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Ask HN: 36 years old, should I get a CS degree?

2 points by potta_coffee ↗ HN
I'm 36, I've been working in tech for 6 years now and I'm doing ok for myself. I'm genuinely passionate about computer science and I'm thinking about getting a degree. The main reason I want to do this is for the knowledge - I'm having a hard time picking up everything I want on my own (data structures / algorithms / compilers / etc). I've learned about these things, but not to the level of completion I'd like. Also, I'm wondering if it will help my career at this stage. I'm "senior" level at my company and I'm the most competent developer on my team. Any thoughts? Finally, I wouldn't mind recommendations for any good online CS programs that are credible / worth checking out.

4 comments

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rodiger
If you're already established I'd say it's probably not worth it. Learn the things you want to learn through MOOC's. The real value in a degree is in getting the first job (not including connections you might get through higher-end universities)- if you've already reached that point it likely isn't worth the investment.
raphinou
I went back to university (I'm in Europe, where tuition is affordable) at age 35, after working for 12 years in IT in several roles. I did it because I felt I missed the theoretical foundations to progress further than what I had learned by myself. The advantage of getting a degree is that you have a more or less coherent program to follow, with potentially things you wouldn't care to learn by yourself. I had courses on, amongst others, Operating Systems, Machine learning, networking foundations, logic, software engineering, programming paradigms, algorithms and computational complexity and more. I wouldn't have learnt all this by myself.

I did it out of personal interest, I enjoyed it, and it was totally worth it, even though it was exhausting combining it with my (downsized) freelance activities. After that I went bask to my professional activities thinking it didn't have impact on my career after all. But one year later I got a proposal to do some research at the university with a professor of which I had followed a course. And now, I'm working at a spin-off of that university. In dramatically change my career path, even though it wasn't the goal.

Personally, it was the thing to do and I have no regret. But that depends of course on your situation, motivation, interest, opportunities, expectations. I hope you make the right choice!