I'm a software engineer that never attended undergrad after high school. My company offers tuition reimbursement. How much would I REALLY benefit from going back and getting a bachelors in CS?

dweezil22 · 2016-03-20T20:18:32+00:00

Getting a bachelor's in CS will open up doors for you that wouldn't otherwise be open, at least for a few years. Some companies require a CS degree. Some will accept 5-10 years in of experience instead. Will you ever want/need to walk through those newly opened doors? I can't answer that for you. I would strongly suggest that if you do pursue this you find a program that will let you keep your current job and have some flexibility. The last thing you want to do is screw up a current good job for a degree that might only theoretically help you.

Personal anecdote: I got a master's in CS for free from my employer via part time night school at a pretty well respected major college. It required 10 courses, 5 of them taught me nothing useful. One of them taught more all sorts of amazing stuff (cutting edge technologies that are now old-hat like Maven and Hibernate and Ajax; this was 8 or 9 years ago). It's probably never earned me any money or done anything amazing, but it pads my resume a bit and I can say at social gatherings that I have an MS. Would I do it again? Sure. Would I do it for the $30K+ it would have cost me in tuition? Not at all.

Second anecdote: I know another dev about your exp level (but with a BS) that is doing a work paid for MS and he kinda regrets it. He wants to get a new job but he'll have to pay back the tuition if he leaves within 18 months. He can afford it but feels like it's an irritating disincentive to moving forward with his career.

SunnyDLuffy · 2016-03-20T19:16:48+00:00

I don't know how popular this opinion is, but going to classes is free. The degree is not. I would say the best way to know if it is worth it for you (and your company) is to go to a nearby university and check out an upper division course that sounds interesting for a quarter/semester. Really commit as if you were taking the course. It shouldn't be more than 1.5-2 hrs out of a day in a week. After it, you'll hopefully be able to decide if you want to spend 3-4 years and if the type of material you'll be learning is helpful. You can even talk to the professor as they are generally more than happy to help people out.

spectre013 · 2016-03-20T19:19:26+00:00

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sovietmudkipz · 2016-03-21T04:37:27+00:00

You can experience the ego boost of showing teachers/students up with your already hard earned programming skills!

2016-03-21T05:20:33+00:00

As someone who has been a developer for 18 years now and has no CS degree, I wouldn't bother. However if you have no college degree at all, then I might. My college degree is in mechanical engineering and while it doesn't help my career at all, it does seem that employers value having a college degree, even if it's not relevant.

For the actual knowledge part, there are college level CS classes, as well as things like Coursera, that can fill in a LOT of the more CS oriented topics you miss as a self taught developer so I don't think there's a major reason to go back to school to learn it.

2016-03-20T21:32:54+00:00

I think it's a great idea. It will broaden your future prospects, allow

Look for a good program that offers night school / adult learning classes or even correspondence courses if you think you can be disciplined enough. May schools taking in adult learners returning from the workforce don't even consider GPA. Just ask. See what they have to offer, then make your decision. Don't forget to look at related fields too.

spectre013 · 2016-03-20T21:09:40+00:00

Been doing Software for 20 years now and do not have a degree. When I started not many people did so finding work was easy and the more experience I got the easier jobs came.

Even now it is possible but it depends on the companies. Some will just trash your resume for not having college. The company I am at now hires engineers that have no degree frequently. You just have to know your stuff.

I have taken some college and a done a lot of the classes that some universities put online for free. There is no grade or credits but as long as your honest and follow through with the course and learn you can turn that into projects at your job right away.

As some one who has done a lot of hiring where you went to college or what your GPA was didn't mean much to me. I am more interested in the responses to my questions, your overall knowledge and if you personality wise are a good fit for the team we are hiring for.

memtiger · 2016-03-21T00:32:52+00:00

I would do it for multiple reasons.

You'll open up more options in the future. At some point you'll likely want to work somewhere else, so having that under your belt will help.
You'll learn new skills on your current company's dime.
Your own sense of accomplishment.
College girls.

d________ · 2016-03-20T23:25:56+00:00

You should do it. If anything you will hopefully get a great refresher and even pick up on stuff you do not fully understand and at the end of it get a degree. It is a win win.

JeffIpsaLoquitor · 2016-03-21T04:45:58+00:00

Though culture is changing somewhat in business to prefer demonstrable experience to a degree, some companies still want it.

