Ask HN: Return to college for networking and better job prospects? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Return to college for networking and better job prospects?

2 pointsccdev2 comments

I have industry experience in software (mostly web development) but my 4-year degree is not in CS. I have been a software engineer since 2007 but usually in small companies and usually very underpaid. I don't have stocks or retirement funds invested and my savings are just a few grand.

I'm thinking of returning to college in the fall for the following reasons:

  * Fill the skills gaps I missed for not taking CS
  * Build a network for better jobs
  * Earn opportunities for major corp internships and/or co-ops

My current string of jobs that usually don't have good job leads, programming practices, or employees is hurting me. It is difficult to build a good network from small, struggling companies.

Also, one of my career end goals is to work in aerospace related software (not defense-related, but civilian). My lack of a network and CS degree will be really be a turn-off for those jobs.

Here are the cons to going back (as far as I know):

  * Can't work 9-5 while in college. At worse I may have to take a "McJob" to help make ends meet
  * I will accrue some debt from attending college
  * Network quality might greatly depend on the college you attend (UIUC is the best school in my state but out of state there are better ones).

So would it be a good idea to get back into school if your network is dry and your career prospects are limited towards less stable, underpaid positions? Has it worked for anyone here?

You're correct in identifying that credentials and networking opportunities are the real value but 4 years of your life is a heavy commitment. Only you can decide if it's worth it.

I would say go for it but make sure you leverage your time well.

That means, attend as many hackathons/programming competitions as you can. Get involved with some club on campus related to what you're interested in (aerospace club?). Try to increase your network of friends.

I'm half way through a CS program and a lot of people get so caught up in the course work that they have no time left for anything else. It's hard to make time for other things while in school but most people don't even try.

Anecdotal Experience: There was a short break in the middle of the semester, when everyone was chilling or studying for midterms, I was attending a hackathon which later got me an interview for an internship. I failed the interview and didn't get the internship. However, when everyone was studying for their final exams, I was finishing up my application for Google Summer of Code and did get accepted into that.

Neither of those things would have happened to me if I wasn't in school and if I didn't pursue them myself.

Also, in both cases, it helped that I had previous work/projects that I could build on. I didn't attend the hackathon with the intention of landing an interview and I never imagined that another experience I just did for fun would one day help me get into GSoC.

So, if you start a degree program and you already have some past experience/interesting projects, you're at a pretty significant advantage.

I feel like my BA degree has been mostly wasted (because it is an "unknown quantity" that has not a lot of worth on its own) so I am willing to take 4 years in CS since it's going so well for most people that did. Maybe I can even skip some general ed classes so I can graduate sooner. At least I will be able to understand some programming assignments much better. I think my biggest challenges will be in the math classes I missed (Calculus II and III, differential equations, etc.)

Being self-taught, I have started to feel trapped, hard to do anything outside of web development or mobile apps. My subpar network also limits that selection of jobs even more. Unlike most programmers that have gotten more experience, I did not earn the luxury of being picky with jobs. A lot of people also recommended that I get a CS degree if I want to work in something way outside the mainstream web jobs (my aerospace interest for example).

There's also the ironic advantage that new graduates have in the job market- they are held to less strict hiring standards by large companies, and generally speaking, their school experiences have more similarities. As someone that is mid-level, I felt a strangeness in some companies I apply to. That happens when a company holds all mid-level programmers to the same standards, even though the patterns of what mid-level programmers experienced (and the knowledge they missed) varies much more greatly than the patterns of new grads.

I see a return to college as a second chance in having a prosperous life where I like doing what I work and have less to worry about my company keeping me in good hands.

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