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Ask Slashdot: Best Alternative To the Canonical Computer Science Degree?
connorblack writes "I want to be a web developer, and everyday I ask myself the same question: why am I wasting my time getting a computer science degree? I feel like I'm trapped- most of the courses I spend all my time on are far removed from the skills I need to succeed as a web developer. But on the other hand, I can't imagine another degree that would allow me to stay in a programming mindset. The fact is that web development has taken huge bounds in the last few years, and sadly most universities haven't caught up. Computer science is a field that overlaps with web development, but getting a computer science degree to become a web developer is like getting a zoology degree to become a veterinarian. Close, but no cigar. So here's the deal: I'm in my second year of a computer science degree, and the thought of wasting two more years, getting left in the dust, and becoming irrelevant has me horrified. I want to start my web development career now. Or at least as soon as possible. I can drop out and devote 6 months to teaching myself, but I want something more structured. Something that has the benefits of a classroom and an authority figure, but which teaches me exactly what I need to know to do what I want to do. Any suggestions?"
I can't agree with this any more. I had some similar thoughts when I was getting my CS degree, but I now consider the things I learned in college invaluable. Most online tutorials don't teach you about reliability and efficiency and it's good to have the theory you learned in college to back up the programming you'll do as a web developer.
It's getting a stupid meme, but again: this.
I got a job as a web developer (though the job title is actually Senior Software Engineer). I did a Bachelor's in Computer Science and a Master's in Software Engineering, and it sure paid off. Of course going to college didn't teach me how to do PHP or HTML or CSS, but it did teach me about time complexity, algorithms, data structures, and all the stuff needed to solve scalability problems. It taught me database design, which you better firmly grasp before even thinking about using a NoSQL solution. It taught me about testability, software processes and design patterns, all stuff which any developer should know, web or not.
I remember when I was young and just about to start going to college. I was a self-taught programmer, was working as a programmer part-time already, and I still had the arrogance to even doubt if college could still teach me anything useful. Boy, am I glad I finished my studies anyway.