HACKER Q&A
📣 hallole

Do you think college is/was worth it?


I'm moreso referring to the educational value you received. Colleges increasingly have the reputation of being run like factories: less concern for the quality of their lecturers, and more for augmenting admissions numbers, even if it means dropping standards. To what extent is the knowledge you gained of real value to you? Were you well prepared to enter your field? Do you feel your degree is more than a guarantee to employers that you're not a complete bozo?

I think it was mostly worth it. Some upper level classes were half baked, with a few faculty members of dubious competency. But, I did learn enough to apply myself to my chosen field.

  👤 delis-thumbs-7e Accepted Answer ✓
I have a previous Master’s degree from art and I am after working years in tech doing a second degree in CS. Neither degree I need in my current job.

Personally I think what you gain from education comes from three things:

i. How much you apply yourself, how much are you willing to self-study, do research, your own projects, ask question. ii. The structured pathway an educational institution gives you to learn certain skills and gain knowledge. In self-learning the problem comes knowing what to learn and in what order so that you can advance to a more advanced level. iii. People you meet. Not just networking, but the fact that if you hang out with very clever people all day long, some of that prob sticks to you as well.

Even my art degree was extremely useful, although it provided absolutely no path to employment. I don’t know what the future brings, but I have absolutely loved my current degree so far, although it admittedly very hard at times.

👤 anovikov
It's the networking. It's who you know and status marker. So bottom 90+% was probably never worth it (for coders). Top 1% still does and will, and there's no dilution there at all. Elite meets elite.
👤 chistev
Yes, go to school.
👤 aebtebeten
It was, but please remember "college" is not fungible.
👤 jqpabc123
The most important things I learned from college.

- What I am capable of. How I compare to others out there.

- How to comprehend and learn on my own. Most of what I now use on a daily basis in order to earn a living, I learned on my own.

- Teaching can be a guide but learning is a choice. It requires dedication and motivation.

👤 drakonka
I've been working for 18 years and did not go to college. I never felt it held me back in my career - in some ways my early work experience helped me get jobs as I had more history and a larger portfolio under my name than graduates.

However, I've recently started taking one-off university courses that sound interesting after moving to a university town and it has been eye-opening. I'm learning so much just taking part time evening courses, and the enrichment of my mind makes it 100% worth it for me. Learning things this way makes me a happier human, which I think also makes me more happy, enthusiastic, and productive at work - I have noticed a positive shift in my attitude and enthusiasm since finishing my first course. Plus the different ideas I get from what I learn do somehow translate to my day job too (maybe enhancing _how_ I think more than specifically _what_), though none of the courses are tech-related.

Important to mention is that education here is free. So in this case the "it" in "worth it" has been my spare time and attention.