> > IMHO, staying longer at uni would have made me less employable.
>
> In the short term, or the long term (and in the long term, to what
degree)?
<old fart>
I think this is a point often times overlooked. Remember, that after you do
not finish Uni there will be _many_ who do and will be just as talented and
intelligent. In a few years they will be nipping at your heels and your
level of experience will be worth less and less as they build up their
experience (perhaps). I'd be willing to bet that at that point in time, you
will consider returning to Uni to finish that degree. Why else would there
be so many mature age students? So look forward to when you will be 30 or 40
(it does happen you know). :-) I have some younger friends in this exact
position and having 'been there done that' I do worry about them. I hope
they are smart enough to slug away their big bikkie s now while they can
get them.
You should take these comments in the context of my experiences and who I am
as they may not be relevant to you at all. I came to Australia 13 years ago
as a photographic expert with a BA from the US in that field. It opened many
doors for me. Some not even in photography as that degree is recognised by
many employers as a very strong indication that I can think and perform at a
certain level as well as complete complex tasks. Whether you agree with this
or not is not an issue with me as I am just telling you of my experience. Of
course, I know many people much more talented than me that don't have a
degree so these are not black and white statements. But several of these
people found not having a degree blocked advancement possibilities down the
track. Indeed it was two of these people who encouraged me to take the
plunge into study again and I am very grateful to them for this.
Having said this, I am now 44 and just finishing a grad dip in IT via
distance at CQU. _Personally_, I felt it important to have some sort of
certification in a field where everyone and his dog is a so called "expert".
As it turns out, just studying in the field created a wonderful opportunity
for me to work at a both an ISP and later a University which has been a
perfect fit for me. I finish my degree next month and the curriculum has
been directly applicable to the work I do in Info Mgt, Student
Administration and with our complex student information system. None of this
would have happened without the commitment I made to study.
YMMV but I hate to see people give up on study as it's a lot harder to do
when you have a demanding full time job and a family to care for.
I should mention that as far as computing goes, I've learned heaps by
hanging around here with all the gurus which to me is just another aspect of
the learning process. Hopefully our paths will cross at some point in time.
Cheers.
</old fart>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Darrell Burkey @ Home
Canberra, ACT
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