College degree

Question

Is it necessary to have a college degree in computer science to become a successful programmer/coder, software developer or web developer without paying thousands in College fees? I’m completely new to this, I have always wanted to get into this field but never knew where to start. I think I’m leaning towards a career in software development, I’m up for the challenge and career change. If a degree is necessary, any recommendations would be greatly appreciated! I already have student loans for my current field of work so it’s difficult to make the full change and acquire more student loan debt 😒
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Answer 1

Though having a diploma/degree is not the biggest deciding factor in determining a qualified candidate, having an education in any of the requisite skills is always beneficial.

I know some developers who have been coding since they were very young and didnt bother going to college or university. They had built a solid portfolio for themselves and that was all they really needed.

I was in the same boat as you at one time. Software development is my 2nd career. I had been playing around with code for about 2 years before attending college, which gave me a bit of a leg up compared to other students. You can learn pretty much any software development related skill online for free, but knowing which resources are good quality requires some background knowledge to help you make the best use of your time.

Personally, I felt college was a mix of wasted time intertwined with bits of information that helped fill in some gaps in my understanding. So my answer to your question is: it depends how you learn best lol

Answer 2

Marissa Amaro In the USA, you might find many job descriptions list requirements for either "a degree in computer science" or "relevant experience to not care about the degree."

I know many professional software engineers who have degrees in unrelated fields and several with no degree. I personally have a B.A. in Economics and International Studies and have been professionally programming since 1996.

You can check out my story in my #AMA from last year.

https://www.sololearn.com/learn/17360/?ref=app

Getting your first relevant experience might be challenging and require a bit of networking, timing, and luck. But once you have that first solid reference, you can easily build from there.

That's assuming you have the soft skills to navigate the job interviewing process, the technical skills to be hired for the position you're going for, and a high aptitude for learning and picking things up rapidly. 😉👌

Answer 3

Marissa for entering any compaines you need knowledge. Degree and diploma are helpful to impress interviewer. But some big compaines have eligibility criteria for job u cannot enter in these compaines without degree diploma . If you have degree then its a plus point for you. You can take any 2-3year certification courses . If u will have degree u then u will feel proud and u will be eligible for all types of job .

Answer 4

Marissa Amaro it is not mandatory but very helpful if you plan a long term future in the field.
I personally started with no degree and no degree was available really at the time but many doors opened the more degrees and official certificates in this generation the better.

Answer 5

Before any question, please always try tp search for whatever we might already have about the topic.

https://www.sololearn.com/discuss/1878711/?ref=app
https://www.sololearn.com/discuss/1811431/?ref=app

Answer 6

Mike I kind of came to the same conclusion about my learning style. I tend to be a perfectionist so I could probably use the college courses as a kick in the butt to keep me moving along instead of fixating on little things. Thank you!

Answer 7

From what Ive heard, it is not at all necessary to become successful but might make searching for jobs easier.

Answer 8

In India degree is being looked after if you want to pursue it as a professional but as a hobby or as part of extra-curricuulum certification is ok for your side accomplishment.

Answer 9

Mike it comes down to my learning style*

Answer 10

the answer is not always the same. i'm working for a company right now i get paid well and all, though i am already a student of ENGLISH LANGUAGE LITERATURE, they don't have a problem with my degree as long as i am able to do what they need to. most modern companies are like this they prefer skill over degree. but some classic ones with old dudes managing them think degree is all and don't care about your skills. however if you are good as hell in your field, they will beg u to work for them, so don't overthink, just try to proceed for now and you will see someday that everything will come in order.

Answer 11

No I don't think that you particularly need a "college degree" to be a good coder, programmer . I guess if you are into freelancing than a degree helps to build trust , but nowadays you can learn web development, data science from sololearn, coursera ,etc websites which provide certificates(which helps a lot many times) Surely to be best, you need to do different projects.

Answer 12

thank you all for the feedback 😊😊😊