Hi guys! I haven’t been around the forum for quite a while, and I also took a bit of a break from the FCC curriculum in order to work a bit on some other resources on @P1xt’s amazing guide.
So today I’ve got a question for you: do you think it’s worth doing a Computer Science degree while also doing FCC and going through the material in @P1xt’s guide concurrently? Or do you think it’s better to skip or postpone the degree until you’ve found a job? I’m considering applying for a CS degree soon, but I’m afraid it will not leave me any time for studying the stuff I’m working through currently.
This is extremely controversial but I personally think a boot camp is a much better use of your time and money than a CS degree. I’m currently enrolled in a 4 year program and while I do find it valuable, there are many inefficiencies as well. Feel free to ask followup questions but if you have the money for it I would definitely consider a bootcamp
@twmilli I don’t believe bootcamps are even a thing in my country, especially when it comes to web development. Even if they were, there’s no way I can afford to quit my job and/or move for the bootcamp, so it wouldn’t have been an option to begin with. I considered a degree at what’s called the Open University, at which you strudy remotely and you don’t need to physically be in class, which works well for me because I currently can’t afford to move. Wouldn’t a degree qualify you more than a bootcamp though? Should I just stick to FCC and the other resources I’ve been using and postpone the degree for now?
I would also like to add that computer science is something I like, and bootcamps don’t exactly teach you computer science.
First a disclaimer: I do not work as a programmer.
I went to California State University in the USA and graduated with honors. I attended full time while working full time (college + rent != heaven) and it was very difficult. I remember writing papers and studying until the early morning all of the time.
You can definitely do both, but there will be sacrifices to do both well. I was a hermit in those days and I lost friendships to make it work. I studied Business Economics. Looking back, only 25% of my time at University had anything to do with my degree and I found that to be disappointing and frustrating. Much of the time I was required to take courses that had nothing to do with my degree. General Education requirements they were called.
As far as doing FCC and p1xt’s guide at the same time, I think that is a great idea. I am toying with the idea of working through the guide and writing a blog while doing so. Perhaps a blog showing my learning path could be a nice bullet point on a resume, and also counter any negatives from not having a CS degree.
My last thoughts are this:
If it were me, in my location, I would commit completely to FCC and something like p1xt’s guide, learning as much as a I can as quickly as I can. I would then start the job hunting. Then, if I tried everything, and I could not find work BECAUSE every job required a degree, I would then consider the degree. Taking this route would take about a year, cost nothing, and has no guarantee of employment. However, going to University here takes 4 years, costs a fortune, and has no guarantee of employment.
I better stop writing. This is getting a little long.
@TylerDevers I’m also considering trying the FCC with P1xt’s guide option fully then trying to find a job, and if it doesn’t work to apply for a degree. The thing though is that at the moment I’m 25, so I wouldn’t really want to postpone the degree for too long. The university I’m going to apply to allows you to take from 1 to 4 courses per semester, so I considered starting with 1 course for now the very next semester in order not to waste time. I could take 1 or 2 courses max per semester for now so I would still have time to study my own stuff until I at least approach the end of the guide and FCC, then I can take more courses after that. That’s why I’ve estimated it would take me at least 5 years, as I won’t be able to take that many courses per semester, especially considering the fact that I’ll also be working and doing FCC and other material from the guide. Additionally, while it does cost a fortune, most employers seem to want a degree, so I think it might open many doors. That and the fact that I want to understand computer science and do my job well, since bootcamps and other online resources simply don’t teach you this stuff, or at least not as a good as a university degree would.
Wow … I’m working on creating a blog via GitHub Pages too; specifically to document both my FCC as well as a merge of two or three of the Guides by P1xt. I also plan to go through both the w3School’s as well as the MDN’s training materials as well. I’ve finally gotten Jekyll installed on my local vm, and am learning how to use it before I try to create my GitHub Page.
I’m a software engineering student, I definitely find doing both at the same time extremely useful, for me it’s a balance, in college, we learn a lot of theory, math and eventually we do some projects, but FCC gives me a lot of project ideas to work on, I’m the happiest man while working on a random quote machine or local weather or pinterest clone.
So far, the degree gives me the theory, FCC the experience.
@AmirF27 , I think you’re in Israel, right? If so, here’s a bootcamp that might be useful to you. Also, while it might not be relevant to you, here’s a bootcamp-style program that I personally am currently in. There might well be others out there–look around. Also, a cheaper way to do a degree might be to apply to this American college and aggressively use their test out and portfolio assessment options. Depending on how many credits you already have, you should be able to get a degree for somewhere in the area of $5,000. I’ve got more info about this, if you’re interested.
@Oxyrus It’s good to hear some advice from someone who’s doing exactly what I’m planning to do. So you do find time for both then?
@TylerDevers Yeah that’s what I’m thinking too. I’ll go ahead and apply for one course the next semester then (that’s only in June though, so I still have time to put as much time as I can in FCC and the guide). If it goes well, I’ll apply to 2 the semester after, and then I’m considering bumping it up to 3 or possibly 4 courses per semester. While I know it’s going to be difficult and require a lot of time and effort, I’m excited because I love computer science and math, and add in my love for web development, and I think the degree and FCC with other material would be a good combination.
@Jatudrei Yeah I’m in Israel. How did you know? I do know about HackerU to be honest (though had no idea it’s considered a bootcamp), but it’s going to require a lot of travelling and honestly the idea of substituting formal education with a bootcamp doesn’t sound optimal to me. I’m doing FCC with other resources mainly for the experience and to learn specifically web development, not as a substitute to formal education. I would like more info on the subject, certainly, especially the college you’ve linked to.
@AmirF27, I replied in more detail by private message–have a look over there.
By the way, I’m going through that program that I mentioned above, plus working my way through one of P1xt’s curricula. I hope to use what I learn in these ways to earn a compsci degree, probably through the same college I linked to in my above comment.
@Oxyrus Oh… I’ll personally be working 7-8 hours a day 4-5 days a week. How easily do you find time for both? Do you think I’d be able to do both while working 7-8 hours a day?
@Oxyrus It kinda sucks to be honest. I mean the job is just something I have to do, no options there. But I don’t wish to get to a point where I have to choose between education and experience. Maybe taking fewer courses would allow me to do both, that’s what I’ve been thinking about. What do you think?
Like other answers on here, I think the best option is to go through FCC and @P1xt’s guide(s). Utilize all the free resources you can and then look for other ways to learn that are cheaper than college. There are plenty. You can certainly get a job as a programmer in today’s market without a degree, although it is harder than with a degree. Unless you really want the whole computer science experience (with math and theory and all), it probably isn’t worth it to spend a lot of money going to university for 4+ years.
This is getting a little long.
Maybe taking fewer courses would allow me to do both, that’s what I’ve been thinking about. What do you think?