You probably can't replace College with YouTube/Online resources
Ok, I admit I'm a student and some of my reasoning might be biased! So read with caution 😶
I guess you know that bashing on college/uni has become a norm, Which definitely they deserve & I'm also guilty of doing so. But besides doing full-time jobs & indie hacking on the side, I'm still studying computer science at Uni. And I decided not to drop out either.
Why? Well, I actually made e list 👇
👉 The biggest reasoning I hear against college is the content you learn there is totally free online. Which is 100% true, If just learning about your field is your only priority then college will definitely not be for you.
But as I realised in the past couple of years that college isn't actually for learning! It's more about the experience!
👉 You get to know different learners, make friends, do networking, and have weird & fun memories.
👉 Being around a large amount of hard-working young people is a privilege. I truly get motivated seeing some of my classmates working hard. Whether it is for getting good grades/running a small business/preparing for a competition.
👉 When You have to schedule yourself for different classes, and exams besides your own personal things (Hobbies/Job/Business..) You learn a lot about time management.
👉 Paying tuition fees every semester hurt a lot, but In a way, it kind of pushed me to manage money better.
👉 It's a great phase for exploring different stuff.
I'm quite certain I will run businesses as a career, but I'm don't wanna just quit everything and go all in right now. I'm using this student phase as an opportunity to explore things that I care about, whether it is programming/ marketing/ writing/ making videos/ audience building/ gardening or cooking. And tbh I also wanna try out standup comedy sometime next year. Coz why not? In general, you have so less responsibilities as a student and plenty of opportunities to explore.
👉 Graduating can be a great way to give your parents a sense of pride. I don't know if it's just an Asian parent's thing, but my parents really wanna see me graduate.
Now of course this ar just my own experience and I'm not saying anyone should do college or drop out. I just wanted to share some of my good experiences with college after bashing it for the past couple of years. 😶
I actually bashed my college experience the other day— I got a disapproving look and a "Really?" And it really made me think. What a privileged thing to complain about!
And now I don't think college is the problem. I don't think I could have learned it all via Youtube.
But I do think that it's stupid that we're asking 17 and 18-year-olds to make a decision about going tens of thousands (even hundreds of thousands) of dollars into debt. And often even pressuring them to do so. They're too young to make that decision. They don't know what it means. Kids should be encouraged to take a few years off, travel, work, and generally get some life experience IMO. That way they'll know what they want to learn, they'll know a bit about the real world, and they can make an informed decision about whether that debt is worthwhile to them.
Although my debt is nothing compared to today's students but I wish I could've done entry level interning before college or did a tour of 1 day/week classes on any subject. I picked my school for international business (parental influence + lack of hard math confidence), then switched my major within a year to CS/Math. So many students switch majors during the first 1-2 years that the amount of debt is even crazier since you probably picked the school for a subject you aren't graduating in.
For sure!
Yeap agree. I took a year off before getting into college
Ooh ooh, required indie hacking! Everyone should be required to spend 2 years indie hacking after high school. That'll give em some life experience for sure (for better or worse)! 🤪
Or trying to get a job in the industry you care about? I guess it's better to have some experience before indie hacking
Yeah, I'd agree with that.
I think you are spot on with this. As a long time software engineer I get asked a lot by parents and high schoolers about getting into programming as a career. I'm always a bit mixed on how to response. I went the traditional route (not many other choices in the 90s), but out of the top talent I've worked with a BS/MS/PHD in CS/CE didn't differentiate from my self-taught co-workers. Really it was the ability to self-teach and have a passion for the craft. That being said, I feel college gives us some soft skills and experiences that are hard to get elsewhere. Besides what you listed, I would add:
Yeap.. totally agree.
I forgot to mention your 2nd point. college really helps to learn about different topics that I didn't even know existed.
Great points, Wes!
I think this can't be overstated: "Meeting and making friends with people from diverse backgrounds and ways of thinking. This probably helped me the most in the long run." ... College opens you up to many different experiences and people. Exposure leads to empathy and to a whole new way of seeing the world.
I might have a lot of student debt but the experience was worth it (so far).
I am grateful for my education and the fact that in Portugal it is almost free to get an engineering degree is amazing. However, it really took the fun out of learning. The professors were great researchers but really bad teachers. Luckily I found that there are other ways to learn. I learned a lot on youtube and recently by starting my own podcast and interviewing other makers
I think your first assumption is wrong. People don't say not to go to college because you can learn things for free (while that is definitely true), they say that you shouldn't be strapping yourself with loads of debt right out of the gate. I have seen so many people that still have student loans, even into their 40s. If you're accruing a lot of debt, you better have a solid plan to pay that off or your dreams of being an IndieHacker will never happen. Once you get into a cycle of debt (big mortgage, car payment, student loans, etc) it's pretty much impossible to stop working at your day job without losing everything you have. Computer Science and Engineering are definitely some of the better paths to take if you insist on going to college, but make sure you're aware of the risks and the serious amount of stress you're going to be undertaking if you're coming out with debt.
I guess everything comes with its cost. You can get into student debt for college, just like you can into debt for buying a house you can't effort. It's all about how you plan things.
So yeah you are right, Everyone should plan out how they will pay their tuition fees and if things get tough, there's always option to drop a couple of semesters.
Great arguments. I mean, I learned a lot from my college experience but I know there is sooo much online that I could've learned for free. Ultimately, I think college forces you to make a big commitment to yourself and to shift your whole way of being around. You're no longer "learning on the side" you are a student and your life's pursuit at that moment is learning.
I do get annoyed when I see people dumping on the idea of college on IH. There are a lot of ways to learn. Some are better for others. College also creates some valuable connections and networks that can lead to growth down the road.
💯
I would choose college instead of youtube and internet courses only in case that its a REALLY good college. Otherwise, studying online by yourself is usually much more useful. While online, I am also using https://studyhippo.com/essay-examples/teenage-pregnancy/ which helps me with my essays and homeworks. I think its much better than offline..
Hm this is too black and white thinking. There are many "shade of gray" options between college and YouTube. For eg, getting a mentor so they helpvyou with accountability, etc. Becoming an apprentice. Building a project with a co-founder who will keep you accountabble, etc.
gonna disagree with you, most of the people in my college do not care anything besides the syllabus. yes they are hardworking but most of them would not be here if not the money in the industry. beside that, if you are passionate enough college would not teach you anything, from my experience, online materials teach you faster and a lot more practical, skipping all the bs theory lesson and examination, IMHO.
I'm still $60,000 in debt from my college experience, and having that debt hanging over my head has prevented me from taking many risks careerwise. I realized a few years ago that what I'd majored in had not exactly been in line with what I wanted to be doing, but I felt stuck because I didn't want to accrue more debt, or start at the bottom with a really low paying job when I had so much debt to take care of.
I really value the social experiences I had in college, but would I pay nearly a hundred grand to have them again? Hmm. I'm not sure.
Yeap. Totally makes sense.
I agree taking large amount of student loans isn't a smart choice. The only way to make it worth it is to do something on side so you can pay your bills.
I totally agree! The crazy thing is that I also had a job all throughout college. I took out so many loans because my parents didn't help me at all, and yet they also made enough money (as entrepreneurs) that the government didn't help me either. I was the first in my family to go to college, and the general idea was that going to college was a sure way to make a lot of money after and be respected by the community.
Anyway, I appreciated your post. I see the value as well. I can also see why so many people don't recommend it (at least not right away) anymore.