Comment by throwaway0255 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by throwaway0255 | Hacker News Reader

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When I mentioned government-mandated credentials, I was thinking more of the medical and legal fields. Software engineering is ideal in this respect, because it's pretty much unregulated in that regard.

That makes software engineering an ideal choice for people not going to college at all. But since you're already 4 years in, you might as well finish. So definitely finish.

Outside of credentialism, there's still the other reason, and I think this is the one motivating the advice you're getting from your friends:

> to compete for a higher position in the social hierarchy

You'll be more effective at this if you wait and go to the higher-status university.

From your current position, I'd definitely recommend finishing your degree, and since we've already optimized for status, I think I would wait and go to the university with the more fashionable brand if that option is available to you.

Top companies write a lot about how they've found no correlation between university ranking and job performance, but then they continue spending millions on job fairs and hiring mostly people out of top universities.

Your friends are right that many companies, especially big ones, will treat you very differently depending on which of these two schools you choose. Good luck.

This, finish and go to the best Uni you can; everything else that anyone tells you may not serve you well. Although throwaway0255 is making an argument about whether you could achieve better education by yourself vs. an organized university curriculum, you should never overlook the effect that a degree from a prestigious University can have. In most fields companies hire people from the highest ranked Universities, when there is a recession they still hire those ones even if they hire fewer people in total. Money and time spent in a top-tier University always pays off either by prestige, connections or just by the network that you build there. That is how US works currently, top Unis are becoming the tool of class formation. Plus while in Uni you can still do what you want if your part time jobs are not very demanding. Finally, for most people with not enough fu money, this is the last time to really experiment without putting their livelihoods on the line.

> Unis are becoming the tool of class formation

I'd argue they've already been that for at least several years if not, less brazenly, for a few decades and that the article these comments are in response to is strong evidence to support that determination.

The network effects generated by adding people to your social circle from a group that are at the same career stage and aiming to work in the same industry are also very strong. It is highly likely that they will be the source of job opportunities, recommendations, and useful advice for many years to come.

None of this is really necessary, there are plenty of positions out there that don't receive applicants hailing from top tier universities and making friends with people in your field only requires a modicum of grace and the willingness to put the time in at the appropriate events.

Generally, I agree with the sentiment that the position that universities currently hold is ripe for replacement. The second that someone figures out a workable model that serves most of the important functions (accreditation, education, networking, access to experts, research funding) for a reasonable price the die will be cast.

This, finish and go to the best Uni you can;

There was an interesting program on BBC Radio last year that questioned this, they had an example of a student that had excelled during school and went on to the top university for her subject where she found herself in the middle of the pack. This ended any career opportunities in that subject for her.

She knew people who took the same subject at lower tier universities, they came out top of the class and were able to find work in the same subject.

I bet they had to search long and hard to find such an example. For the simple fact is that after your first job (and usually not even then), no one cares about your university grades. All they see is what school attended and what you majored in. And after a decade or two, people stop really caring about your major as well. The "brand" of the university lasts a lifetime.

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