Is College Necessary?
Should you go to college if you want to become a programmer? Do you need a Computer Science degree? Is it necessary or can you learn faster without college? Does a diploma make a difference to potential employers?
In less than a minute see my 5 thoughts on whether you need a college degree to succeed as a software developer.
Poll attached - I'd like to see everyone else's thoughts on this!
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I was originally going to say "I've written about this so many times that I should probably write a blog post about it." Then, in looking for something else...it looks like I mostly did, outlining what a degree actually is: External motivation to learn, a professional network, and someone (the school) willing to stake their reputation on saying that you're good enough.
Do you need a degree? It depends on who you are and where you want to work. If you desperately want to work somewhere that requires a degree, then you obviously do. If you have built a professional network and have credible people willing to vouch for your ability or if you have a job waiting for you (because your parents have connections) regardless of your ability, then you obviously don't. If you're in between the extremes, it'll help, but that help might not be worth the investment to you.
I agree with you completely. Many places require a degree but many more do not or although they say they "require" a degree they will make exceptions if you can prove your ability. Having good portfolio projects is viable alternative "proof of skill" in my opinion. Not having a degree has never stopped me from landing a good-paying tech job.
To learn without a college degree you definitely must have the self-discipline so you can learn on your own. However since programming requires constantly learning to keep up with the industry I would argue that having the ability and self-discipline to learn on your own is a core requirement to be a good programmer.
As a programmer, I can say it is hard to do some tasks in time because of the lack of time. The practice of programming frees us from the shackles of time. Programmers don't get tired, distracted, or burned out from working on a project; they get excited about it and finish it quickly, often without seeking feedback or revision. This is why it's essential to build good practices into your workflow. You can track your progress with ease from the command line using https://digitalvaults.org/gre-practice-test-free/.
not necessary but everyone's journey is different.... as well as their needs and goals.