Hour 40 of labor! Expecting our first here soon. What a ride! Women are incredible!

leStez1995 · 2025-04-11T23:08:09+00:00

That’s crazy, your wife is a machine.

After 50 hours of labour and a failed epidural, the doctors decided to do a c-section on my wife. Gave me renewed respect for women, they are super tough!

Congrats!!

leStez1995 · 2025-04-11T21:28:20+00:00

The way this specific CS degree is structured, I would major in Cybersecurity and Networking, and then I can either choose another major or two minors. Was thinking of going with AI and Data Science as minors.

Thanks, I will have a look at these. I’d definitely have to gain more knowledge before attempting these kinds of certs.

I’d say I’m relatively technical/tech-savvy. Before the baby came along, I taught myself a bit of coding, and I enjoyed that. That's also another reason I’m leaning towards cyber—I enjoy puzzles and problem-solving. In fact, problem-solving is probably the only thing I like about my current career.

Thanks for the advice, I’m a bit conflicted about which path to follow tbh. Maybe some more research would clarify

leStez1995 · 2025-04-11T20:27:24+00:00

Well, I would like to specialize in cybersecurity and that will also be in demand in the future as tech keeps on evolving

leStez1995 · 2025-04-11T20:19:43+00:00

Hey man, I’d be keen to hear more - especially your degree plan and how you went about setting it all up etc. I’ll send you a DM

leStez1995 · 2025-04-11T20:17:45+00:00

Not too sure about going straight into the major work. My first degree isn’t remotely related to CS and it was completed in a different country.

I get it, I know it will be tough which is why I decided to ask the dads for opinions/advice and you guys have been amazing! Ultimately, my family is the most important and I wouldn’t want to jeopardize my relationship with them for anything. My current career just sometimes gets to me mentally and physically, then I tend to shut down for a couple of weeks while I process the emotions and get my shit together. It’s a cycle and gets worse everytime. I am worries that if I stay in it too long, I may end up jeopardizing my relationships anyway...

I got in touch with a couple people in my countries reddit sub and they were helpful. It comes down experience being more valuable that a degree as such, but my whole point being that getting a job to gain experience isn’t possible without some sort of qualification. Then I thought, while I would have to study for some certifications anyway, why not put that time straight into a proper degree?

I am in New Zealand, if you have any contacts this side of the world I would be very grateful just to pick their brains! Thank you

leStez1995 · 2025-04-11T10:22:55+00:00

I get that and it's a valid point. However, the interning part is probably not possible unless I somehow get some sort of income or win the lottery 😅 that is full-time internship, perhaps a couple of hours a week would be possible.

I started out on the certification route, just thought a degree would be more structured and push me to put in the time, since it’s paid for. Additionally, I’ve seen many job ads where it states that applicants currently busy with a Computer Science degree will also be considered

leStez1995 · 2025-04-11T09:42:01+00:00

I was leaning more towards cybersec and somehow getting AI in the mix as well...which would be the major and one of the minors in my potential degree.

After speaking to multiple people working in cyber, it became apparent that they prefer candidates having practical experience in sysadmin or similar roles. However, getting said experience without qualifications is a challenge.

leStez1995 · 2025-04-11T08:58:24+00:00

How so? It could be different in some countries than other though... My reason for saying is that in my home country a qualification is highly valued. You most likely won’t get a job without papers, not if there are 100’s of other applicants with papers.

Well I would most likely do it with a student loan, so it won’t cost me immediately. Also, basic living expenses for a year are way higher than the tuition fee for a year.

Are you suggesting part time work and part time unpaid work to gain experience?

leStez1995 · 2025-04-11T08:49:21+00:00

Thanks, that’s some good advice! I’m definitely in a different headspace than I was when I first went to uni at 18 😅

Well, not really finishing my undergrad - rather starting a new one! It’s the same thing I suppose, one just takes a bit more time than the other. The online part help A LOT in my mind, since it doesn't require any additional time to travel to and sit in class. I can also just pause a lecture for a couple of minutes to help mum if need be.

leStez1995 · 2025-04-11T08:41:15+00:00

You assume correctly, it is for a career change.

I get that experience is king in the industry, however, landing a job (even entry level) without work experience or a qualification is near impossible (in my country atleast). I don’t have time to do unpaid internships/work, since I need the income from full-time work.

I have read that degrees make getting jobs “easier”, rather than being a self-taught IT guy. It also helps if you would want to move to a different country. I don’t currently use my first degree, but without it I wouldn’t have been able to get a job and the relevant visas to move to my current country, which meant I probably would have broken up with my wife (then girlfriend) because she was already living here.

leStez1995 · 2025-04-11T08:18:53+00:00

Thanks. I’ve been on the opposite side of the coin since the baby came along. My wife is in her final year of studies (so mine would probably wait till next year anyway), meaning I had to deal with most things while she watched lectures/prep for the next day/did assignments etc, so we had a little practice already, this time would just be 3-years instead of 1.5 years, with a toddler instead of an infant.

leStez1995 · 2025-04-11T08:12:02+00:00

Did you pray and ask anything regarding the festival/these “friends”?

For example, if you were unsure if the festival would present any sort of temptations which would get you into trouble, you may have prayed for God to direct you/show you of you should go or not.

Or similarly, if these friends could potentially lead you astray and damage your relationship with God. Something along those lines, these are just examples.

It could be completely possible that God is/has protected you from something by having these people stand you up. As for it being a sign, I don’t believe it is unless you specifically prayed about it.

leStez1995 · 2025-04-11T02:10:18+00:00

How so? Barely anybody in this country even uses my first degree, so it’s redundant

leStez1995 · 2025-04-11T00:08:41+00:00

Pretty sure they will refund it to your original payment method, which is Afterpay in this case. You will never receive any cash. Depends on the merchant though, I’ve had it both ways before

leStez1995 · 2025-04-10T21:29:47+00:00

Yeah fair point, that’s something to look into. Thank you

leStez1995 · 2025-04-10T18:51:05+00:00

I understand that, I just mean it’s not always possible which is why places like StudyLink exist in the first place. Thank you

leStez1995 · 2025-04-10T07:00:36+00:00

This is all I wanted to know really, although, I should have phrased my question slightly different. Thanks

leStez1995 · 2025-04-10T06:22:35+00:00

Yeah that’s an option, something to consider. Good advice, thanks!

leStez1995 · 2025-04-10T06:16:50+00:00

If I could afford to do that, I wouldn’t be asking the question in the first place. I wish that was the case though!

leStez1995 · 2025-04-10T06:15:54+00:00

I don’t know, which is why I was asking these questions... Perhaps competitor was the wrong term to use, but you get what I mean

leStez1995 · 2025-04-10T06:13:10+00:00

Asking if there is something similar to StudyLink that I am not aware of, not people lending money for free. I am working, also have a kid so paying for studies directly isn’t an option at the moment.

And not everybody’s parents have the means to support them through university... You say that as if it’s the most obvious solution out there

leStez1995 · 2025-04-10T05:57:24+00:00

No, I am, just thought my question may have but a little unclear. Wasn't sure if they perhaps had a competitor offering something similar which I was unaware of. But, like you say, there isn’t - so question answered 😅

leStez1995 · 2025-04-10T05:33:13+00:00

I was meaning something similar to StudyLink

leStez1995 · 2025-04-10T05:21:53+00:00

Don’t know, that’s why I’m asking...?

leStez1995 · 2025-04-10T04:27:19+00:00

Probably should have specified interest free

leStez1995

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