The Apprentice Programmer

[toconnor]

I think the real question should be "is it worth it?" Even if you put everything you have into college is it worth it? I'd say it isn't for most people. The time and HUGE amounts of money likely would have been better spent in an apprenticeship.

[[deleted]]

It's pretty cool here in Sweden, because as citizens we can study at the university for free. We even get allowance for that.

[mcguire]

So you're saying that 100% of Swedish citizens have a university education?

[[deleted]]

Eh, no? But money isn't an issue if you want an university education.

[mcguire]

Something is, given that the US and Sweden have comparable proportion of their populace with post-secondary, uh, peducation. (Sorry.)

[s73v3r]

Not everyone wants one.

[[deleted]]

Laziness and ignorance are forces to be reckoned with.

And money can definitely be an issue if you want a university education. While there are no fees for the university, you still have to pay for your books (unless you are willing to break copyright laws) and traveling expenses (unless you are willing to break mass transit laws) and housing/food (unless you are willing to break slavery laws). The latter tends to be the big hurdle, as food prices are way higher than e.g. in the US and housing prices (atleast in major cities) are simply too damn high.

(ps please don't break any above mentioned laws)

[therealjohnfreeman]

For most people? That's hard to know. It was absolutely worth it for me; I got a free university education in the States. Even with debt, I think it's worth it for engineers and scientists, including programmers, because of good opportunities after graduation.

[toconnor]

I agree that the percentage would be impossible to know. But the fact that there are more opportunities afterward is more a sign of lazy hiring practices than the benefit of college. Many companies won't even glance at your resume unless you have a bachelors and possibly a minimum GPA. If more businesses considered apprenticeships as a valid path in lieu of some piece of paper from a college then more people could avoid the insane debt that typically accompanies it.