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It's really important if it is a degree that is practical and vouches for your credibility like CS or Engineering. Not only will you learn at least something ge

It's really important if it is a degree that is practical and vouches for your credibility like CS or Engineering. Not only will you learn at least something getting a degree, it will separate you from the masses for your entire life. Take something along the lines of a limit case: the Physician. At 60 or even 70, he/she can probably find employment most anywhere. I doubt our field offers that kind of guarantee, but still, at middle age an engineering degree is nice to have. That said, way back when I was a founder, I mostly hired smart people without a degree or without a relevant degree and paid them the same as long as they were equally valuable. At small companies you have a better chance of getting that kind of opportunity, but making a career of it might be difficult. Hopefully you can fund yourself through eventually completing a relevant degree. Definitely one of the best investments in yourself you can make. If you feel you lack people skills as some technical people do, that's another, much cheaper but equally important area to address on your own.

tptacek 13y ago
It seems like your second graf is at odds with your first; you say the degree "separates one from the masses", but go on to talk about how you hire without regard to degrees. I do too, and so does every hiring manager in this field that I know. Statistically, having a degree sets you up for ~6-7 figures of extra lifetime income, but you have to bear in mind that such figures account for lots of people who would be marginally employable without a degree. People who can reliably write code, test software, or configure complicated systems aren't marginally employable; they are some of the most employable people in the economy.
- OldSchool 13y ago
  Well, I guess that can be explained by the difference between how I hired, and my perception of how a lot of other organizations hire. Looks like my non-degreed smart person approach was not particularly unique. I have to believe that an appropriate degree may often be the door-opener that let's you prove all the rest in person. It should also place a floor of sorts on what pay someone can reasonably offer you at various points during your career.
- _delirium 13y ago
  > I do too, and so does every hiring manager in this field that I know. How broad do you mean by "in this field" (security specifically, or tech in general)? My very small sample of hiring managers at Google claims that, there, degrees are a pretty significant factor in their decision-making, and a candidate without a degree has to meet a much higher bar before a hiring manager will want to make an exception and consider them despite lacking a degree. So if your previous startup was acquired or you have a significant role in a major open-source project, then yeah, but if you are "just" a good programmer, then maybe not.

tptacek 13y ago

It seems like your second graf is at odds with your first; you say the degree "separates one from the masses", but go on to talk about how you hire without regard to degrees. I do too, and so does every hiring manager in this field that I know. Statistically, having a degree sets you up for ~6-7 figures of extra lifetime income, but you have to bear in mind that such figures account for lots of people who would be marginally employable without a degree. People who can reliably write code, test software, or configure complicated systems aren't marginally employable; they are some of the most employable people in the economy.

OldSchool 13y ago
Well, I guess that can be explained by the difference between how I hired, and my perception of how a lot of other organizations hire. Looks like my non-degreed smart person approach was not particularly unique. I have to believe that an appropriate degree may often be the door-opener that let's you prove all the rest in person. It should also place a floor of sorts on what pay someone can reasonably offer you at various points during your career.
_delirium 13y ago
> I do too, and so does every hiring manager in this field that I know. How broad do you mean by "in this field" (security specifically, or tech in general)? My very small sample of hiring managers at Google claims that, there, degrees are a pretty significant factor in their decision-making, and a candidate without a degree has to meet a much higher bar before a hiring manager will want to make an exception and consider them despite lacking a degree. So if your previous startup was acquired or you have a significant role in a major open-source project, then yeah, but if you are "just" a good programmer, then maybe not.