Is Studying Computer Science Worth It?

In this video, I will share the 5 things I wish I knew before studying computer science. If you want to become a Software Engineer, I hope to help you decide to get a degree in computer science, go to a coding bootcamp or teach yourself coding.
There is more and more content online that says that university degrees are not worth it, but for me, it was. The reasons are not that obvious though and I wish I knew that before studying.
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🙋🏻‍♂️ Or say hello on LinkedIn: / leonard-thiele
Chapters in this video
00:00 Intro
00:39 My Background
01:43 #1: You don't become a Software Engineer
04:46 #2: Computer science can be combined
05:57 #3: Computer science is difficult
07:00 #4: It's all about people
09:09 #5: The degree is not the important thing
09:57 Conclusion
11:06 Outro

[@leonardthiele]

Did you study computer science or are you thinking about starting? Let me know your thoughts or questions in the comments. Or maybe you have topics you would like to see in the future. Thanks for watching🙏🏻

[@avesse]

Great, nuanced take on the subject. I think the personal development part of university is often under-appreciated. It's a great environment to learn about yourself, expand your worldview, and develop the characteristics that will define you for years to come. The knowledge gained is a bonus. In the field of application development, I've seen no difference in skill between CS grads and self-taught engineers after about 2-3 years of work experience. So it's not necessary, but it's time well spent.

[@leonardthiele]

Nuanced! This is the word I was looking for... I agree. I've worked with brilliant self-taught engineers. They usually found their own way to be curious about software development and learned the fundamentals that way 🙌🏻

[@agha-mou]

Studying at the uni teaches you many things about life other than the acadmic knowledge itself. I learned alot about myself in past three years studying computer science. Thanks for the video btw, quality content.

[@leonardthiele]

Exactly! This is a super important point ☝

[@Makebuildmodify]

I would love to learn Computer Science. I'm 50 and in America, so the prospects seem low. I have no clear path to pay for it. The messages about this topic are so mixed; it's very confusing. Plus, I feel that a 54 year old CS graduate is likely less desirable. Any thoughts?

[@leonardthiele]

Let me start by saying that I also don’t know „the answer“ to your question. I think you’re right, that in some industries there is a strong bias based on age. But there are also opportunities where your experience could be beneficial. I would say that a CS degree is not necessary, if you already have work experience. My advice would be to connect the programming to the experience you already have. Maybe you can learn some coding on your own, do some courses, evening classes and projects and then try to utilise your experience and create software solutions in that space. One of the best things in software engineering is that there are so many paths and opportunities to find the right job, unlike for doctors, pilots or for example civil engineers. Lastly, I admire your interest in learning something new, and for that it’s never to late. Hope this helps.

[@Makebuildmodify]

​@@leonardthieleI've done a little bit of web UI/UX work, but that was almost 10 years ago. Since then, I've been studying in the evenings and learning about many topics. I've had some interruptions while trying other endeavors, for example, my KZbin channel and my day job. I've actually been a builder of homes for many years and would like to move into less physical work. I've always wanted to be an engineer or something technical like that, and computer science is very interesting to me. I've completed many courses. My first language was Perl alone with its powerful web scraping and regex. Then I learned a web stack moved on to Python, and now I'm doing a C course. I have a few more courses slated, including one on object-oriented programming, design patterns, data structures, and algorithms. All of which I know a little about already, but I'd like to complete my understanding. I'm already able to build old-school LAMP stack websites, and I've built a command-line tool to list items on Etsy for my side hustle. I've applied for entry-level positions for about 8 months to no avail.

[@Makebuildmodify]

@@leonardthiele I've done a little bit of web UI/UX work, but that was almost 10 years ago. Since then, I've been studying in the evenings and building projects that I need.I've had some interruptions while trying other endeavors, for example, my KZbin channel and my day job. I've actually been a builder of homes for many years and would like to move into less physical work. I've always wanted to be an engineer or something technical like that, and computer science is very interesting to me. I've completed many courses. My first language was Perl, then I learned a web stack, moved on to Python, and now I'm doing a C course. I have a few more courses slated, including one on Java object-oriented programming, design patterns, data structures, and algorithms. I'm able to build old-school LAMP stack websites, and I've built command-line tools to list items on Etsy for my side hustle. I've applied for entry-level positions for about the last 8 months to no avail. Zero response.

[@agha-mou]

And i forgot to ask, are you considering to create any tech content?

[@leonardthiele]

Great question. Currently, I'm planning to share my experience and focus on soft skills that help engineers grow into senior or leadership positions. This is where I see a bigger gap on KZbin compared to more technical tutorials. But I'm open to suggestions. Which topics do you have in mind?