Ask HN: Is a CS degree worth it if it comes from a state school?
"Does this sound even remotely plausible? Ignore resumes, really? Let’s say two candidates came in:
Candidate 1
Stanford, MS CS, top marks
Facebook (aka hot startup)
Candidate 2
State school
Doing Java at HP
You’d ignore this information, and go straight to the cover letter?"
The implication seems to be that the second candidate is lackluster, in part for having attended a "state school," an unnamed member of an amorphous blob of mediocre institutions that churn out equally mediocre graduates. This is not the first time I have seen this sentiment expressed, and I have often wondered about the value employers place on degrees. Sometimes it seems as though their preference is almost binary: either they, like Google, recruit exclusively from top, generally private schools like MIT, CMU and Stanford, or they take all comers, even those who lack a degree.
I have no doubt that a degree from MIT, Stanford, CMU, and even from some spectacular public schools like Berkeley can open up doors for those who hold them. But I wonder whether the same is true for degrees from less-than-stellar state schools. An undergraduate degree from a four-year college, even one with cheaper in-state tuition, is still a substantial investment: four years of your life and thousands of dollars. Over the past few months I have been considering going back to school to get a degree, but it looks as though the only institutions I can afford and get accepted into are those rueful state schools. For someone in my position, I would really like to know (after hopefully not offending anyone who has such a degree), do you think it's still worth it, or would my time and money be better spent elsewhere?
[1]http://blog.scottolsen.net/?p=144