Hey don’t let me get you down, it sounds like you learned a lot and you’re good at what you do. Maybe the elitist part of me (I hated uni but I arguably went to a “good school”) a little bit wants others to go through the exam + assignment structure I did just to verify they are “good”. But, I think the industry is shifting towards hiring from a test of ability, plus there’s the 3-6 month probationary periods…
I don’t mean to say everyone needs a degree, just that people can complete a 2 week bootcamp, and still not be qualified. Just like how some people can learn a lot from structuring their own education. I needed others to tell me what I needed to learn, and wouldn’t have had the discipline to learn from YouTube.
There’s no perfect answer and too much knowledge to transfer than a degree can provide anyway. If you can code, you’re good enough. Take that with the caveat of: everyone still has a lot more to learn. Imposter syndrome is the norm, so is burnout. Take care of yourself and try to enjoy.
Oh and please - for the love of the cyber workforce - learn about common vulnerabilities and how to avoid writing them in to systems!
I hope my first reply didn’t come off as defensive - I did not mean for it to. I think I actually agree with you to a large degree.
I agree that most bootcamps/YouTube courses are probably not enough by themselves, in most cases.
I switched careers in my late 30s. So, I had over 20 years at the hobbyist level to build on. Also, law school definitely taught me how to teach myself things. For me, YouTube and Udemy were a big help to fill in gaps and help organize things I had been learning in a more piecemeal way over the years.
But you’re right - it’s so important to continue learning things after entering the profession. I have made a lot of efforts to try to do that, including going back and learning concepts I have been told are part of most CS degree programs.
Hey don’t let me get you down, it sounds like you learned a lot and you’re good at what you do. Maybe the elitist part of me (I hated uni but I arguably went to a “good school”) a little bit wants others to go through the exam + assignment structure I did just to verify they are “good”. But, I think the industry is shifting towards hiring from a test of ability, plus there’s the 3-6 month probationary periods…
I don’t mean to say everyone needs a degree, just that people can complete a 2 week bootcamp, and still not be qualified. Just like how some people can learn a lot from structuring their own education. I needed others to tell me what I needed to learn, and wouldn’t have had the discipline to learn from YouTube.
There’s no perfect answer and too much knowledge to transfer than a degree can provide anyway. If you can code, you’re good enough. Take that with the caveat of: everyone still has a lot more to learn. Imposter syndrome is the norm, so is burnout. Take care of yourself and try to enjoy.
Oh and please - for the love of the cyber workforce - learn about common vulnerabilities and how to avoid writing them in to systems!
I hope my first reply didn’t come off as defensive - I did not mean for it to. I think I actually agree with you to a large degree.
I agree that most bootcamps/YouTube courses are probably not enough by themselves, in most cases.
I switched careers in my late 30s. So, I had over 20 years at the hobbyist level to build on. Also, law school definitely taught me how to teach myself things. For me, YouTube and Udemy were a big help to fill in gaps and help organize things I had been learning in a more piecemeal way over the years.
But you’re right - it’s so important to continue learning things after entering the profession. I have made a lot of efforts to try to do that, including going back and learning concepts I have been told are part of most CS degree programs.
So, I’m trying!