
For Me, College Is Not Worth The Time Or Money - thecombjelly
http://www.thintz.com/essays/college-not-worth-time-or-money
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ct
CS isn't the only thing you can learn at college. If you feel you can learn CS
much faster on your own then major in something different like advanced Math,
Business, etc. It will make you a more rounded person.

I got my BS degree in CS 8 years ago and although I learned some stuff from my
CS class that I probably wouldn't have been exposed to if I learned on my own
(like assembly, db query tree optimization, or 3d graphics).

Sure I _might_ have learned those on my own; but I probably wouldn't have
given that if I wasn't in college I'd probably be churning out business apps
for a megacorp or something leaving little time to explore.

I think my time in college would've been better spent majoring in Business and
then learning programming on my own. That would've given me a better edge in
the startup world. But it is what it is.

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ct
Secondly no offense, but Michigan Tech? Maybe try for a school somewhat closer
to where you live better known for their CS program like CMU, etc?

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InclinedPlane
Such a comment is mind-boggling to me. What crazy universe do you live in
where college tuitition is free? A 4 year degree at CMU is a $160k
proposition, and 4x more expensive than the equivalent in-state education at
Michigan Tech.

This bit of advice is like telling someone complaining that their Honda Civic
just isn't worthwhile for them anymore to try out a Ferrari.

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jdminhbg
I think he meant "Central Michigan" rather than "Carnegie Mellon."

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arn
Maybe pick a better school? I'm not from the area, so I've never heard of
Michigan Technical University and don't know what their merits are from a CS
perspective.

Also, dropping out near the end of your junior year seems a poor return.
You've paid 3/4 of the tuition and are getting no benefit from the degree. And
if everything was as easy as you say, then you should have a near perfect GPA.

As for why your employer cares. It's an easy screening criteria. Chances are %
of people who don't have a college degree and are any good, is pretty low. So,
it's easy to just interview the ones with college degrees, good GPAs, and come
from good schools. It's an employers market out there.

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cbernini
I'm not part of the American system, so my two cents might not help much.
Anyways I agree with you that college slows down whoever has a greater
learning curve than the average college student.

But it turns ou that whatever comes next and is more challenging, requires a
degree (masters program, whatever you pick). So I got to this dead end, where
I __had__ to go back to college and finish it because I really wanted to get
into a master's program once I'm done with it.

About employment, I'd say it's relative. Big companies nowadays are already
leaning towards the idea that interpersonal skills, individal behavior end up
being more important in the long term run. Of course a degree has its value,
but it isn't the most important thing when you look at someone's CV.

Also, what happens here and seems to be slightly different than the north
American scene is that a high percentange of the college students in Brazil
have full time jobs or start on internships right after joining college, since
the market is in a urge for IT professionals. Saying that, only people on
State/Public colleges (which are the top notch institutions here) or with
wealthy families, have the change to opt-in for extra credits, different
graduation programs and so on.

Just as a conclusion, college is a decent experience if you have the time, and
money (unfortunately) to enjoy it at its maximum. It is indeed a really huge
investiment, and is still a requirement for most of the jobs, since if you
ever get the change to be a project manager or anything like, a MBA would be a
nice trophy and for that you'll need a degree for example. I'd say you should
graduate, just to raise your employment chances since you seem to be a good
self-taught person.

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abyssknight
"For me, you are not worth the time or money."

That's what I read when I see statements like this. Why? Well, as an employer,
I'd think you were inexperienced and undisciplined. That said, starting your
own business will certainly teach you discipline and give you experience, but
it will also show a potential employer that you don't need them and that
you're likely to leave.

Going to college teaches you how to interact with others and deal with their
idiosyncrasies (and maybe discover some of your own). You get socially
acclimated, and have the chance to meet some crazy intelligent people. Can you
do that on your own? Sure, but the density at college is much higher, thus the
probability of a meaningful encounter is also much higher. See dating, as
well.

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adrianscott
Bravo! Good for you -- we need more people questioning the assumption the
college is always worth the time and money. The opportunities for those who
have demonstrable abilities without traditional credentials are steadily
increasing. It's a good curve to ride, given the upside and opportunity cost.

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mattm
Like you have discovered, a class needs to go at the pace of the average
learner. If you are a person who can learn at an above average pace, classes
will only slow you down.

