Ask HN: School or Programming? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: School or Programming?

4 pointsNib7 comments

I love porgramming, i really <3 it. Im sure most of us in HN do. But, recently, I've been facing a problem...

School is getting in the way of programming for me. Our school does'nt(at all) encourage programming and due to that, I'm having a tough time balancing between my school life and my coder life. My parents don't want me to code, as they think that doing so is causing me to lose interest from studies and probably, even, affects my grade :(

What do I do ? my life is getting really complicated lately...

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Hello,

The most important value someone can acquire is handling priorities and finishing tasks whether you like the tasks or no.

Programming can be a hobby or job. Today for you, is probably mostly a hobby and that's a very good hobby. But don't think for a minute that programming for a client, is as interesting as programming for your self. What keeps you going is the art of self-discipline. The persistence to do what you have to do when you should do it whether you feel like it or not.

School should be priority No1 for you. School will probably give you access to a University which will give you access to a world full of opportunities that now, you can't see, so basically you don't know what you're missing.

For every Zuckerberg, Jobs and Gates there are billion equally brilliant young men out there who fail everyday. Better fail with a degree that will give you access to the market than fighting alone, having to prove yourself at every step.

Generally speaking school or no school, that's up to you. But completing successfully tasks that you don't like is paramount if you want to be successful.

I with you the best of luck :-)

I've dealt with the same problem as you have. In high school, I picked up programming and before I knew it, I was programming almost all of the time. It's great to be able to have an idea and build it instantly.

However, life is not just programming. When I was in my senior year of high school, I got multiple job offers from tech firms in my country to come work for them. This monday however, I'm starting a university course cs at UVA (university of Amsterdam). This is not because I love programming less than studying (the opposite, actually). It is because I'm playing a long-term game instead of a short one. In colleges, there is so much knowledge right under your nose, and you get to work with people equally smart. Starting this monday, I'll be on the frontier of technology.

From there, I can learn, experiment, socialize, and everything else that I couldn't do while I was building custom CMS systems or optimizing a SQL database for some lame company.

Your working life can last more than 50 years, so be wise about choosing your fundamentals.

Maybe you need a break from school? Try to line up an internship, or at the least just some kind of bill-paying job, and start working on something. Then re-evaluate where you are next year whether you want to re-enter school or jump into the industry instead.

How old are you and where are you from? What kind of school are you visiting?

Don't be a one trick pony. Programming is just one life skill you should learn. Stay in school and learn the rest.

your life is complicated? go to africa, ebola countries, urakine, iran, then you will se what is complicated

Well, I was talking emotionally, not conditionally... :(

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