3 ms·

This is kind of a fear related to financial aid. It's mostly irrational, but not completely so. And the little part that's not irrational has been bothering me

This is kind of a fear related to financial aid. It's mostly irrational, but not completely so. And the little part that's not irrational has been bothering me a lot. Thanks for the advice about the psychological help. I'll think about talking to a therapist. Apart from that, how serious would dropping out be? Just from an economical/career perspective..

edomain 15y ago
Based on what you are saying, i think you should still speak to a therapist- they can help you think through problems you have. First you said other issues, now financial. You obviously have a lot happening in your head- you need to be able to sort it out and think clearly- this is what therapists are for. I'm serious- this is the move to take. Talk to someone- they won't solve your problem but they will help you talk through it and oftentimes that is what you need to figure it out yourself
relaunched 15y ago
Here's the thing, most people out of college can't code in a way that is meaningful for entry level at a tech firm. You seem to have the aptitude to get there on your own, but lack the experience / knowledge-base to convince most companies that you are worth the 3-6 months that are required to teach you what you need to know. After all, they can always grab someone from the graduating class of a top school, that has your smarts and more formal education. I can't tell you how many MS candidate resumes I've read (CS), where they've done tons of projects, but there code sucks. That doesn't mean they aren't really smart and won't be great in a few years, but not now. 400 line functions (poor OOP), poor commenting, inconsistent naming conventions, poor memory allocation...the list goes on. Figure out your issues and work on them. I understand the debt concern, but your expected value of success and future earnings will be severely limited. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
- needhelpca 15y ago
  I don't expect to get a job after dropping out. My parents will let me live with them at least. So I have a good 3-4 years. I was planning to read a lot of source code, write a lot of code/contribute to open source, and study formal CS on my own. I think after 3-4 years I would have as much programming and formal knowledge as if I had stayed in college, and maybe more. I'm wondering if the lack of a degree would hold me back significantly.
  - tstegart 15y ago
    It doesn't. And remember, you can always go back and finish. Maybe not at the same place, but you can finish somewhere. I would suggest ending the semester though, not dropping out in the middle. You get credit for the current semester this way and you won't have to pay for it again hopefully.

edomain 15y ago

Based on what you are saying, i think you should still speak to a therapist- they can help you think through problems you have. First you said other issues, now financial. You obviously have a lot happening in your head- you need to be able to sort it out and think clearly- this is what therapists are for. I'm serious- this is the move to take. Talk to someone- they won't solve your problem but they will help you talk through it and oftentimes that is what you need to figure it out yourself

relaunched 15y ago

Here's the thing, most people out of college can't code in a way that is meaningful for entry level at a tech firm. You seem to have the aptitude to get there on your own, but lack the experience / knowledge-base to convince most companies that you are worth the 3-6 months that are required to teach you what you need to know. After all, they can always grab someone from the graduating class of a top school, that has your smarts and more formal education. I can't tell you how many MS candidate resumes I've read (CS), where they've done tons of projects, but there code sucks. That doesn't mean they aren't really smart and won't be great in a few years, but not now. 400 line functions (poor OOP), poor commenting, inconsistent naming conventions, poor memory allocation...the list goes on. Figure out your issues and work on them. I understand the debt concern, but your expected value of success and future earnings will be severely limited. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

needhelpca 15y ago
I don't expect to get a job after dropping out. My parents will let me live with them at least. So I have a good 3-4 years. I was planning to read a lot of source code, write a lot of code/contribute to open source, and study formal CS on my own. I think after 3-4 years I would have as much programming and formal knowledge as if I had stayed in college, and maybe more. I'm wondering if the lack of a degree would hold me back significantly.
- tstegart 15y ago
  It doesn't. And remember, you can always go back and finish. Maybe not at the same place, but you can finish somewhere. I would suggest ending the semester though, not dropping out in the middle. You get credit for the current semester this way and you won't have to pay for it again hopefully.