Is achieving a SE career really possible without a degree?
5
I keep blowing past my own estimates, and I'm trying to figure out if there's a way to get more accurate. Every time I think I've scoped something out, the actual work takes way longer than I planned. What's helped you close the gap between what you think something will take and how long it really ends up being?
I'm job searching again due to being laid off after a long tenure. I have 8 YOE and a modern stack, but I never finished my degree. Recruiters are reaching out, but my cold applications get zero traction. I'm seeing that CS degrees are required everywhere now. Is finishing my degree a smart move to help me get past these automated filters, or is it a waste of time at my level?
Absolutely. Assuming you're self taught. Bootcamps are scams. The big difference is that a degree will give you a SOLID foundation for the basics. You can always do that yourself and teach yourself. But you need good guidance and need to dedicate the time to learn the basics yourself. If you don't know where to start then you're out of luck. I personally have never seen a self taught employee that matches up to a graduate. Obviously there will be people that will be like "that's not true I knew this one guy and he...". Sure, there will always be exceptions. But on average, those with degrees are usually leaps and bounds ahead of anyone self taught. But it can be done
I wouldn’t necessarily say bootcamps are a scam. Going through one it definitely taught me valuable skills that set me aside from others since I have hands on experience with the latest technology. Not to mention I skipped learning meaningless material. I was taught solid understandings of web development, backend components, & software development. Maybe I got lucky with the bootcamp that I went through but it saved me months of confusion & meaningless studies.
After your second job you won't get it looked at again. I actually have left my education off my last 3 jobs I've gotten and Noone asked. The problem is the first job... I took my first coding job for 15 an hour and was doing 90 hour weeks but it got me my second job. And from then on education wasn't mentioned again.
of course, but you're competing with others who do have a degree and having a degree may sometimes stand out more.
Yep, just finished my first year as an SE, started with no degree, or bootcamp. Self study and possibly try to go through a paid apprenticeship
Hello I have been learning front end web development technologies by myself. I allost spent 10 months learning html, css, js, jquery, react js, bootstrap. I created my portfolio website and now actively looking for job from last 3-4 months but i couldn’t even getting single interview. Any tips that you would suggest. Please and thank you
Yes. Strong hobby/recreational tech use/self taught, and good portfolio examples helps. I had some coursework but no computer science degree, did a boot camp for refresher and online courses. I was hired from the boot camp to an application developer role, then changed jobs to SE I, and later promoted to SE II.
Yes. You're looking at someone at the Staff level after about 8 yoe with no Bachelors degree. However, I definitely did complete quite a bit of my undergrad, just with a major in PoliSci. Long story short, I never finished, but did land student jobs, internships, contract gigs, and eventually FTE based on merits/performance. Once you reach a certain level of experience, nobody cares about your degree anymore (except places like MS). Focus on getting professional experience, even if comp is low.
Yes. Just study a lot, learn every single day and put your skills to good use. I know a lot of successful people in SE that don't have a degree
I have a non-tech degree and transitioned to tech through a bootcamp. I was self taught and doing full time contract work at a place I’d been able to get a personal referral, but I had to have the boot camp’s apprenticeship program to get anyone else to even consider me. I converted from apprentice to FT and have been there 4+ years. After a few promotions I am still somehow making less than brand new hires with CS degrees. So it’s possible, but you will absolutely be discriminated against.
please brainstorm me
You can try putting your brain in a washing machine..😂
Right so, I began my SWE career about 12 years ago after I sold my company. I went to college for a couple years but dropped out because juggling everything was killing me. I was good with computers, even did some coding summer camps when I was really young so I had a pretty solid foundation and I made websites for fun not really knowing where it could/would lead. I landed my first “real” job in NYC when I was like 25 making $80k/yr with a startup. It put my on the path, and my last role 12 yea
Yes but it is more difficult than it was in the past in some ways (more competition, especially H1B) and much easier in others (it is much easier to get quality training online). I am self-taught and I now manage 4 mid-size teams of engineers, many of whom hold a CS degree. I've worked as an SSE at a few enterprise level companies (15yrs) and a technology consultant(4 yrs) for enterprise greenfield projects. Of my 6 lead devs, 4 are self taught. The point is, experience matters more than a degree, but to efficiently transition without a degree you really need to know what to study (understand the basics first and then be solid on the specific requirements for the role), and how to demonstrate that knowledge on your resume and in an interview environment. It can be done...getting that first role is the most difficult part.