#Should I pursue a bachelor's degree?

21 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

atomic loom
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Unless you have a really good reason not to, yes a degree is by far an away the best path

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In terms of being a software engineer

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Best being , generally easiest to get a Job afterwards and a wider range of prospects @noble plinth

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I mean most US bachelors require some general education

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If you can list an alternative then i can comment on it

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Most US bachelors require genera education

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I don’t know of any that don’t

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From a normal school at least

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But again, stating the obvious here but if you are in the US and don’t have a really good reason to avoid school, your best path is probably school

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I mean I hope you realize that there will be classes that are hard to pass

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That’s just life

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You can think it’s pointless all you want, but a part of getting a degree (and life in general) is doing somethings you don’t wanna do or aren’t good at to reach your goal

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Again though I’m really stating the obvious

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Like , a 750 word essay won’t kill you

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Life goes on

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If you are letting that be the barrier for you, then I’d suggest a different path all together

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I mean idk how old you are but seriously school is just about learning how to succeed in the individual course, if you struggle with English then ask the teacher for help, learn what you need to do to succeed

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Or just give up at the sight of a 750 word essay 🤷‍♂️

gusty robin
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I don't think you should pursue a bachelor's degree until your mindset shifts from "I don't want to do this pointless work" to "I am ready and excited to learn everything that college has to offer". Otherwise you will be wasting a large amount of time and money.

In the meantime, if all you want is to land in a SWE role, there are alternative ways you can prove your proficiency. An impressive portfolio, LC grinding, working on interview skills, etc. However, you will always be at a disadvantage when compared with the person that has the degree. Not necessarily because you don't have it on your resume, but also because the person with the degree is just more likely to be a more well-rounded learner than you.

narrow oyster
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If you're stuck in a mindset of "English is a pointless class that never will provide any value and is impossible for me", then you are going to have problems in the workforce. Not only because the skills developed in literature classes are used (writing up a doc that presents a viewpoint is the main way you perform technical direction), but because there are a bunch of skills needed other than the obvious programming ones, and people who don't recognize that run into a lot of roadblocks.

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Aside from any actual education in the subject matter, "they've proven they can deal with hard work even when they don't enjoy all of it" is one of the major reasons employers look for college degrees