Hey guys, I just wanted to know if any of you have an associate’s degree in computer science. I’m 18 and about to graduate from high school and I’m going to community college for computer science. My plan was to transfer after two years, but in these times each day, four-year universities seem like more of a scam that you will never pay off. I’m going to community college and staying home and I thought I should get some formal education while studying the subject on my own. I just wanted to know if anyone of you guys or girls have experience with this path and are doing well?
Thanks.
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Four year degrees make it easier to get jobs. The more education and credentials you have, the more willing people will be to hire you.
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I don’t have an associate’s degree. I do have a 4-year degree that I paid off within 3 months of graduation, so I would argue that it isn’t necessarily “a scam that you will never pay off”.
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Loans are financial tools that require some learning before you take them on. Unfortunately most people don’t do this before taking out $100,000 loan. They don’t understand how compound interest works.
Take the time to do some research and make a plan to pay off these loans. Understand how they work and what’s realistic for you when you graduate (if you decide to go for a 4-year degree, for example).
Also, it’s never too late to apply for scholarships. Give it a shot, especially if you’re already studying on your own.
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I never graduated college, but I wouldn’t be the programmer I am without the foundational CS education I got in those two years I did. However, this was before the web itself, let alone so much free material being on it. Now, I’m firmly of the opinion that all of CS and programming can be self-studied, but it does take self-discipline and knowing when and how to reach out for mentorship when you need it. Without such self-discipline, structured education may be a better bet.
All that said, it’s hard to beat the CS curricula you get in a world-class school like CMU or Glasgow or MIT, but you’re talking world-class 
and not exactly easy to get into…
Is college a scam? There’s certainly a financial industry bent on making it so, but it still provides value especially to STEM fields, and most of these fields simply cannot be self-studied anyway – CS is just an exception. Is it a waste of money? The traditional 4-year system probably is.
If you want a solid education foundation, it’s hard to beat college. If you want to invest your money into a career that pays off, you’ll get more bang for your buck by chasing certifications instead.
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