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This article worried me - because I'm ~19 and hadn't even considered not going to college. This is despite being directly in the discussed demographic. I have p

by yzzxy 12y ago

This article worried me - because I'm ~19 and hadn't even considered not going to college. This is despite being directly in the discussed demographic. I have pretty conclusive evidence that I'm hiring material to some of these companies and have conceived of, planned, and built user-facing multiple technical projects independently. However, I've never thought of skipping out on college. I live in a very affluent area and even the academically worst-off seniors usually end up going to decent 4-year programs. The idea that so many people similar to me at my age would miss college for a startup or similar experience worries me because it makes me think that the community I've grown up with has distorted my perception of the opportunities available to me. It's time to take a long reevaluation of my plans, I think.

necubi 12y ago
There's nothing wrong with going to college. College can be great! If you do it right, you'll learn a lot about a diverse set of things including history, literature, the arts, and the sciences. If you're in a good program, you'll also learn the theoretical underpinnings of computer science, which I think is underappreciated by many in the industry. And really, you do have time. The Silicon Valley myth is that if you haven't had success by 22, you're done. And while there are outliers (including Sam), this is mostly a fiction. Many successful founders are in their late 20s, or even 30s, 40s and 50s. I was at a meet-up a few nights ago and met a team of 40-something founders that are reinventing film for the VR age. You have a lot of time, and you should be spending it learning. Whether the best place for that is in college or not, I urge you to remember that there are important parts of education that do not involve compilers or databases and which should not be neglected. But Sam's advice is good: be always learning, and surround yourself with smart people. You can certainly waste college, but it doesn't have to be a waste. Finally, I was in your position not very long ago, and if you'd like to talk, my email's in my profile.
brianchu 12y ago
Yeah, it's definitely a Silicon Valley thing. I grew up in SV and go to school at Berkeley, and dropping out is definitely considered a valid choice. People I know in SF encourage me to drop out all the time, and I know of several college students that dropped out. Edit (reply to below): I took a year off to work before I went to college, so I think I have a good perspective when I say this. You assume that: 1) college is going to educate someone about the world, get them a good job (not a measly startup job), give them discipline, and introduce them to cofounders; and 2) college will do this so much better than you could by working in industry that it justifies the cost (anywhere between $150-200k tuition for a good school, and possibly $200k in lost savings). Suffice to say, not all of those things are necessarily true. I'd be happy to talk about this perspective to anyone over email.
- semerda 12y ago
  Maybe I cannot see why this is so cool.. being a foreigner now living in Silicon Valley, having grown up in both Europe and Australia.. education is pivotal to getting anywhere in life. I hate the common "get rich quick advise" to ambitious 19 year olds by "dropping out of school" to "join a fast paced start-up" for measly equity and few dimes to live on. Better advice to just buy a lottery ticket, cross ya fingers and pray. If you want to "change the world" you need to 1st understand the world. But before one does one must have discipline and some core skills. That's what colleague teaches. Discipline and core skills + may introduce you to your future cofounder. Then go and learn from the world by working at many many places so you can understand the world and it's problems. Then change the world. Maybe then we will have far better start ups that are actually building a business and changing the world than regurgitating (cloning) other businesses.
hessenwolf 12y ago
A degree is an asset. It opens doors, forever. An item on your cv describing your experience in a startup can come across as an "I joined a band with my friends".

by yzzxy 12y ago

necubi 12y ago

There's nothing wrong with going to college. College can be great! If you do it right, you'll learn a lot about a diverse set of things including history, literature, the arts, and the sciences. If you're in a good program, you'll also learn the theoretical underpinnings of computer science, which I think is underappreciated by many in the industry. And really, you do have time. The Silicon Valley myth is that if you haven't had success by 22, you're done. And while there are outliers (including Sam), this is mostly a fiction. Many successful founders are in their late 20s, or even 30s, 40s and 50s. I was at a meet-up a few nights ago and met a team of 40-something founders that are reinventing film for the VR age. You have a lot of time, and you should be spending it learning. Whether the best place for that is in college or not, I urge you to remember that there are important parts of education that do not involve compilers or databases and which should not be neglected. But Sam's advice is good: be always learning, and surround yourself with smart people. You can certainly waste college, but it doesn't have to be a waste. Finally, I was in your position not very long ago, and if you'd like to talk, my email's in my profile.

brianchu 12y ago

Yeah, it's definitely a Silicon Valley thing. I grew up in SV and go to school at Berkeley, and dropping out is definitely considered a valid choice. People I know in SF encourage me to drop out all the time, and I know of several college students that dropped out. Edit (reply to below): I took a year off to work before I went to college, so I think I have a good perspective when I say this. You assume that: 1) college is going to educate someone about the world, get them a good job (not a measly startup job), give them discipline, and introduce them to cofounders; and 2) college will do this so much better than you could by working in industry that it justifies the cost (anywhere between $150-200k tuition for a good school, and possibly $200k in lost savings). Suffice to say, not all of those things are necessarily true. I'd be happy to talk about this perspective to anyone over email.

semerda 12y ago
Maybe I cannot see why this is so cool.. being a foreigner now living in Silicon Valley, having grown up in both Europe and Australia.. education is pivotal to getting anywhere in life. I hate the common "get rich quick advise" to ambitious 19 year olds by "dropping out of school" to "join a fast paced start-up" for measly equity and few dimes to live on. Better advice to just buy a lottery ticket, cross ya fingers and pray. If you want to "change the world" you need to 1st understand the world. But before one does one must have discipline and some core skills. That's what colleague teaches. Discipline and core skills + may introduce you to your future cofounder. Then go and learn from the world by working at many many places so you can understand the world and it's problems. Then change the world. Maybe then we will have far better start ups that are actually building a business and changing the world than regurgitating (cloning) other businesses.

hessenwolf 12y ago

A degree is an asset. It opens doors, forever. An item on your cv describing your experience in a startup can come across as an "I joined a band with my friends".