Is Higher Education a joke? Or, are College Drop-Outs Glorified?

If you are in the tech community, you have probably experienced the often polarized views on the value of a computer science related degree. It’s an interesting dynamic to explore.

NOTE: Whether dropping out or finishing your degree, I fully understand that the decision is incredibly personal. BOTH have their merits.

Check out this Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hackathonhackers/permalink/878664658855687/

On one hand, many drop-outs feel disillusioned by their college education.

“College is not challenging enough.”
“College does not teach me what I need in the tech industry.”
“There’s not enough time to work on my startup.”
“College is too expensive. I can learn CS material for free.”

On the other hand, many college students feel disillusioned by the budding tech drop-out culture.

“Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Steve Jobs are one in a million.”
“A CS college education provides depth in knowledge.”
“College is more than just learning.”
“College drop outs are too sensationalized.”

What I am here to do today, is to give you views about both sides, so that you, dear reader, can make your own informed decision.

Why are students disillusioned with higher education?

1. The progress is too slow.

Programming is a funny thing. Unlike many other studies, it has an incredibly supportive community surrounding it.
(Check out this blog post: https://medium.com/tales-from-the-front/fortunate-b23f997455fa)

Along with the community, there is passion for the craft of coding. Passion + support = super fast learning speeds.

For many, the pace at which school teaches various computer science topics just does not match the pace at which its students consumes the knowledge. At this point, boredom festers and school soon becomes a hindrance to progress.

2. Computer Science theory is not relevant to industry application.

Upon landing their first internships, many students realize that implementation and theory are two completely different things. Often times, the job requires knowledge on topics not even mentioned in school.

There is a widely held view among CS students that NOT coding outside of class + doing well in school can be more detrimental than not doing well in school + coding outside of class. (Whether this is true, industry professionals / recruiters, I invite you to comment.)

We have reached an interesting paradigm, where many students are looking for a trade-school-esque practical education rather than one focusing on theory. (Check out programs like Hacker School and The Flatiron School.)

Thus, students who cannot find the balance between school and side projects, will teeter to one side.

3. Financially, the degree just does not make sense.

In the U.S., a college degree can be incredibly expensive. It leaves potential students asking: is it worth it?

For many CS students, the answer is no. With so many readily available and FREE resources (MIT OpenCourseWare, Coursera, Codecademy, etc.), you can get the same information that you would otherwise have to pay a premium for with a college degree.

Computer science is also a strange field in that, unlike many other professions, you do not actually need a degree. Competency is demonstrated through your Github repos and/or your technical interview. Perhaps a 4.0 can land you the interview, but getting past that completely depends on your programming abilities.

4. School leaves students no time to pursue their startup.

This is to all the startup junkies who love chasing and working on their own ideas. After a full day of school, studying, occasional exam cramming, there simply is just no more energy or time to work on world domination plans.

Again, students will view college as the determining factor between them and success.

Why do students feel disillusioned with the budding drop-out culture?

1. College is so much more than the classes.

College is a hyper-active hive of similar aged people, who have similar interests, that you are surrounded by on a regular basis, and can relate to on a personal emotional level. Socially, there is nothing like it and many such aspects of your life will change post-college.

In regards to opportunity, because of such a concentrated hive of eager talent, college is also a magnet for company attention. People love nurturing a student’s drive to learn. It also provides a valuable network of alumni you can tap into for job opportunities or otherwise.

2. Young college drop-outs are too sensationalized in the media.

Admit it, we all see these crazy millionaire-before-18-app-developer success stories. Growing up, we watched today’s tech giants like Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates drop out of college to build massive billion dollar companies.

I mean, who doesn’t love the underdog, the against-the-grain people, the dream-chasers? Its hard not to jump onto the dropout bandwagon. School is for chumps right?

The stories not told however, are the realities of quitting school. Failure, is most definitely an possibility. Check out this YC Combinator alumni’s opinion: http://blog.mlutsky.com/dont-drop-out-until-you-have-to.

Are you absolutely sure you are in an emotional/financial/psychological position to face these realities?

3. The risks of dropping out, is not a luxury many people can take.

To a certain degree, a degree (badum-pshhh) gives you, the job applicant, credibility. For those coming from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and/or lower quality of high school education, a college degree provides social mobility.

The risk of failure and financial instability, and not being in an appropriate place in life to “rough it out” without a college degree, for many, far outweighs the possibility of success.

4. College forces you to consider other perspectives.

College is a time for you to experiment and try new things without much consequence. You can take classes in sociology, art, history, biology, gender studies, etc. and view the world through its respective lens. In these classes, you gain a depth of knowledge in a subject that you otherwise would not have considered.

These various points of view are valuable in creating technologies that can cater to a more diverse audience. Also, with hackers bragging “I made an *Insert-Popular-Platform* for *Insert-Random-Thing*”, we need more people who are actually able to come up with original ideas that make a difference in society vs. making social media spin-offs.

What’s the bottom line?

Prioritize learning and self-growth.

Whatever that means for you, whichever path it takes to get there, go for it. In choosing either path or perhaps a combination of the two, it is extremely extremely important to understand what your ultimate goals are, and how to realistically get there.

I hope this blog post accurately represents the spectrum of opinions people have provided. Please comment what you think!

Shout out to @arielle_van, @kwuchu, @cseitzman, @bitter_orca for providing your perspectives. Check out their twitter handles.

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