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That's interesting. Do you approach these financial companies and consulting firms through a connection, or are you just sending a resume? I'd expect HR at big companies to filter for degrees.

Interesting, thanks for the response. Have you mostly had job offers from startups, or are medium / big companies also interested in you?

Also, what kind of software are these companies building?

Sorry for the many questions, I'm trying to get a better idea of what the market is like for people without degrees.

I'm mostly wondering right now whether there is a bubble in the startup space. I don't think I understand the market very well right now, and I'm not sure whether most startups are profitable or just being funded.

Does anyone have insight into whether there's a significant bubble in parts of the industry? Of course, this is hard to evaluate without some concrete data, and I'm not sure if any such data exists.

I feel like it's a little odd when you say that startups make up the other 10% that care about a degree.

Conventional advice on HN seems to be that startups are the kinds of companies that don't care as much about the degree. What are the other 90% of jobs you've applied to? Are they also at tech companies?

Thanks for the response. That's interesting to know. What are these interview questions like?

Are they basic questions about lists, stacks, trees, and graphs (and the corresponding algorithms)? Or are they puzzle type questions that you're just naturally good at?

Also, have you mostly had success with startup companies? I'm slightly worried about a bubble in the startup space, though I really have little idea how valid my worries are.

I don't really have any advice here, because I'm in a somewhat similar situation myself.

But I'm curious about what your skillset and CS knowledge are, since I'm trying to decide whether I should go back to college or continue working (I'm a little worried about how hard it might be to get a job in the future).

I'd definitely appreciate it if you could describe your skillset and CS knowledge, so I can get an idea of how talented a programmer needs to be to get jobs without a degree. Thanks!

Thanks for the informative response. Based on your experience with people from prestigious schools, do you think this automatic deference is justified?

Thank you!

Thanks for the advice. I'm not sure if I want to try and conquer my depression right now, but I'm definitely thinking about the choice ahead.

I talked to several programmers, and they mostly said that a prestigious degree only helps out with the first few jobs (though they said that no degree at all is a slight to moderate negative). I'm not sure how accurate their perceptions are, and I think the tech industry might also be unique in caring less about prestigious credentials.

These programmers also said that a prestigious degree does help significantly in other areas, like finance and law.

What areas has your Stanford degree helped you in?

Thanks for the advice. I think the depression would probably go away if I drop out (unless I can't find a programming job at all). I have contract work for the next year at least, so I'm not too worried.

If I go back, I'll definitely try out your suggestion of talking to counselor.

I think the problem is that my parents seem to feel that college is a necessity for a good life, which I think I disagree with. There seem to be plenty of programmers without degrees.

The things I'm really interested in doing beyond practical needs don't require a college degree, and in some ways I think three years in the real world would be more valuable. I'm interested in entrepreneurship and non-fiction / fiction writing, and both of those seem to benefit heavily from real world experience.

I'm not worried about developing self esteem issues because of my lack of a degree.

I am somewhat worried about how it could impact my career, though.

I think I might be slightly depressed, but the prospect of going back to college is making me unhappy (I think I'm pretty certain of this, but I don't want to go through all the reasons). I did well academically freshman year despite my depression, and at this point I'm mostly wondering how bad dropping out would be for me career wise (and maybe socially).

I feel confident that I can make friends outside of school, and while I'm worried about my parent's and friend's reactions to my dropping out, I feel like that shouldn't be the deciding factor.

Thanks for the response. Several people have advised me to go back for the overall experience, but I feel like I'm not likely to enjoy it if I'm unhappy or depressed there.

I'm wondering how bad dropping out would be. I have about a year and a half of experience as an employed programmer, and I know several languages and frameworks.

Would the lack of a degree become a serious problem in the future?

Can you be more specific about why you've regretted dropping out? If you're a programmer, how much has it hurt your career? I unfortunately don't think switching schools is an option for me.

My parents are aware that I was depressed. I've also told them that I think dropping out would be the better choice for my mental health.

They disagree and seem to think that I don't have enough wisdom (I think this is what many Asian parents believe about twenty year olds).

They're not going to kick me out though if I drop out. And even if they do, I've saved 18k and have contracting work for at least the next year. I think I should be okay. I'm just asking for perspective and to see if I'm making any serious mistakes in my reasoning.