Ask HN: Bootcamp or Computer Science University Degree?

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More and more people learn about programming in bootcamps and got software developer job right after. So is it still worth the time/money doing computer science at universities?

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It's not are "either or" question. You can and probably should do both. Formal education will give you the insights to understand the mathematical principles on which the profession is based.

And a couple of bootcamps will give the currently in demand techniques and tools.

It's the difference between being an "<X> programer" where X is your flavor of the month technology. And a "Software Engineer"

Interesting! If I have a master degree in Finance and want to be a developer, should I just do the bootcamp? If the formal education is for math principles and other science fundamentals... Thanks.

I realized that I have a weird antipathy towards bootcamps in my mind a while back, so genuine question: what's in modern bootcamps as they are usually run that you couldn't pick up yourself more efficiently (either by doing a few toy projects before starting a job or in the first few weeks if it's a new-to-me stack)?

I see ads for bootcamps that want people to pay them for a course on some popular language or web stack all the time and I'm never quite sure why anybody would go for these / why you'd even want a course on how to be an "<X> programmer" in your resume.

Yes. Not for the immediate "get a job" scenario... in that case you don't need either, you just need skills... but the comp sci route will give you exposure to high level topics you will need if you want to have a career

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