Have to chime in. I never completed my CS degree because it got too expensive, and I have natural aptitude for computers. I ended up having to work to survive before I could even get the degree. Literally if I hadn’t taken loans at the time I would have been on the streets. I’m sure it’s harder now than when I did it in 2006.
The degree may have kept me from better jobs, but I kept applying out of my league because I have EXPERIENCE and KNOWLEDGE which you can’t fake. Someone eventually gave me a chance. Now I work there full time with benefits and I still never finished my degree. It was years of struggling. I even re-trained in medicine at the time and still had trouble getting PAID.
So my original like 40ishK is now 60K, and no degree. Cool! Right? That was only for 2-3 years of school. If it had actually been affordable instead of a pig slaughter for cash, I would have got the degree.
Hindsight, it was good experience learning in college. Not worth the cost though. Especially if you can’t finish. The majority of the money went to tuition, required multi-$100 books, gym fees (forced to every student), parking fee which didn’t guarantee parking availability, and many many other nickel-dime expenses they strong arm students over (fees). I didn’t have time to work as a full time student so whatever was left, went to rent. Food. Electric.
It’s very hard to do this without support from family, and inflation and everything else is worse today. So yeah.
Learn from my experiences if you can. Maybe it can all be worth it for me, if someone does just that. Bless you all and your journeys.
deranger@sh.itjust.works 6 days ago
You didn’t learn anything at school?
I went to an engineering school, switched majors to biochemistry, and I work an IT job now. My education was invaluable despite being overwhelmingly inapplicable to my current field of work. I learned so much and was exposed to so many people of a similar mindset. Easily one of the most important things I’ve done in life, just from a life experience standpoint.
What advantage do you expect it to give you aside from what you learned and showing you can complete a bachelor’s program?
scarabic@lemmy.world 5 days ago
Yes, let’s not confuse having a degree with getting an education.