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Comment by stevewilhelm | Hacker News Reader

Sounds like he reproduced the college experience without a college. Good for him.

But in general it's probably more efficient to just to go to college and get a degree.

Even with six figure student loans?

There are many, many solid schools you can go to that would not require six-figure loans. Alternately, if you can be in the top 1% of kids, the best schools, like Stanford, are starting to only charge those who can afford it.

But he had a bad GPA, so none of the schools offering those programs were options for him. Six figures seems high unless you make some major mistakes, but remember, he is paying tuition and living expenses and losing 2-4 years of salary, experience, and opportunity cost.

I don't think the "school" vs "no school" argument has to be as black and white as it turns into. I think circumstances vary and in his particular case, he probably chose the most optimal option.

And I'd give him some bonus points for beating ("hacking") the system by finding an alternate path to his goal when it became clear to him that his current position became highly disadvantageous.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the guy in the article should have done something different. I'm solely responding to the guy who implied that going to college -> >$100k of debt. That is a false implication.

Also, the community college. In-district tuition at community colleges is typically less than $4000 for the whole year. The in-state tuition at Purdue is about $10,000 per year. Assuming no grants or scholarships, that's $28,000 for a degree from Purdue (their graduate CS program is ranked #20 (us news), not too shabby).

cheap, fast, or good; pick two.

That's why I'm going back to college. Frankly, you can do it the way he did. There are some pros and cons to that.

Pros:

    * Cost $0
    * Flexible

Cons:

    * Probably more difficult than going to college.
    * You do it alone.
    * No networking opportunities, no new friends.
    * No credential.

Still, I feel like I'm due for some serious topcoder sessions.

I don't have a college degree. I just enrolled at a local college to finish my BS in Computer Science.

I've not exactly had trouble finding work, and make more than most college graduates. I'm going back because:

    * I don't want my resume thrown out because I don't have a degree. The climate is great for developers right now, but that may not always be the case. I can handle taking classes for the two years it will take me to finish the degree for a little extra job security. 
    * I want to learn the stuff! Being as I'm gainfully employed without a college degree, it would appear that I'm an excellent self-learner. Sure, maybe I am, but I know myself, and I know I'll be more likely to stick with learning artificial intelligence and computation theory if I'm concerned about keeping my grade up.
    * Also, on that end, I'm not good with advanced data structures. When interviewers break out questions that deal with these problems, I struggle. I could study more and learn them on my own, but the structure of a class makes it easier (to me).
    * My employer is paying for most of the tuition costs. I probably wouldn't consider it worth it if they weren't.

I agree with most of your reasons as well. Especially the first one. Many people might think they're all set because they made it without a degree. An economic downturn could put them on the street and their resume in the trash any day.

>Probably more difficult than going to college.

>You do it alone.

I actually consider both of these to be pros rather than cons.

I also don't really sweat the lack of credentials, but I can't argue that it's a pro with a straight face. It could certainly be used to weed out certain types of companies who place too much emphasis on a degree.

The credential is good for things other than getting a job. It can help you emigrate to another country, as well as enroll in a master's or phd program.

Yeah, sounds like a "how to win at being between the ages of 18 and 30".

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