/sci/ - Science & Math

all the programmers i know, who are worth their shit are self-taught. the most successful guy, in terms of projects, companies and $$$, the guy barely got in into the univ, and dropped out after his second year.

the degree serves only as a safety net - it's hard to tell what the market will be like, your future personal situation. you may not luck out, so you want social validation, you want a paper. but jesus christ, counting on school to teach you anything is setting yourself for a disaster.

a single course is worth like 15-30h of programming. no matter how capable & dedicated the students it won't turn anyone into a programmer. and then you have guys finishing their degrees believing they are into that shit, not knowing how high the bar really is. it ain't pretty.

the best you can do is hack on your own. find a side project, something you truly love, and never stop hacking. then find someone in your area, or maybe net, to jam together. there's no other way. cs classes may serve as a networking ground, but i wouldn't bet much on them.