Ask HN: Leaving School Without a Degree? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Leaving School Without a Degree?

3 pointscptnscurious7 comments

I mentioned to a friend last night that the idea of leaving school early had crossed my mind. As a computer science student, in tahis hypothetical scenario, I would

(A) Continue taking and complete all relevant coursework- CS, Math, Texhnical Electives, etc, and ignore the classes I consider irrelevant- GE's for example. I suppose this would mean entering the job market early, without a degree, but with all the relevant coursework that the degree entails.

or

(B) The same as A, except replace the GE's with relevant technical electives. I'd wnter the job market at the same time as my peers, but having taken a couple more relevanr classes. Though, again, without my degree.

I think about hypotheticals all the time, and Don't have a problem just getting the degree as planned, but I want to hear some critique first. I'd like to make clear I am not a dropout glorifier, and I am not doing this to build a startup. Please answer with the job market in mind, not me starting a company.

It’s hard to give inputs when there is little information about the why.

I vote get the degree. It gives you more options.

If you choose not to: Go out with a drive to succeed and enjoy the fact that life is about choosing and learning.

At its naked core there is no good or bad decision. What makes a decision good or bad is how you deal with the consequences.

If you nail the why (prior to choosing) you can do the most radical things with the most drastic consequences but still feel safe within yourself that this was the best of many paths to unfold.

You should consider and try to quantify risk: - how much cost is to take classes you consider irrelevant (is it that much?) - the uncertainty whether you are right that those classes are in fact irrelevant - the probability of encountering situations in your future life in which you'd benefit from having a degree

My own personal opinion as someone who has been both sides of a hiring desk, the GE are at least as valuable as the relevant coursework.

So the argument doesn't come down to what courses you are taking, it comes down to time value of money. How much does the degree cost + the opportunity cost of being in college vs the lifetime wage distinction and intrinsic happiness of the degree.

That is, if you are going to drop out to start working, the argument is to do it as fast as possible. Taking the time to do technical coursework vs general electives has marginal utility advantages (and I'd argue actual disadvantages) over just dropping out now.

That said, I'd actually suggest that barring resource allocation issues, finding GEs that are interesting and relevant and finishing the degree is the right move forward.

Get the degree. It's going to be a lot harder to get a job without it - it's one of those basic requirements for a lot of jobs.

A lot of what you learn in computer science isn't relevant to a programming job but they will still want you to have a computer science or software engineering degree.

After briefly studying computer science I went onto study architecture which is a 6 year course (1 year in the middle is work experience). After 3 years you get a BSc and after 6 years you get a BArch. I dropped out in the 5th year. I regret now not getting the BArch - it would have given me more options.

How about (C):

1. While in school build and release a small project to highlight your current skills.

2. Interview for jr. positions that match your your interest.

3. Earn a wage at your new job with your jr. position.

4. After holding that position for 6mo - 1yr leverage your benefits to finish our your degree on their dime.

5. Complete your degree and continue to hold your position to see if things change..

6. If no action is taken by your employer find a new position that will meet the pay for your new earned degree plus experience gained.

Visa issues are a huge pain if you don't have a degree. Don't do this if you have any desire to work in another country.

I apologize for the typos, I'm on my phone.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com