem: by my last semester, due to my work during the time off leading to work over the summer, was that I had a full time job thousands of miles from school. As a result I didn't finish my last semester in the last semester and had to pay for an extra one just to take one class. And I was pressured by my team at work to drop out and not worry about it ("You already have a good job"). So glad I didn't listen to them!
- doublemint2202 3y ago
  Interesting take, this is similar to my goals.

shortrounddev2 3y ago

Why did you go back and get a bachelor's if you already had a job?

doublemint2202 3y ago

That's the thing, though, I'd like to be able to do a year-long internship of some kind, and hopefully travel abroad. Research, and then take courses at a local state-school before I return. I feel as though it'd be a good life experience.

to11mtm 3y ago
May or may not be but it's worth understanding the potential costs. As an example, once you, the student, make over ~7000 a year, it starts to impact financial aid options. (Obviously, the higher you go, the more the impact is.) When I started working too many hours in the summer/weekends it definitely had an impact on my aid even 20 years ago. [0] [0] - Semi related protip; If you are engaged to someone and they are still going to college, waiting until they graduate to get married may qualify as a good idea financially. This cost me a lot in the short run and my now-ex wife a lot in the long run.
- doublemint2202 3y ago
  Interesting. Yeah, I'm weighing the options but it seems clear that the advice is it's a risky move. Personally, I'm as excited about doing it as I am determined to upskill. For me this is also about taking time to understand what careers look like in the field I'm studying for, taking time to experience new things, and getting "caught-up" in a sense with many CS students at my level.

gumby 3y ago

I "stopped out" (a Stanford term I heard, though I wasn't at Stanford) for a year and I'm glad I did. Should have done it for two years (that would have been enough). I actually stopped for a calendar year (interrupted my second year). But I already had a plan. That's very important. When I got to the end I'd re-enrolled and started back right where I'd stopped. I had a job for 8 months and a trip for four. It did put my out of sync a bit with the kids I'd started with, but that was no big deal (and in some ways I was ahead). Otherwise school has its own calendar so it was no big deal. Another self-inflicted problem: by my last semester, due to my work during the time off leading to work over the summer, was that I had a full time job thousands of miles from school. As a result I didn't finish my last semester in the last semester and had to pay for an extra one just to take one class. And I was pressured by my team at work to drop out and not worry about it ("You already have a good job"). So glad I didn't listen to them!

doublemint2202 3y ago
Interesting take, this is similar to my goals.