Hacker News Reader

I wouldn't vote to hire a candidate solely because of a nanodegree from Udacity but I would consider it a positive signal; not as strong as an MS in CS from Stanford or a long list of published apps, but evidence of a desire for self-improvement and the discipline to act on that.

View on HN

Even an online CS degree from Stanford (if one existed) could not compete with their regular CS degree. I think this is more appropriate for "average" developers to put a stamp on their resume, and demonstrate to a prospective employer that they have taken the time and effort to complete a course. It is possible that you do not hire average developers, but then you are a minority.

Stanford does offer certificates and degrees delivered either partially or entirely online: http://scpd.stanford.edu/publicViewHome.do?method=load

I've taken CS courses at Stanford both through SCPD and on-campus. They're literally the same classes. Lectures are videorecorded and online. Tests and assignments are exactly the same.

There are minor advantages to being on campus: asking questions after class; sitting around your TA's office in Palantir bean-bag chairs while someone sketches sparse autoencoder on the dry-erase board; Axe burgers; but really, remote is okay too.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com