IT/Software career thread: Invert binary trees for dollars.

Turn your debugger back on to slow the routine. This consultation will cost you $500k.

Also, don't be afraid to job hop every couple years. More than likely that is going to give you the biggest jump in pay and there are not very many shitty jobs in the software engineering space these days because good devs are such a commodity. If you are treated like shit, leave. It's incredibly easy to find another job...especially if you have any social skills to speak of. One other thing is to jump to consulting as soon as you can to get exposed to a lot of different technologies, companies, and more variations in the types of projects you will do.

<- Graduated 10 years ago with a Math/Comp Sci Degree. Compensation started in the 40s. Now its in the 100s/200s.

Cad_sl said:

Yes making 3X as much is clearly a handicap.

Being qualified to do IP law is ez mode

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3x as much as who Cad? I mean yes, lawyers can be very well paid, but so can software developers.

Oldish stats but just for reference:

Lawyer Salary Information | Best Jobs | US News Careers

Software Developer Salary Information | Best Jobs | US News Careers

Ok so I am also majoring in CS and I have friends who are self taught and basically tell me I'm wasting my money getting a 4 year CS degree from a university.

So I guess I am curious if they're right? What about these community colleges and their associates degrees in computer science?

Is it a matter of getting paid more with a 4 year degree?

TragedyAnn_sl said:

Ok so I am also majoring in CS and I have friends who are self taught and basically tell me I'm wasting my money getting a 4 year CS degree from a university.

So I guess I am curious if they're right? What about these community colleges and their associates degrees in computer science?

Is it a matter of getting paid more with a 4 year degree?

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We had a lengthy discussion about this "Programming Bootcamps" thread. Everyone pretty much agrees you do not need a degree in the development field. Some people feel it's worthwhile to help break into the field and set yourself apart.

I am a software architect and hiring manager with 10 years experience in the field and I absolutely never look at the schooling section of a resume, it's completely irrelevant to me. But there certainly are some companies out there that require at least a BS in a development related study. In my personal opinion only large corporations who's hiring practices are dictated by the HR department instead of the software development department require a degree and those are companies I typically wouldn't want to work for.

In my opinion yes, you are wasting your time and money. You'd learn more, learn faster, and be able to specialize in something you truly enjoy if you taught yourself instead.

TragedyAnn_sl said:

Ok so I am also majoring in CS and I have friends who are self taught and basically tell me I'm wasting my money getting a 4 year CS degree from a university.

So I guess I am curious if they're right? What about these community colleges and their associates degrees in computer science?

Is it a matter of getting paid more with a 4 year degree?

Click to expand...

Are these people gainfully employed on solid career trajectories? It is possible, or should I say itwaspossible, to get a good job with no degree and just some basement code tinkering. I believe that day is mostly passed unless you're willing to gamble on working for a start up for peanuts. You still need to get your foot in the door at HR to even get your resume on someone's desk. You can't just say "I have experience. Trust me." with a few novelty apps and expect it to carry the same weight as a 4 year degree from a university. Sure once you're already in the field, have a job or three and worked on real world projects that have shipped it doesn't matter. Until you have those bullet points it means the world.

Tenks_sl said:

Are these people gainfully employed on solid career trajectories? It is possible, or should I say itwaspossible, to get a good job with no degree and just some basement code tinkering. I believe that day is mostly passed unless you're willing to gamble on working for a start up for peanuts. You still need to get your foot in the door at HR to even get your resume on someone's desk. You can't just say "I have experience. Trust me." with a few novelty apps and expect it to carry the same weight as a 4 year degree from a university. Sure once you're already in the field, have a job or three and worked on real world projects that have shipped it doesn't matter. Until you have those bullet points it means the world.

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I can assure you, plenty of non start up companies hire self taught developers every day of the week. My younger brother just got his first job in the field after teaching himself C#. He is making almost 80k/year.

It's fair to say a degree can help get your foot in the door but you can do side work and consulting gigs to get those projects on your resume. It's a lot easier than one may think to get real world experience while teaching yourself.

Hm ok, interesting. Thanks all.

One more question: if I were to start on the path of self-teaching, what exactly would I need to learn?
When I see jobs posted for "software programmer/analyst" what should the applicant have knowledge of? Does it depend?

I'm just frustrated with all the classes right now. I doubt I'll give up on the degree, but I WAS curious what the general consensus was regarding CS degrees.
so thanks for the info.

EDIT: NVM. found the bootcamps thread. thanks lol

I just saw this today and thought it was relevant.



Last month for me it was was Google and Amazon. The Amazon one was for a senior position and offered to fly me out to Seattle or Vegas to interview with them. The Google one specifically found me through my alma mater and had an interest in my current work. I went into it more in the bootcamp thread but a lot of large companies even limit to CS degrees from specific colleges. Before I listed off tech companies but even Walmart mentions a similar philosophy. A job similar to one I was being recruited for by Walmart a while agoSilicon Valley ECommerce Software Engineering jobs - Walmart Labs Senior Software Engineer Generalist at Walmart
lists 'BA/BS from a top school in Computer Science or a related technical discipline'

You can get a feel for the attitude some people out there have for self taught vs degrees atCoding Bootcamps Already 1/8th the Size of CS Undergraduates - Slashdot

As far as the lawyer comparison I'd say software development offers the opportunity to make it big at an entry level. Do new JDs have much of a chance at make partner/millions just a year or two out of school? My last job was at a startup and we received options at ~$1.50 . A major company bought us out and we could buy shares worth $100+ for ~$1.50 each. I know several people that made their first million and aren't even 30 yet... This isn't the norm and our team was mainly top graduates from a specific university.

As diverse as the jobs are that are out there for software development, so are the expectations those jobs have on peoples background .