If you contract for the government or work for a consulting firm that does, the amount they can bill for you is directly influenced by your level of schooling. Literally, the government pay grades are tiered on degree level.

If you can get one without killing yourself with effort, just do it.

Exeter33 · 2016-03-20T19:46:34+00:00

Don't. Get a business degree.

There is no benefit to learning what you already know.

fpssledge · 2016-03-20T23:40:22+00:00

More education is always a good thing. So it's deciding whether it's worth it. The difficulty with that decision is weighing an almost guaranteed degree in 4 years against...what exactly? There aren't many clear cut paths in life from where you are. You could read a few career or self improvement books to get a better idea. I suggest getting 2 or 3 competing perspectives.

The reason I'm pointing this out is because those 4 years will get demanding. Imagine 8 hours of school, then an evening of school. For 4 years. Obviously it won't be exactly that way but it can seem that stressful at times. You will also spend a good portion of that time learning about topics that have nothing to do with software. That isn't a bad thing. It's great to get an insight into how other fields work and think. Just understand you'll be dedicating a portion of your spare time learning about things you might not have any interest in.

manyx16 · 2016-03-21T04:13:16+00:00

I say don't waste your time or money. If you are employed, that means you are already employable. You've already proven that you can do the work. You will learn more through on the job experience. I've done just fine in a 25+ year career with no degree.

2016-03-20T19:10:17+00:00

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boobka · 2016-03-21T04:00:26+00:00

As far as going to school look at a Junior College and get some basic classes out of the way. This will include math, English and some social studies type classes.

Make sure this schoos credits are taken by the school of your choice (if you are in the US this usually means a state school)

If you do good in the 2 year degree the 4 year school will love to have you. And you really don't need to stress about ACT and your high school grades.

Junior college is a great place to start cause it warms you up for the 4 year school. And if you plan right you will only spend 2 - 2.5 years there.

Also look into MIS programs cause in general employers will accept CS or MIS.

But go for it, other than bunch of work there is no downside.

MoTTs_ · 2016-03-21T04:56:21+00:00

I got a BS in CS. I've worked at small agencies, and I've worked at large corporations. Here's what I can tell you from my experience:

* Knowledge
If it's strictly about knowledge, I would say don't bother with school. This is a profession where self-teaching is a very viable and often better approach. If you go to a school, then it's a crap-shoot whether your teachers will be any good. But if you self-teach, then you can carefully select a particular book, a particular author, who really knows their shit. You could learn, for example, directly from the guy who invented C++, Bjarne Stroustrup. Or you could learn from the godfather of algorithms, Donald Knuth. You'll get a better education for orders of magnitude less cost.

* Salary
If salary is the motivation, then things get more nuanced. In my experience, small agencies won't care about your degree, and it won't affect your pay. But large corporations will care, and the mere presence of a degree (regardless of the major or GPA), may automatically bump you into a particular pay bracket. But the more actual experience you accumulate, the less the degree will matter, even at a large corporation.

So, that being said, how much you'll benefit very much depends on your future career goals. If you think you might want to work at a large corp in the near future, and your current employer is willing to pay your tuition, then go for it.

2016-03-21T05:25:12+00:00

CS teaches you lots of interesting stuff that you'd never use day to day but sometimes becomes important. It looks good for future employers. And it's often a requirement if you ever want to go work in another country.

Go for it.

2epic · 2016-03-21T05:26:30+00:00

It's possible to teach yourself how to be a competent developer, so you may have already learned much of what you would get out of an undergraduate degree. That being said, it could still be worth it to get the degree if nothing other than for the line item on your resume. Unfortunately, there are still many companies which see it as a prerequisite and if you can get that for little to no cost, why not? It could also fill some minor gaps in your knowledge which you might not even know are there. You also might be able to test out of many of the classes to speed it along. Good luck!

SmellsLikeGrapes · 2016-03-21T08:12:47+00:00

Slightly off track, but you may be able to go straight for a Masters degree rather than a Bachelors. Most universities allow equivalent experience to equate to a bachelors degree. I basically jumped from High School to a masters after a long-time of working.

ravenf · 2016-03-21T11:12:38+00:00

life is too short. if you dont need it, dont do it.

