Re: College degrees, knowledge gained and reputations enhanced

[Anonymous Monk]

I never finished my degree. I'd have about one full-time semester and one half-time semester to go if I chose to complete it. I was majoring in CSCI. My overall GPA was over 3.8 (on a 4.0 scale) and my major GPA was 4.0. I've completed enough major credits for a degree; I only have Gen Ed stuff left.

I got that far in two and a half years. I could have finished my degree in three years had I not taken a 6 month full-time cooperative education position in another state. The position paid very well in comparison to anything I had made prior to that. This had a downside. It ruined my enthusiasm for academic work. I had learned that people would pay me.

When I returned, I went back to school for a semester but I was more interested in working. The co-op I had taken was at a place that looks very good on a résumé, maybe even better than a degree.

I soon took a full-time job with a company that, at that time was relatively unheard of but now is a name you would all recognize. I hated it and quit. Then I free-lanced for a while. Then I took another full-time job. Then I left that one for a position with another well-known company in the industry. Then I was laid-off. Then I got another job.

The point being that I've never had difficulty finding employment, even at top companies, regardless of the fact that I don't have a degree. Still, degree or not, I wouldn't have had the opportunities I've had if it weren't for going to college in the first place. Not only is that where I got my "big break" (so to speak) but it also gave me a great foundation.

The CSCI program at the school I attended was very much based in theory. I think that is the way it should be. Practical applications, in this industry, change almost day to day. But the theory stays the same.

Some institutions, however, offer degrees in computer science that are little more than certifications of competence in using Microsoft's Visual Studio. They aren't worth the paper they are printed on, much less their high price tags.

Overall, college degrees aren't as meaningful today as they were even 20 or 30 years ago. At least, that's my gut feeling. I think that college was once a real professional training ground. These days though, it's more like a second high school. With so many high school graduates that can't write a coherent paragraph, that's not saying much.

If you pay the money, you can get the degree without the education. If you want the education, you need to work for it. Now, when I find myself on the hiring side of the employment process, I know I put very little stock in the fact that someone has a degree. I want evidence that they got an education.