nopmike

wtf is going on here? This is one of the most toxic comment sections I've ever seen. Do people really think this way?

It's a little late, so this will get buried, but I had a similar experience. I caught two felonies (both from the same incident) Luckily, I had a good job at the time and it was my first offense, so I was able to get house arrest. After seeing what could have been my life, I completed my BS in CS, online part-time and convinced the state of California to let me move there. I received five years of probation, so even though I was off house arrest, I had to convince the state of California to take me as a probationer. I don't think this is usually offered, even though I had gainful employment waiting for me. I feel very fortunate. Since then, I've worked for various startups and Fortune 50 companies as a software engineer. I was lucky enough that the tech industry valued me more for my skills than punished me for my past. I will be forever grateful to the state of California and the tech industry for this. I've looked into, and tried to volunteer for various programs that try to teach inmates or felons technical/engineering skills. All have fallen through. I'd love to hear what you're working on OP, and if you want to brainstorm a way we can try and help more inmates turn their life around through software development.

> "X is your mentor. X's main job is to mentor you and help you swim in this deep end."

I don't think that will ever happen, nor should it. No ones main job should be to mentor someone else. The best teams all help each other. Early and often.

I don't think this is unique to the LA area or even California and is a common misconception when people apply to colleges. As a high school or returning student you are told that some schools are better than others, and that might true from an entry standpoint. But, in most cases (except for ivy league or a Cal Tech, MIT) an employer is going to value your technical and interpersonal skills 1000x more than where you went to school.