Re: College degrees, knowledge gained and reputations enhanced

[vacant]

Here is some experience from someone who has been through it without the degree. Maybe this will be useful to some of you.

Back in the day, I dropped out of college and joined the Navy for six years. The Navy told us all that three years of Nuclear Power training are equivalent to "a college degree", but they don't issue a diploma.

At that time, a person with good ability and a Navy Nuclear background could just about write his own ticket in Silicon Valley. I worked my way from "Test Engineer" to "Senior Design Engineer" in about three years, and thought I pretty well had it made. This was digital hardware design, back before I decided I was a programmer. But it only works up to a point, and I learned quite a few things about being a non-degreed guy working in high tech.

1. If you don't have the sheepskin, you have to prove yourself every time you change jobs. People (especially HR people) tend to assume that the degree confers the ability. If you don't have one, you are one of the "self-taught"; that is, never quite first rate. Don't expect HR to understand your accomplishments. They don't understand the words on your resume.

2. Going to college, unless you are really an outcast, makes you one of a large crowd with common college-life experiences. If you didn't go, and sometimes if you didn't go to the same school, you aren't ever going to be one of the gang.

3. Having ability vs. having a degree can often mean that the guy with ability works for, does the work for, and solves the problems for the guy with the degree.

4. There is a point beyond which you are unlikely to advance without a degree. This point is somewhere around mid-level engineer, with many exceptions, of course. To get past this point, you just about have to start your own company.

5. If you do start your own company, the degree business is of much less importance, unless you are a consultant working for large or exceptionally conceited employers.

6. Having studied all the subjects and worked all the problems you will get in college does indeed help establish a framework within which problem-solving of all kinds will be facilitated. The only alternative I know about is high-tech military experience. You can get all the knowledge you need from books, but you need the leg-up on the experience part you get from the schooling in order to compete. In addition, few people have the perseverence and interest (or nerdiness) to pursue the hard subjects without the constant prodding from the school

7. Having a degree doesn't guarantee you a thing, but it will make advancement easier. Lacking a degree will be a constant drag on your career.

You will note that all this happened to yours truly during much more optimistic times in Silicon Valley, during another venture-capital boom, but before the industry "matured" and succumbed to the east-coast bean counter mentality. It is a damned site harder today, but it won't stay that way forever. The economy moves in cycles. Right now there are too many erstwile high-tech people and too little investment capital. Many of those now working in programming will have to change careers. If it's you, don't worry too much. After the trauma is over, your ability will see you through. In any event, if you possibly can, get the degree.

P.S. If you join the military, get the degree first, and join as an officer.