Going to Uni does also delay the lifelong 9-5 grind, I’d recommended it based purely on that, but you do get a piece of paper at the end that can give you a leg up and maybe more money if you picked something useful.
I can only speak for CompSci, although when hiring I don’t give a shit if someone has the degree as I’d prefer to teach and have someone asking interesting/left of field questions - but lots of hiring people do care though and test you on the fundamentals.
Completely agreed on the practical aspect, but if you’re going for big San Fran cloud companies you’ll likely need to pass a leetcode challenge in the interview (pointless IMO) which means you better understand in detail low level data structures and algorithms. You’ll never need that detail day to day, but barrier to entry.
Completely agreed that it’s not a golden ticket, it’s only useful if it’s a benchmark to entry kind of degree. You’re not walking in to a hedge fund without one and zero experience unless you have connections. Degree and zero experience will work. Uni also helps build connections and foster independence (read: when hiring I don’t want to hire a child, I want an adult with opinions).
Also the cost can be mitigated, e.g. go study in Scotland and return even more independent and free thinking.
Masters and PhD though IMO are purely if you’re passionate about something that can’t be learnt on the job and have time/money to burn.
Going to Uni does also delay the lifelong 9-5 grind, I’d recommended it based purely on that, but you do get a piece of paper at the end that can give you a leg up and maybe more money if you picked something useful.
Ok I’d like some opinions. What courses constitute as useful?
I can only speak for CompSci, although when hiring I don’t give a shit if someone has the degree as I’d prefer to teach and have someone asking interesting/left of field questions - but lots of hiring people do care though and test you on the fundamentals.
Very easy money.
A uni degree in Comp Science. Usually what they teach you is out of date and by the time you are done something new has come along anyway.
I feel like in this field certifications probably hold a bit more weight.
Completely agreed on the practical aspect, but if you’re going for big San Fran cloud companies you’ll likely need to pass a leetcode challenge in the interview (pointless IMO) which means you better understand in detail low level data structures and algorithms. You’ll never need that detail day to day, but barrier to entry.
I’m not convinced these days it does give you a leg up to be honest except in professions where it’s mandatory.
And while you might delay the grind, you may very well have to grind longer to pay off the debt incurred.
In short, folks should not be fooled into thinking Uni is some kind of golden ticket.
Completely agreed that it’s not a golden ticket, it’s only useful if it’s a benchmark to entry kind of degree. You’re not walking in to a hedge fund without one and zero experience unless you have connections. Degree and zero experience will work. Uni also helps build connections and foster independence (read: when hiring I don’t want to hire a child, I want an adult with opinions).
Also the cost can be mitigated, e.g. go study in Scotland and return even more independent and free thinking.
Masters and PhD though IMO are purely if you’re passionate about something that can’t be learnt on the job and have time/money to burn.