

Ask HN: Should I leave working at a startup in favor of university? - aurorae

Hey HN,<p>I've been working as a software engineer in startups for the last 12 months since I graduated high school. I chose working in the industry over accepting the university place in Computer Science that I was offered. For added context: I'm a non-US citizen working in the US. The college offer was in my home country in Europe.<p>Fast forward 12 months and now I wonder how this decision will affect my long term employment prospects. While I would have work experience relevant to the positions for which I would like to potentially apply unless I change my course I will lack any quantification above a high school level on paper. I could see this being a possible disadvantage even in preliminary screening of applicants were I to apply for a job.<p>What I have seen of the tech industry would make me think that ability trumps your paperwork but I don't know how long that will last or whether I would be barred from working any higher up than simply being a developer. Would management positions be completely out of reach were I to continue? Can work experience really count more than a degree?<p>Any thoughts on this would really be appreciated as it's an issue that I have been pondering for quite some time. I figured HN would have a varied enough audience to be able to give good advice from all sides.<p>Thanks HN!
======
lumberjack
If I were you, I'd take part time college classes and keep my current foot in
the industry. Yes you will take longer to finish your degree but you don't
have to worry about that if you are already employed. Besides, employers will
respond better to somebody who is in the process of finishing their degree as
opposed to somebody who never started in the first place. Finally worst that
could happen is that you get fired and you don't find other employment. In
that case you can enroll for full time study.

~~~
why-el
This is a good point. You can even take in interesting problems from your job
back to school for further analysis.

------
change
Forget the job for a second, what about your life goals... Will you be
satisfied with your lack of a degree?

How long do you think you will live for?

With current and future medical technologies you can expect a long life… let's
say 100+ years. So, in how much of a hurry are you to get a job and make cash?

Even if education and other life experiences don't impact your employability,
they are probably still worthwhile. And if you don't have that change the
world idea lined up, then you're not missing any boat to go learn and explore.

~~~
aurorae
I would like to continue working in the space even if I break from work to go
to university. I would intend on working in the same area coming out.

I would be satisfied if it didn't hold me back. What I don't want to happen is
to come to a point where the lack of paper stops me from achieving what I
want, whether that be a promotion to management or a different job.

At the moment I don't have any "change the world" ideas that would stop me
going into university. I can see the benefit of both sides though, getting
actual industry experience or taking the time to spend it on learning the
fundamentals, personal development etc. The social aspect of university and
the fact that I'm missing out on it at 20 has also crossed my mind.

~~~
change
Talking about 'promotions' and 'management' at your age seems a little
blinkered. Even if you end up being a cog in a wheel, I don't think you should
optimize for this. Having a comprehensive and broad world view, bringing
things to the table besides your core discipline, these are just as important.

It also seems the days of higher education just being about a window of time
around the age of 20, might be numbered. The education model of the future may
be more about life long learning. That suggests you can go get new skills as
you need them. But if you ever need some personal development and new
experiences, that time will be now.

------
xackpot
You know what, my standard answer would be: "Go take a degree if you want to
cross the screening barrier at companies for a job. This is what companies
usually do to avoid spending time looking for individuals who don't have a
degree but are awesome". But over a round of beers at a nice pub I would say
is that the education system is highly overrated. If everybody started looking
for talent of an individual, leaving aside the educational certificates they
hold, we would have society working at its full potential. In my opinion, the
aim should be learning, not getting a degree. Also to get higher up, you don't
need a degree. Just because one has a degree doesn't mean one is capable of
executing the task assigned to. Suppose, you get a degree and grab a job, but
you fail to deliver. Are you still gonna get higher up? Now say, you get in
without a degree, but really churn out a stellar performance at work. Is
anybody going to stop you from climbing up? What is the difference between the
two scenarios? One is of course the degree and the other one is the quality of
work you are putting in. I really didn't give you an answer as you might have
subconsciously made a decision but I hope I have propelled you to think more
and take a right direction.

------
alid
If you choose not to go to uni, employers will want to know that you didn't go
because you were too busy building, learning and achieving. So if you choose
that route, be hungry to learn and experience more. Stand out by learning
best-practice, being a confident communicator, networking, and by building
your portfolio with paid employment and with exciting personal side projects
:)

------
puranjay
I've long advocated eschewing an education in favor of real world experience.
But at the same time, I know I draw my self-worth from my education. I
wouldn't be as confident a person as I am today if I wasn't educated. There's
nothing stopping you from pursuing a business or even intellectual pursuits
without an education, but ask yourself if you will feel truly fulfilled
without an education?

Moreover, you may miss out on the 'college phase' part of life (and what a
glorious phase it is) and regret that later. Trust me, every single guy I know
who started working early is jealous of college going kids who get to spend
the best years of their life doing the best possible things on earth.

~~~
tisme
> But at the same time, I know I draw my self-worth from my education.

How so? Should your self-worth not be linked to what you achieve and how you
treat others?

------
lutusp
Just my personal opinion:

* If you work in the field of software development, you may acquire a deeper appreciation for the value of a more complete education. This may increase your level of devotion and commitment if you return to school.

* By working in the field, you may acquire a better sense of which educational areas have value, and which don't need your attention.

* By working in the field, you will meet people with different degrees (and no degrees), and this may allow you some insight into which degrees have which prospects.

So my opinion is that working in the field has nothing but advantages. By the
way, many colleges agree -- many of them recommend a "work-sabbatical" to give
students some perspective on their educational choices.

> _Can work experience really count more than a degree?_

Sometimes, yes. It depends on the individual. Count the people in the field
who don't have a college degree:

Bill Gates, Paul Allen, cofounders of Microsoft.

Larry Page, one of the cofounders of Google.

Mark Zuckerberg, you know -- Facebook?

Larry Ellison, Oracle founder.

The list goes on. The fact that none of these captains of industry has a
college degree might mean something.

~~~
lumberjack
It means that if you have connections, a staggering initial capital, technical
skills and education, a brilliant idea and a group of very talented friends
you don't need to finish your degree.

Most people don't fall under that category.

~~~
lutusp
> It means that if you have connections, a staggering initial capital ...

You're thinking of Bill Gates, Paul Allen, Mark Zuckerberg, and Steve Jobs
(with whom I worked), yes? In fact, none of them meet your description, and
all of them started with virtually nothing except a desire to succeed. All of
them started in a literal or figurative garage.

This is not to disparage the worth of a college education, only to put it in
perspective, at a time when tuition rates are rising much faster than
inflation.

It's too easy to assign successful people to a category after the fact, even
if the fact contradicts the myth.