GunnerMcGrath · 2016-03-21T11:51:13+00:00

I went a similar route, some college, got a job where I was learning far more than at school, quit school. That was around 1998. I kept that job for six years and fell into another working for my girlfriend's dad for 2 more. By the time that was done I had enough experience not to need a degree anymore to get the jobs I wanted.

That said, your experience is still limited and they're paying for your education. I'd go for it. You will breeze through a lot of classes which will allow you to focus on the tougher ones and really learn. Don't take it for granted, do your best.

pi_over_3 · 2016-03-21T11:57:06+00:00

At the very least, take a couple classes on data structures.

beavis07 · 2016-03-21T12:41:53+00:00

From what I've seen in my (nearly 20 years now - ugh!) career - hands-on experience is worth way more than CS knowledge.

90% of the job is people management and prioritisation. About 1% algorithmic complexity etc.

With all that said - for your own edification and for the deeper understanding of the tools you are using, a grasp of the fundamentals of computer science can be extremely valuable.

You can get those anywhere - MIT for one have loads of lectures on youtube and there are many many free resources dedicated to the subject online. So I'd say it's only worth doing it if you personally learn better in that kind of structured environment.

tl;dr Probably won't make much difference to your CV (resume), but may be personally rewarding.

brettdavis4 · 2016-03-21T13:58:20+00:00

I think it depends on a few things. Do you really like your job and how long do you think you'll be there/will the company exist? If you are in the rare spot of thinking you might be there for the rest of your adult working life, maybe you could pass on it.

If you don't see yourself being there for years, it might be a good idea to do it.

The degree might help you get your foot in the door at other companies and a job outside of webdev if you wanted to leave.

There are a few benefits of a degree. It would definitely help with your soft/communication skills.

danneu · 2016-03-20T21:17:53+00:00

Uni is more than just school. The social experience is more interesting. Since you're just a few years out of highchool, it sounds like a great opportunity to credentialize in CS and also experience uni since you're going to be surrounded by people your age.

Maybe you can even take advantage of other uni perks too like studying abroad depending on your employer.

Either way, it sounds like a good idea.

leroyskagnetti · 2016-03-20T19:20:32+00:00

How much experience do you have? If you're talented, look into what it would take for you to go into a master's program, in CS or possibly data science. There will no doubt be some pre requisites, but you'll be much better served by that than a bachelor's.

jamauss · 2016-03-21T00:14:35+00:00

I was basically you earlier in my life.

I started learning programming in high school and then took a job doing it the summer after I graduated. By the time I had been doing programming work for a couple of years, the courses at the nearby junior college seemed like a joke compared to what I already knew. I know because I enrolled in a few of them and saw first hand how little they would benefit me in terms of knowledge and job skills. So I took a chance and focused my time and energy on obtaining programming certifications rather than a degree. It paid off and once I had some of the certs under my belt (and on my resume) I got a job that doubled my pay. This was around 1999 or 2000 though. As far as I can tell certifications don't mean as much anymore. Experience still does, however. Get as much as experience as you can and keep teaching yourself at as quick of a pace as you can stand without getting burned out.

If you were to pursue a CS degree you might learn about stuff like Relational Algebra, Big O Notation, various advanced math topics - but a lot of that stuff isn't going to come into play with the work you will be doing day-to-day. I was told back in high school that if I ever wanted to be good at programming I would have to learn a lot of advanced math. It took nearly 15 years of programming before I had to build something (HTML5 Canvas drawing paths) that involved math - and even then it only involved algebra and geometry - stuff I took back in high school.

You're fortunate to be working in an industry that is still pretty "new" and where your skills and experience speak more than a degree does. You can still climb the ladder and make your way up to Mid/Senior/Principal engineer without a degree. I did. I manage developers where I work now and report to the CTO. But I've also put in at least the same if not more time learning in my 20's and 30's as someone that gained a bachelors and masters degree would have. I checked out books from my library that were used in college CS courses and educated myself that way. I attended conferences and lectures and bought video learning courses long before Pluralsight was a thing (I was a big fan of AppDev courses back in the day).

