I'd like to jump in and agree with rjray here. When I was going to college, my grandfather told me an interesting observation: The degree isn't necessarily the important thing; it's a union card. I have found that to be true. It doesn't matter that my degree is in Theoretical Mathematics and not Comp Sci. It doesn't matter that I never took a file structures class or coded a compiler from scratch. What I've seen employers look at is that I completed a degree program.

Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about whether you should get a CompSci degree. Getting a degree should be the goal. Learning how to think, how to learn, how to understand. Those should be your goals. Get a degree in something that interests you, something you will want to give your best to. If you enjoy what you are doing, that pride and excitement will show through.

One of the more promising programmers I knew actually had a Phd in astronomy. She discovered programming while finishing her doctoral thesis and caught the coding bug. She didn't know all the algorithms and theory, but she knew how to think. That was what was important. And she got her job because of it. There were candidates with more programming experience but she had the maturity and training to know how to solve a problem and not just think up the next cool thing to try. We knew we could count on her to be with the company in 2 yrs, not off to the next cool startup.

In summary, learn to think. Ask questions. Have fun. Strive to enjoy a career, not just get a job. Take pride in what you do. Show you can finish what you start; Don't just take the money and run.

In reply to Re: Re: Re: Perl Certifications and/or Professional Development by johannz
in thread Perl Certifications and/or Professional Development by jerrygarciuh

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