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Comment by nogbit | Hacker News Reader

I don't usually comment on HN but when I do...

Kidding aside, I've seen these kinds of posts so many times and I want to make sure that for those that are thinking "strategically" about their profession, career and passions then I would advise to buckle down with a good BS in Math at a minimum (or CS).

But why? Im your older self telling you that you will grow to really really like and enjoy programming, computers, tech etc. and may want to continuously dive deeper. And when you attempt to do that it all comes down to Math. So save yourself a ton of time and money and just do it, close all your browser tabs, cobble together all your transcripts and get into a Math program (if you already have, go get a MS in Math at a uni that has a strong CS program).

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That's exactly how i feel. I dropped out of school at 19, taught myself to code, went to a hack school, and have been working as a rails dev for the last 4-ish years. I realized I wanted to go into ML, and instead of trying to take shortcuts, at 24 I enrolled in my local community college to finish a degree in comp-sci. Looking at 8+ math classes (from Geometry to Calculus 3), but the only reason why I'm doing it is because I believe it will be worth it in the long run.

The only thing that sucks about it is all the GE classes I have to take before I can even start my fun Comp-Sci classes.

Hey its me, your past. Really though, I'm currently 20 and dropped out of school last year (GE's kicked my ass), and started working full time as a prototyper. I know I am probably going to have to go back at some point, but what really made you decide to go back? Was it for a higher payroll, or better fulfillment?

I want to master my craft, and i believe the way to do that is to have the application and the theory. being a rails + mobile dev teaches a bunch about the application side of programming and I find it fascinating.

In terms of the age thing, I get it. At 19 I hated being at school because I wanted to be making $20+/hour working on websites. But now at 25 and right under 6-figures, I see that I can simply work during the day and then go to school at night. It just means I have to do that for 4+ years. I started at 24, but I will not be done until I am 30. So, if I would have done it right the first time, and not dropped out, I __might__ have been further.

I don't regret it tho. I rolled the dice and although I was trying to hit the start-up lottery at that age (why I got into programming), I ended up on a great career with incredibly valuable experiences that I would not have had if I didn't drop out at 19.

8/10 would do again.

I'm not sure if I agree with this. This is like saying that the very essence of cooking is chemistry and that in order to fully understand and appreciate how cooking works, a chef should get a MS in Chemistry.

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