
Ask HN: Self-taught software engineer returning for a CS degree - Igrom
HN,<p>I have a heavily time-constrained opportunity to study Computer Science, Bachelor&#x27;s at ETH Zürich. To generalise by qualification, the school is one of the top ten schools in global university rankings.<p>Meanwhile, I have 4 years of experience as a SoftEng at a Swiss branch of a US-based industrial company, earning ~$120K. This I manage with a Mechatronics undergrad, whose curriculum was entirely removed from the world of CS. My work has seen me develop internal systems, frontend &amp; backend, with emphasis on REST interfaces. Work is well-paid but not quite fulfilling. the rare bit of SE research is interesting, so is designing architecture; on the other hand, it&#x27;s just gluing things together, no matter how well the glue is structured. (yes, that&#x27;s SE in a nutshell)<p>I can&#x27;t assess the worth of the degree. I will own the decision but I fear I am underqualified to weigh the advantages and disadvantages.<p>Conflicting opinions I have been given:<p>* experienced SoftEng, ex-SpaceX, EE degree: you&#x27;re in the industry, stay in the game and just self-study to get a better job. (industry-driven)<p>* professor fluid mechs, doctorate at ETH: ETH is world-class. Dropping the uni name astonished new business associates and imprinted me in their minds favourably. (academia-driven)<p>My primary concerns are:<p>* does the degree devalue my prior four years of experience for a future employeer? As a competent SoftEng, I would hate to be disparaged just because university came after work.<p>* what career paths open that are difficult for a self-taught software engineer?<p>* expounding the above: at the end I will have a solid mathematical and CS foundation. What can I do with it?<p>* is it worth the &gt;$200K investment (in opportunity cost, given foregiven earnings: assume that I can&#x27;t work)<p>* bonus question: if looking for a career linked with China, how does that help?<p>I&#x27;m 26.<p>I would be grateful if you found the time to share your background and your thoughts.
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diavelguru
Similar situation to you I was working then got my undergraduate CS degree.
For me the degree was more about me than the jobs I could find or the money I
could make. I was curious and what I had learned up till that point wasn’t
sufficient. Starting the program I was loving it then I started to hit the
main classes and was overwhelmed. I kept going and fought through it, not for
lack of intelligence there is much of that but learning how to balance the
workload and prioritize. Now work is easy. It has been for over 20 years.
Learning how to prioritize is the key and finishing your the degree you start
and plodding through it.

Once I graduated (around your age) I went to work doing CRUD and wondered if
the money and time and degree was worth it. Finally I understood after some
time that the degree is for me. No one can take that away from you. It’s yours
no matter the politics of the company. That’s why you get a degree: for your
own interests. If that degree benefits you in the future so be it. Great.
Enjoy. But the perseverance you need to finish a degree must come from within
you and not be of external needs. I had friends studying Chemical Engineering
because “my dad told me to”. Wrong reason. I convinced many to graduate early
with a CS degree instead of a CE degree and they jumped at the chance.

I the end it’s your decision and good luck with it. If you want to do it money
shouldn’t be the limitation, rather it should be your motivation and drive to
get it done as with everything in life.

~~~
Igrom
Thank you very much for the time you have spent writing this down to share
your experience.

Given that you have gone on to work on CRUD, as you've put it, have you ever
entertained the thought of working more as a researcher?

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xupybd
If you want the qualification study part time as a distance student with the
lowest cost possible. There may be some worth to this degree but not $200k.
You've proven you know this stuff. Distance learning will be easy for you.

