Eh anyone can Google to get to the next step, and the next step, until their hodgepodge project is complete (eg, most of my projects), but not many would take the time to learn how to best optimize the code, keeping in mind the low level fundamentals of the operating system. Those courses actually do provide a nice minimal level of understanding of concepts to ensure the programmer understands what they are doing to a level that can build larger projects, and hopefully work well with others on a team.
Comment on How hopeless is getting a job with a CS degree?
brax@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
I don’t even get why CS degrees exist in the first place… It’s not like the text books, computers, or programming languages are walled off or difficult to get. I really wish companies would stop putting so much weight on papers and start focusing more on actual competency.
Kage520@lemmy.world 19 hours ago
witnessradiant650@lemmy.world 21 hours ago
Because a bachelors degree + computer software is experiences better than just computer software experience to employers.
Forester@pawb.social 20 hours ago
I’m currently feeling this with 7 plus years experience in the field as a cisadmin without a bachelor’s
brax@sh.itjust.works 20 hours ago
The whole thing just seems like a massive scam created by colleges/universities and endorsed by employers as a form of coping with the fact they wasted money on college/university and you should too 😂
witnessradiant650@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
There are ways to make it cheaper. Community college then transfer.
But then you miss out on the freshman and dorm experience.
Personally I enjoyed my experience but then I was on a scholarship.
AlteredEgo@lemmy.ml 19 hours ago
I once thought like you. But you learn algorithms, theory, math, and practice all this way outside what you normally do. It’s a much “broader” and less narrow education that you give yourself to complete some project you are working towards. You don’t know what you don’t know. So there is real value. Besides that it is also a test and a qualification, although that really depends on the university.
brax@sh.itjust.works 19 hours ago
I dunno, I went to college and the first thing they did was give me the book list… Felt like sitting down to a game of poker and buddy across the table just shows their whole hand 😂
Obviously in school you’d have the benefit of a teacher to assist you when you need help understanding things, but you could potentially also get that through message forums and the like.
Sure not everybody has the drive for self study, and I’m sure some topics get much more complex in university… But college at least felt like a total waste of my time and money. Just wish I knew at the time that employers would care so much about a piece of paper instead of making people prove their skills instead lol
AlteredEgo@lemmy.ml 18 hours ago
Well you’re also “made to practice” these cray things. Like e.g. attend a lecture, then homework is “write a compiler for X language”. Which at the time to me who was unfamiliar with things out of my field of interest seemed crazy.
Of course many coast by without learning much in group projects. But you ultimately learn for yourself, not for your employer. Speaking as someone from a country where higher education is free of course lol.
But ultimately even if you want to start your own IT business I’d still recommend studying IT. Plus marketing.