Ask HN: Would a degree bring any value, in my case?
Initially, I considered enrolling in a formal program, but my math skills at the time (required for passing the entrance exam) were far from brilliant, which meant that getting into it required relearning all high school math from the ground up. Since I was still young (and optimistic), I delayed going to uni until the following year and started improving my math skills. Long story short, going from being unable to add two fractions to computing derivatives and integrals by hand took longer than I'd like to admit. To be clear, I could have finished earlier had I focused exclusively on math, but I simply couldn't, as it was too dry. In parallel, I went through three-quarters of the literature recommended in the curriculum. I have also acquired plenty of hands-on experience and have written a bunch of stuff, ranging from a traceroute clone to a virtual stack machine.
Frankly, I feel worn out after all these years of delayed gratification, and I can't imagine spending another 4-6 years this way. My entire self yearns for tangible results.
Even if I didn't feel this way, what is the value of a computer science or software engineering degree in 2022/23, in my case? Certainly, not knowledge, as virtually all information is widely available outside the uni walls. Networking? Is a uni an ideal place to network for someone like me, considering that my peers would be more than a decade younger than me? Wouldn't I be better off networking with people in the industry? I have high aspirations and dreams of working at a FAANG company. But even then, not having a degree isn't a deal breaker because I know, for sure, that it's possible to get into a FAANG without one. Immigration paperwork? Even for that, work experience can be a substitute for a degree.
Yet somehow, I still can't let go of this idea. I suspect it's burned into my brain as a boolean test of whether I'm capable.
My other plan was to find a local job, stay there for a few years to gain some marketable skills (for example, web), and then find a well-paying remote job in a couple of years.
So, tell me HN, what do you think?