Hi Mitt, Questions: > 1) Are there many people without degrees in the industry? >
Most software engineers I know have at least a minor in computer science, but have at least a BS or BA in some engineering discipline if they don't have a BS/BA in computer science. I have met a few really proficient self-taught developers, but they are the exception, and they almost always had a leg-up from someone else. Every large company I have worked for required a degree from its software engineers. > 2) Which companies (just for examples) don't require it? > Anyone you can convince to hire you :) I'd go for start-ups and smaller shops, since the hiring processes there probably won't be so impersonal as to automatically ignore your application simply for lack of a degree. Smaller shops will ask to see a portfolio of previous work (like the stuff on your github), or ask you to do a small week-long project with some of the other employees in order to judge how proficient you are when you're in your element. > 3) Are there any hobbyists around here, that earn some money from > coding? > > From what I've heard, universities here teach something that is > obsolete and is not used anymore, or simply don't teach what we do > here (Unix, administration, hardware...). > I've had experiences writing software both with and without a formal education. I'm of the opinion that if you go to university in order to acquire a formal background in computer science, then it's worth every penny. This is because a formal background helps you understand both theory and practice from first principles. Once you can understand it from first principles, it becomes a lot easier to pick up new skills, and makes it possible to design long-lasting low-maintenance software that won't need to be rewritten from scratch every few years. It also gives you the ability to look at trends in the industry and tell the difference between what's fundamentally new, what's a passing fad, and what's snake-oil. Of course, the mileage you get out of it depends on how thorough you were in making sure you understand all the material. If you instead want to focus more on learning specific skills, you might want to consider going to a community college and getting your associate degree. It's a lot less expensive than university, and faculty usually come from an industrial background and can share their real-world experiences with you. There will almost always be more hands-on courses available than at university, such as on things like systems administration, Unix, mobile app development, game development, and preparation classes for particular certifications. One nice thing about community college is that if you decide later that you want to go on to university, most universities will accept some/all of the credits you earned at your community college (but double-check this first!). For example, both of my parents and my brother got their bachelor degrees by doing two years at community college and two years at university. If you do go the university route, you should go to a non-profit, regionally-accredited one [1], and if at all possible, you should physically attend (even if it means a long commute). Also, you'd be amazed at how many scholarships go unclaimed each year. -Jude [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_accreditation > Thanks for any kind of information, > > Mitt > _______________________________________________ > Dng mailing list > [email protected] > https://mailinglists.dyne.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/dng >
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