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If you focus on becoming a good developer and start consulting IN HIGH SCHOOL, you will make bank. Forgo university altogether. I'm surprised more people don't

If you focus on becoming a good developer and start consulting IN HIGH SCHOOL, you will make bank. Forgo university altogether. I'm surprised more people don't see this path as at least a viable alternative if not THE way to go.

mercer 12y ago
Currently, I mostly agree, and I hope it lasts. However, I've found incredible value in the connections I made at university, which would've been much more difficult if I had not studied. Assuming you live in a country where you don't amass crippling debt, studying can still be very valuable, for a variety of reasons.
- malvosenior 12y ago
  You can make even more valuable connections by leveraging your portfolio and reaching out to industry leaders on blogs/twitter/github/email. If you're good, pretty much anyone will take a coffee with you if you send them a polite email.
  - mercer 12y ago
    True, but that assumes you already have portfolio, you have the courage to approach 'industry leaders' (especially at a young age this can be daunting), and/or you have an idea of what you're looking for. If you're good at the right things, and are motivated, you can do fine with and without college. But college can make a lot of things easier, and more natural. Of course, it can also backfire and turn you into an undisciplined, alcoholic college-dropout. tl;dr: I'm not disagreeing with you, but I want to highlight that going to college is a perfectly legitimate option with many advantages (if one doesn't consider the debt).
    - malvosenior 12y ago
      I agree and certainly most people in our field do have degrees and have had positive university experiences. That said, if one does consider debt, is it still worth it?
      - mercer 12y ago
        The kind of debt mentioned in the article? No. In my opinion, of course.
peter_l_downs 12y ago
I took a job as software engineer at a SF-based startup right out of highschool. 2 years in, I make some serious money and now that my "gap years" are over it's been interesting to look at what would happen if I continued working instead of returning to school. I have decided to return to school for the following reasons: * School will be more "fun" in a lot of ways than work. * I will meet many more people of the same age and interests at university than I would meet / have met in the "real world". * As much as work experience is looked for on a résumé, a diploma from a legitimate institution looks better and will help me find work. It's a tough decision – thinking about $60k/year tuition is like staring up at a figurative Mount Everest of impending debt.
- ArkyBeagle 12y ago
  Many credit hours can be gained at a community college at lower cost, then transferred. The "brand" of your degree will be with the final institution. You have to be very careful about credit hours transferring. This is probably not without risk but saving up to two years' debt @ $60k per year is pretty good motivation.
- alistairSH 12y ago
  So don't go to a school that charges $60k/year? It never ceases to amaze me that people think they need to attend expensive private schools, when there are plenty of top-notch publicly funded schools available.
  - hga 12y ago
    Problem is, most of those are no longer "cheap"/inexpensive, and to get the lower rates you're limited to ones in your state. Just looking at the not so top notch University of Missouri in my home state, it'll cost a resident around $20K/year plus transportation expenses, around $35K for a non-resident, and in general STEM majors cost more due to laboratory fees. Also note that public schools make no guarantee that there will be space available in required classes for you to finish in 4 years, and often have quotas for majors, e.g. per https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7795041 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7795041 the University of Washington has 80 CS slots per year, with over 1,500 applicants and a 3.9 GPA required to even be considered. While I'm not saying they're necessarily worth it, private schools with rare exceptions guarantee you'll be able to finish in 4 years in the major of your choice.
krakensden 12y ago
It's not 1996 any more- people have higher standards about hires.
- malvosenior 12y ago
  I've hired MANY excellent people who don't have degrees.

mercer 12y ago

Currently, I mostly agree, and I hope it lasts. However, I've found incredible value in the connections I made at university, which would've been much more difficult if I had not studied. Assuming you live in a country where you don't amass crippling debt, studying can still be very valuable, for a variety of reasons.

malvosenior 12y ago
You can make even more valuable connections by leveraging your portfolio and reaching out to industry leaders on blogs/twitter/github/email. If you're good, pretty much anyone will take a coffee with you if you send them a polite email.
- mercer 12y ago
  True, but that assumes you already have portfolio, you have the courage to approach 'industry leaders' (especially at a young age this can be daunting), and/or you have an idea of what you're looking for. If you're good at the right things, and are motivated, you can do fine with and without college. But college can make a lot of things easier, and more natural. Of course, it can also backfire and turn you into an undisciplined, alcoholic college-dropout. tl;dr: I'm not disagreeing with you, but I want to highlight that going to college is a perfectly legitimate option with many advantages (if one doesn't consider the debt).
  - malvosenior 12y ago
    I agree and certainly most people in our field do have degrees and have had positive university experiences. That said, if one does consider debt, is it still worth it?
    - mercer 12y ago
      The kind of debt mentioned in the article? No. In my opinion, of course.

peter_l_downs 12y ago

I took a job as software engineer at a SF-based startup right out of highschool. 2 years in, I make some serious money and now that my "gap years" are over it's been interesting to look at what would happen if I continued working instead of returning to school. I have decided to return to school for the following reasons: * School will be more "fun" in a lot of ways than work. * I will meet many more people of the same age and interests at university than I would meet / have met in the "real world". * As much as work experience is looked for on a résumé, a diploma from a legitimate institution looks better and will help me find work. It's a tough decision – thinking about $60k/year tuition is like staring up at a figurative Mount Everest of impending debt.

ArkyBeagle 12y ago
Many credit hours can be gained at a community college at lower cost, then transferred. The "brand" of your degree will be with the final institution. You have to be very careful about credit hours transferring. This is probably not without risk but saving up to two years' debt @ $60k per year is pretty good motivation.
alistairSH 12y ago
So don't go to a school that charges $60k/year? It never ceases to amaze me that people think they need to attend expensive private schools, when there are plenty of top-notch publicly funded schools available.
- hga 12y ago
  Problem is, most of those are no longer "cheap"/inexpensive, and to get the lower rates you're limited to ones in your state. Just looking at the not so top notch University of Missouri in my home state, it'll cost a resident around $20K/year plus transportation expenses, around $35K for a non-resident, and in general STEM majors cost more due to laboratory fees. Also note that public schools make no guarantee that there will be space available in required classes for you to finish in 4 years, and often have quotas for majors, e.g. per https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7795041 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7795041 the University of Washington has 80 CS slots per year, with over 1,500 applicants and a 3.9 GPA required to even be considered. While I'm not saying they're necessarily worth it, private schools with rare exceptions guarantee you'll be able to finish in 4 years in the major of your choice.

krakensden 12y ago

It's not 1996 any more- people have higher standards about hires.

malvosenior 12y ago
I've hired MANY excellent people who don't have degrees.