Ask HN: Will be hard to get a job without a degree in the future? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Will be hard to get a job without a degree in the future?

I used to study Maths at college, but I always code -as a freelance and also in a startups-. Now I changed to Computer Sciences, but still I am not comfortable. I think college is not for me - after five years, I did little progress.

I am not happy with it anymore - it makes me sad : i work from 9 to 6 and then go to college until 11pm, monday to friday. I see my gf only on weekends and I almost dont see my friends anymore.

If I kept going on this is because people kept saying this is the correct for my future, but I don't think I can still do it anymore.

What's your opinion or experience? Until now, I never had trouble finding a job, but do you think in the future will be really hard to get a job without a degree?

Thank you!

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Experience: I've been uncollege for 1 year. During high school, I was an overachiever and prepared to apply for Ivies. Took gap year and instead of applying decided to become uncollege.

Pros:

1) a lot of free time. Thus, I can do whatever I want in a stress-free mode, anytime, anywhere. I prefer studying on my own and helping out startups I like.

2) boost for emotional intelligence. "School - college - job" seemed as a crazy race where you must level up asap, otherwise society looks at you as a loser. There's simply not enough time to figure out who you are, what you want, what matters the most for you. No college mode helped to realize many things about myself, look at the world from another perspective.

3) constant being outside of comfort zone. Yes, you have free time, but you don't have a degree. Degree is, as throaway420 and beat pointed out, a filter and a great proof of many qualities for most of the big companies. So, you need something to show off to get a good job. In case of coders it's much easier to get sth. My case, for right now, is a little bit different - I'm working on areas I'm good at first, so it requires lots of creative thinking.

4) rebel. Not having formal education/job is reprehensible and very weird in my circles(old friends, teachers, most of relatives). It was a fear for me to fight for what I love and be outside of the system. Yes, I lost some dear people, but this decision was a good test on people around. Moreover, I have many connections and friends I wouldn't get if I'd chosen another route.

5) Growing up because of pros 1-4 and facing the real world. I assume you're already grown up.

Cons: 1) Your opportunities are limited without degree. You must learn to find those which are open and prove that you're worth, or create your own opportunities. 2) Sometimes it's very depressing. Degree is a lifebuoy. See pro #3.

Being without degree is a challenge. Degree is useful in today's world. But life is too short to waste it doing things that you don't love. If you're in college only because "people kept saying this is correct for my future", and it's the only one thing that motivates you, I don't think that it's a great idea to keep doing it. It's your life and your decisions. Take a risk, make mistakes, learn, do it again.

Vision of future: I believe that future will be rather project-based than degree-based. Thus, degree will not be such a big signal of you being a great fit for company X or Y or Z. Completely different filters will be used. Why? The whole educational system around the world will change because it's too obsolete for 21st century. Reasons: technology has gone too far for humankind to adapt -> today kids' brains function differently(thus, they need new methods of teaching) -> if elementary/high/college education changes paradigm, companies will adapt too. This is one of the ways we'll get to "new filters". Another way - social paradigm on degrees changes -> easier to find a job without a degree -> colleges/schools adapt.

I tend to think that the second way is more probable. Still, in contries-innovators(google innovation curve, exmpl. the USA) will be in this trend in 5-10 years. Western Europe and Europe will take US+3-4 years. Can't say anything about other countries, except mine which will be in "old ways" for more than 20 years.

To answer your question: yes, in future it won't be so hard to find a job without degree. But this future is too distant and it's only speculations.

* Without knowing your background and what country you're in, it's difficult to give the best possible advice. What might make sense in the USA might not be as logical in Europe or Asia.

* Your English isn't bad and your meaning is totally comprehensible, but it doesn't seem likely that it's your first language based on how you worded some sentences. Depending on what country you're in and how it might affect your job prospects, working on improving your English is worth considering and that might help your career more than a degree.

* Without a degree, you probably won't have as easy a time getting your foot into the door at larger companies who receive tons of job applications. Oftentimes, these large companies use certain filters and characteristics to weed down the interview list. If working at a big company is your goal, you'll have a bit more difficulty. But if you like smaller companies and startups, you're still ok.

* If you can demonstrate, whether through personal projects, past jobs, open source projects, etc, that you are competent you shouldn't have a problem finding a job in a startup or smaller business.

* If, after 5 years, you're not close to graduating, it might make sense to reevaluate and consider whether it's worth the continued stress and aggravation and cost if you're flourishing in your career without it.

* Ultimately, you alone have to make the best choice for you. Your parents and friends can give their opinion, but it's your life.

There are some big corps that only want people with degrees but most of them value experience more than degrees. It has been quite easy to get jobs without a degree for me and see similar tendencies for other people that don't have a degree (this is for Europe, Switzerland). On the other hand I saw people struggling to find jobs with degrees since they were lacking experience.

Will it be hard in the future to find a job WITH a degree?

A college degree is basically a certification of a certain level of education, but more importantly, a certification of a certain level of willingness to jump through the hoops to get the certification. It's proof that you are willing to behave in ways business finds useful.

So it's not NECESSARY to have a great career, but not having one will close off certain paths for you. It will also close off the possibility of going to graduate school in the future, to study more interesting aspects of math and computer science, or to follow a path like law or medicine where degrees are required, not just helpful.

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