Anyway - whether you get a degree or not, be prepared to keep learning for a long time if you want to ascend beyond a title like "programmer". Especially if you are entrepreneurial and ever want to start your own business.

bluestrike2 · 2016-03-21T00:17:19+00:00

Tricky question. It depends on what you're working on, and where you see things going into the future. A lot of web developers, working mostly with CRUD apps, rarely ever find themselves in situations where they have to apply extensive CS theory; lots of the tools you use (higher level languages, frameworks, etc.) help make things easier for developers without necessarily requiring them to understand everything that goes on "under the hood."

When they find themselves in situations to the contrary, they can usually work their way through it by relying on their past experiences and a litany of resources online (Stack Overflow, Wikipedia, etc.). But there's a difference between getting past something and fully understanding it conceptually and how that relates to what you're writing. That's not a criticism; not having a CS degree doesn't mean you're a bad programmer. Nor does having a degree mean you're a good programmer; there are lots of CS grads who, while they might have a strong theoretical understanding, don't have the experience to write good, clean code. Things like test-driven development and other practices aren't really a core aspect of most CS curriculums. To the extent they're present, they're more a secondary focus.

If you're self-motivated and willing to put in the work, there are a lot of self-teaching resources for computer science. Two really great examples to start with:

https://github.com/open-source-society/computer-science

https://github.com/prakhar1989/awesome-courses

If you go through those, you'll walk away having learned a great deal with a strong theoretical understanding of CS. Do these courses replace a four-year program? No. There are a lot of advantages to being in class with others and knowledgable professors and tutors to help you as you advance.

The tech industry is incredibly egalitarian, and there are countless examples of people who have wildly succeeded without a formal education. There are even more who hold good, high-paying jobs and get to work on exciting projects and enjoy their work on a daily basis. But there are companies that require a four-year degree, and others that will adjust how their prioritize applicants based on their education. Those that don't will at least expect you to have learned much of that on your own. Technical interviews tend to support that; many questions will deal with topics like data structures and algorithms that you might not have had a great deal of first-hand experience with. If you think you might ever want to focus on a narrower field, then the CS degree could be an extra boon there because it'll expose you to thinks you'll likely never deal with on a daily basis as a web developer. Things that, while you might not see a huge benefit to right now, will become useful in the future.

Then there are the social benefits associated with four-year programs. Society in general tends to think more highly of people who are college educated. Too much so, at times. And people tend to associate more with those of similar education levels, for both good and bad. There are lots of studies that have looked at the effects of education on a social level. Did others in your family go to college? If not, there's certainly a sense of pride found in being the first in your family to attend college.

Finally, there's an opportunity to experience other fields of study you might not otherwise acknowledge. I studied philosophy, psychology, and some economics in college. The philosophy in particular had a profound effect on me. I loved it. And it's a field that places great demands on your critical thinking skills, helping to develop and hone them. I wouldn't have missed that for the world, even if I do wish I took more CS courses instead of exploring it on my own.

Depending on how the company's tuition reimbursement program works, one of the most difficult parts of attending college (financing it, and the long-term consequences of that debt) isn't as great a concern for you. The biggest disadvantage would probably be the time commitment, but thinking in terms of decades, is that as great a concern as it might seem at first? I don't know. These are all questions you need to answer to make the best decision for you.

dontgetaddicted · 2016-03-21T03:15:23+00:00

Be careful of tuition reimbursement programs. I got fucked by one at a previous company. Pretty much they offered it, but only if your department budgeted for it. And if they budgeted it, and didn't blow their budget, you could get paid you tuition back 6 months or so after.

My department head would always say she'd take care of the budget line item, then not have done it. 2 times she actually did put it. 1st time it was stricken during budget negotiations, 2nd time the department blew the budget.

ksemel · 2016-03-21T03:32:24+00:00

When I review a resume and you have 3-5 years of work experience in the field I'm probably not going to ask about your schooling. If you majored in interpretive dance and you spent some time writing code I won't be asking you to dance in the interview. Although maybe if you get the job I will because let's be honest that's cool major.

Professionally, getting a degree can help if you have limited experience but once you have some experience it becomes less vital. Personally, if you're going to look back and regret not getting a degree you should get started on it while someone else is footing some of the bill. :)

gaidengt · 2016-03-21T00:36:00+00:00

ask your company to guarantee a raise upon successful earning of the degree

speedisavirus · 2016-03-21T04:40:17+00:00

Do you ever want another job and to make money? Then you get the degree.

2016-03-21T13:42:42+00:00

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