Ask HN: Attend a post-baccalaureate CS program or double down on self-study?
TL;DR:
Do I go for the post-baccalaureate degree in CS, or do I double down on self-teaching?
- I won't have student loans because paying out-of-pocket.
- Complete the program = full-fledged B.S. in Computer Science, no caveats.
- I work in software as a technical writer currently and have a liberal arts degree.
I've been working in the software industry as a technical writer for a little over a year now, and I was recently accepted to Oregon State University's online post-baccalaureate Computer Science degree program.
I applied to Oregon State's program because I've been teaching myself some computer science fundamentals over the last year or so, and it's a subject that really interests me. Learning some web development in 2020 helped me switch from being a marketing copywriter at a government contractor to technical writer at a software company.
Before I applied to Oregon State, I was finding information on computer science wherever I could: free university courses on YouTube, Udemy courses, software engineers' blogs, textbooks I bought or rented from my local library, you name it. I've learned a lot, but my self-imposed learning plans can get a little scatterbrained because there's so much to learn.
Oregon State's program is all-online and costs about $36K start to finish. I've got a pretty flexible job schedule as is, so I'd be working full-time and taking a class or two every quarter. I'd pay out of pocket for the degree, so no loans.
A few things I like about the Oregon State option:
- I don't have to take all the core education requirements. It's basically a few lower-division intro CS courses, but the rest are all upper-division CS.
- I know there are great online master's programs in CS, like Georgia Tech's, but Oregon State's would make me learn the fundamentals that I didn't get in my first degree (which is in liberal arts). I know it seems odd to go back for a second bachelor's degree, but I wouldn't want to be overwhelmed by graduate-level courses I'm not ready for in a post-grad program.
- If I complete the program, I'll end up with a full-fledged Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree from Oregon State. No asterisks; I'll have the same credential as any other CS undergrad from Oregon State.
I'd like to take my career into a more technical area, partially because I'm interested in technology and partially for financial growth opportunities. I know I can learn about the technical stuff for free (mostly), but there are some jobs that literally require a CS degree. On top of that, I don't want to be unprepared for highly technical problems in future roles.
Any guidance/perspective will help. Thanks!