Ask HN: Attend a post-baccalaureate CS program or double down on self-study?

turtleyacht · on April 12, 2023

I think online, if you're already learning from online sources (autodidact), an undergrad experience is not going to benefit most applications of a CS degree.

One primary reason is, bereft of an intensely close relationship with the professor(s), they have zero reason to tailor the curriculum to your interests. You're a paying customer.

That said, aim for the Masters along with the undergrad. I feel there is a larger "perception gap" between a Masters candidate and a non-Masters, versus unskilled-but-talented against a CS degree +/- certs. You would be separating yourself into a more favorable pool by having the Masters.

I'll be honest: CS undergrad left in me a hunger that I didn't know I had, and a bit of regret at not diving deep into math. All the really amazing stuff that is CS-related comes after the academics: compilers, concurrency, operating systems, data structures & algorithms, constraints, theorem-proving, graphics, AI, etc.

So as long as you know CS will just get you to learning how to speak English, but now there's the real work of what to read, what to study, and what to "write" (code).

Best of luck :) I envy you are willing to give yourself a second chance!

(With family to consider, I would have also thought of just investing the money too.)

mattcdrake · on April 12, 2023

Hey, I worked through this same question for myself when deciding how to move from data analyst -> software engineer (all the way down to the same OSU program!) and decided that the tradeoffs were worth it. I had enough CS credits from my first degree that I was able to finish the program in one year, so that made the decision easier.

What you get from the program will depend on what you put in. The program itself is solid, but you'll definitely need to work on your own to become hireable - mainly leetcoding, real world projects, etc. I would highly suggest taking the more rigorous classes. There's an active slack that helped me to make friends, debug code, and workshop ideas.

All in all, it was worth it for me. It helped me get a job at Intel after graduation, so I guess it was a success.

I wrote a bit about my decision to do another degree on my blog, in case you're interested: https://mdrake.sh/blog/whats_next/

I'm also down to answer any questions about my experience in the program :)

meltyness · on April 12, 2023

I would say that a B.S. is most useful when you don't want it -- the curriculum is like an "averted vision" phenomena where it is most valuable when you're not focused on its application -- especially for example that it is a pre-requisite for many positions.

Check with your school's career center and seek an internship. Success at an internship and maintaining a quality career track is one way a B.S. is extremely valuable.

The other way a B.S. is valuable is networking and making groundbreaking moves -- startups with talented peers or research with guidance from talented professors -- while you're pursuing the degree.

Think of the degree at the end as a hedge for your access to any of those tracks and you'll be better served.

austin-cheney · on April 13, 2023

If you have a CS degree and virtually no personal experience writing software you have two things: no talent and high employability (at last as of last year).

That being said know what you want. If you want to be a better software developer the answer is self study. Go build things nobody else can. If you want to do research or open more interesting career opportunities then continue to increase your education.