[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
Also, if you can finish the first degree the post 9/11 GI bill can be used for an advanced degree. I was able to finish my undergraduate degree and get 3 graduate classes paid for before my benefit ran out. [/quote]
I am glad to see another member take a similar path in order to graduate with an undergrad, and even a graduate. Thank you usmccds423, this post at the very least gives me confidence that it can be done.
Happened to see this and thought I’d throw it out there.
[quote]debraD wrote:
It’s probably going to depend on the person but I don’t really agree with that article. Like anything, the more you learn, the more you realize how little you know. But every day I’ve been learning I’ve been loving the worlds opening up and conquering the challenges. I guess some might have convinced themselves they are so bright that everything comes instantaneously and then despair when conquering problems that require analysis and patience. Maybe if you’re going into systems, development and engineering work you should be the type of person who loves problems to solve. New languages, if you understand how machines and systems work, are not a huge deal. Knowing how systems work and knowing how to attack a problem will go a long way and there doesn’t need to be any despair.
I have noticed two types in my career and it really comes down to people who love problems and seek them and those who hate them and just want them to go away. In development there are always problems so if you can love them then you might be happy.
Also, I think there’s a tendency for programmers to over complicate their work and present it all as much more difficult than it is. Learning languages and technologies won’t be the biggest challenge. Working on a production system that is completely custom and proprietary and undocumented and ungoogleable will be where the despair might come in. The languages and the technology is usually pretty sensible and rational and can be understood.
But I never went into comp Sci for the money, It was because I love math and technology and problems. If I had gone into it for the money I think I’d have been in for a lot of frustration. I make great money today, but I had to work along senior dudes making double my pay doing the same work but sucking before I leapt past them. Some lower paying jobs I did in the past were also super cool and gave me skills that my peers didn’t have. I remember a crappy paying job I had once where I got to create drivers for custom controller boards and a UI with real time hardware (my newbie mind was blown as the little box with red faux LED font on my UI registered ticks from an encoder I was turning with my hand omfg that was like a first orgasm) and in the same place work with lasers (frickin laser beams!) and work with some amazing mathematicians who were doing some amazing state of the art stuff. There was no money for me there but amazing experience. [/quote]
That is some post! I’m one of the people who love problems; it’s like the story of bringing a new invention to Larry Page for a plugged in teleportation device; and his first sentence was “why is it plugged in”. That is the difference between a great engineer (whether SDE or Chem Eng) and an ok engineer. Everything starts with “why”.
Udacity.com has some really good courses too OP to see if that is what you want to do Comp Sci wise. The data analyst nano-degree is very good so says a workmate of mine. He is moving from Operations to data analyst when he gets it. So perhaps save yourself the money and go that route; they have 3 nano-degrees now, that tech companies love.