To college or not to college

brinepacer

As a follow on from my earlier thread about studying web design, just wondering people's opinions on self study versus the college route. From what i understand the thing that gets a person a job in web design/programming is proven experience through a range of websites, so i figure i'd be best to learn from lynda.com and books and such and build up a portfolio. It's been put to me that i'd be better off going getting a degree to have on my CV for trying to get employed.

So, what's people's experience? Does it really matter when job hunting? Should i waste time doing a college course that'll be ignored in favour of people with experience, or should i waste time self studying and building a portfolio that'll be ignored in favour people with degrees?

EDIT: and i should mention (because it matters to me), i'm 25 and have a programming cert from IT Tralee from a few years ago, so i can programme and i am a bit old to go back to college unless it's really worth it to me.

Mr.Orange

Well if you have programming skills then you don't need to relearn that. If you wanted to benefit from a college course you would have to do something design related like graphic design. This is a lot more broad than web design, so i wouldn't recommend it for your case. Best thing for you is to practice.
When i got my webdev/design job i wasn't once asked about my qualifications, they just wanted to see a portfolio of work.

Sposs

When it comes to design it's all about the portfolio, thats what people want to see, not what you might be able to do because you have a qualification.
If you feel you can learn from books and online resources get cracking on a portfolio , offer to do free sites to get yourself up and running and let word of mouth take its course from there.

replicantface

If you want to go into development or work for many organisations a degree is more or less a prerequisite to getting your foot in the door.

In truth what's learned in a computing degree is largely useless for the real world. It is however a great foundation for your career. Degrees don't go out of date in the way that certifications and portfolios often can.

Plus, going to college is a f*ckload more fun that this working for a living nonsense.

brinepacer

Ask a stupid question but what do you mean by development *ducks*

randombar

One of the buddies had a similar cert she got in london then got her it degree in a year by night in DIT, you kinda have the best of both worlds then. You're getting your degree and you can do your work at the same time during the day. The night school is a lot of hours but if you're a programmer anyways the project work shouldnt be too bad!

The Corinthian

Degrees are of use in three areas. Firstly when the job market is slow someone with a degree will get called for interview, someone without will not. Experience can compensate for this, but you need a fair few years of that before it even begins to.

Secondly, without a degree there is a glass ceiling for advancement. You may get to a certain level, but progressing beyond that will become very difficult. This can happen very quickly BTW.

Finally a degree is a degree is a degree and it will stand you in good stead regardless of what industry you end up in. I don’t have an IT degree, but I do have a degree and I know that it’s helped me along the way.

So I would say you should get a degree, however the road you take is up to you. It may be worth your while to get experience in first for a few years and then do one by night or take time out to do so full time. This is largely because a lot of people really are not mature enough for university at 17 or 18 (I certainly wasn’t) and end up wasting a lot of time doing all the wrong things. On the other hand getting a primary degree out of the way may be a better option – also because down the line you may consider one or more postgrads (MSc, MBA, etc.).

So it depends on what your long-term goals are, temperament, level of maturity and, of course, on the present jobs market (if this was 2002 I’d just tell you to go and get a degree and ride out the slump).

DanGerMus

You should really try and get a degree it will stand to you and you need one in a cv nowadays. As you have a cert you'll have no problem gettin into a third year for fulltime course. You could try the parttime as well but that can take many years.
But work away on self training and building a portfolio aswell. Because that experience will be of real benefit to you.
Short answer here seems to be do both.
I'm also 25 and i'm just finishing 3rd year and hope to get a degree next year. It's not as hard as you think goin back. Also dont forget you'll be the older guy in college the ladies love that lol

mneylon

What The Corinthian said

Clik

I'm in programming without a degree and I wouldn't recomend it. A degree gives u credability, respect, higher salaries and opens far more doors. Absolutley, get a degree somehow. I agree fully with The Corinthian .

tammy

I started a four year degree aged 27, best thing I ever did. Also a degree gives you confidence in your ability which is important.

Laslo

If you're looking to get into Web design or commercial Web development, a degree is about as much use as a condom in a convent. It's a good way of learning the trade from scratch but if you have a strong grounding in programming already, it's not worth wasting 4 years of your life for. I dropped out of my computer science degree course after first year and went on to become self-taught. I've had quite a few (admittedly bitter) people working under me over the last few years who all completed the course that I dropped out of.

Dedication, hard work, talent and the ability to learn your trade on your own time (especially in such a fast moving industry) are much more important than a piece of paper. If a potential boss can't see raw talent through the lack of a degree, then you are better off not working for them as they probably don't understand what makes this industry tick.

DJB

I suppose it splits really to what you know and what you can do. I know my portfolio has always been the core reason for getting any job I went for in the past. I have a degree as well but not in IT... accounting and finance actually. I always used that to my advantage in that I understand the running of a business, roi, etc, etc. Regarding web design, I'm fully self thought including databases, sql, server side programing, frontend design/coding, etc. The degree will backup your credibility but your portfolio will prove what you can do.

A degrees open doors, while the experience will let you walk though them!