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Comment by ar15saveslives | Hacker News Reader

> I could not use my GI Bill to go to code school. That was the number one roadblock

Nobody needs a "code school" to learn how to write code.

True, but what does "writing code" mean? If it means learning some basic JavaScript syntax and writing a small text adventure, that isn't hard at all. Learning the mathematical fundamentals of CS on the other hand is a great deal harder, and getting up to speed with what technologies are considered standard is extremely difficult.

You're not going to learn much CS from a code school.

Many, if not most, software jobs require very little CS knowledge. At such jobs the ability to compare numbers and read a chart (a matrix of algorithms and data structures vs. time vs. space complexity) will cover almost every possible use case.

"Mid-level development as a skilled trade" jobs, for example.

Agreed, but those skills can be picked up by anyone with the time to attend classes, for free.

Right. Most programming jobs aren't asking for 5+ years experience in <some language/framework/library> because they're looking for someone who knows how to balance a red-black tree, they're looking for someone who already knows all the workarounds and kludges you'll need to know to do the work they want you to do.

Learning a programming language is relatively easy. Knowing which of several libraries that offer similar features is the right one for your particular task takes time.

And yet, most software jobs interview for CS knowledge. Maybe there should be code camps for interview CS knowledge.

Yes, and most of those interviews are terrible.

Right, but as the article mentioned the veteran needed an accelerated timeline because of family obligations and couldn't afford the time not working to attend a traditional 4 year university.

That's unfortunate, but coding schools don't come close to covering what a regular degree program covers, and they're not a substitute.

They do fine for a lot of programming jobs. If you're going to work at a DoD contractor or something, work on the team maintaining a hospital website, or work in enterprise architecture you don't need a 4-year college degree in CS. I actually think you're better off getting a degree in something else and just learning to code on your own time for the vast majority of people.

> If you're going to work at a DoD contractor or something, work on the team maintaining a hospital website, or work in enterprise architecture you don't need a 4-year college degree in CS.

You've got to be kidding. The thought of somebody with only a coding school certificate writing software for missile guidance systems, aircraft, nuclear submarines, etc. is a bit terrifying.

No I'm not. Most of those systems are proprietary for obvious reasons, and the training to work those systems is going to be a lot of on-the-job training. A CS degree would help, but Lockheed Martin isn't hiring people to rewrite data structures for missile guidance systems. Well, they could be, but that's an entirely different demographic.

But even with that being said, you're not including the multitudes of DoD services that are not critical, military email accounts and websites, payment processing, web portals for HR, etc etc.

I don't think you even need a coding school certificate for any of those jobs.

And people wonder why software is in the state that it's in...

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