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Is quiting university because of obvious reasons to pursue a freelance web developer career a smart move?
I am just 21, sick of my teachers and environment and I feel that I would eventually fall into depression if I stay . I love to code, I dream code literally.
What are the long term consequences which I can't think of.
Devs please help me make a smart choice before I make biggest or smartest move of my life.
I am making just enough to sustain myself. Just Brought a MacBook air worth 1000k with little help from family.
Will not having a degree be an obstacle in my dev career.

Comments
  • 3
    do not quit. degrees teach us what to learn on our own. the journey of self taught programmers is not smooth. most of us are not very familiar with the terminology despite we use them a lot.
  • 0
    I ain't enrolled in a computer science program either, I am studying electronics and telecommunication engineering. @rookiemaverick
  • 2
    University isn't a requirement. I know plenty of Devs that have had really successful careers without going to University. That being said however, some companies insist on finding someone with a University degree and won't even consider you if you don't.

    If you already started I'd say that you should definitely complete it. It might seem like a waste of time but you have to think of it as possibly opening doors for you in the future. Don't limit yourself if you don't have to!
  • 1
    @kshitij I have a masters in communication engineering and I work as a software engineer for a telecom company developing protocol stack.
    the advice I gave was based on my personal experience. I was usimg a builder pattern in my code unknowingly. later architect told me this is known as builder pattern. it is just one example.
  • 0
    By quitting you'll be closing a lot of doors, even if your major isn't software dev. It doesn't mean you can't find a great job. It's just that it'll be a lot harder
  • 0
    I was speaking to a recruiter the other day. She told me a lot of companies look for graduates to fill their entry-level positions.
  • 1
    You don't need a 1000k Mac to pursue web Dev. A 400-600$ HP/similar will work just fine.
  • 1
    @jsdev I know macs are expensive but 1000k? I hope it's not in USD
  • 1
    I need to work with some design based applications like sketch and serif affinity which are Mac exclusive I meant $1000 @jsdev
  • 0
    It's $1000, sorry for confusion, I am sick of windows and Linux is shitload of learning. @xroad
  • 0
    get the degree. do whatever you like afterwards.
  • 0
    3 more painful years to graduate, 😢😥😭@heyheni
  • 0
    @kshitij My advice is to stick it out, lots of devs where I work have done electronics, without a degree though they would never have gotten in the door in the first place. if nothing else it'll make an employer worry that you quit when the going gets tough. If your really hate it look into transferring to computer science, that'll look much better than just quitting
  • 1
    If you want to work for somebody stay in school. If you intend to start your own thing, drop all the way out
  • 0
    Get the degree. Change schools if you have to. No question.
  • 1
    Hey guys thanks for all the helpful advice, let me clear up the my situation. No one around me does development on the level I do, especially the computer science faculty and students, they don't know shit.
    I don't want an approval from recruiters anyway if they value degree more than my skills.
    I want to know if devs like you were to interview me and find me worthy of your team, would you hire me without a degree, I want approval from devs not some hotshot MBAs .
    I hate each moment l am in class, 5 days a week from 9 to 6, taught by people who don't know their anything at all. Most importantly I study in a tier 3 college which is very shitty , and it's degree is not worth much anyway .
    I am afraid that I will waste 3 yrs of my life and cap my potential as developer if I stay, my value would be much less if I stay.
    I would tolerate all this but I am afraid that if would eventually suffer mental breakdown & slip into depression if I stay from all the overthinking.
  • 0
    @jabrwoky not an option for me I suppose.
  • 1
    I love electronics but teachers have made me hate it, no practicals all theory, no appreciation for my work . Your point of quitting is correct and would reflect bad on me but I ain't no quitter, I finish what I undertake at all costs, I have surpassed my own expectations on multiple occasions. @johnc456
  • 0
    @kshitij I personally would hire a kid with a degree over one without.
  • 2
    I said this somewhere else, repeating here. Nobody cares when you have a degree, more people care when you don't.
  • 0
    I'm going to assume you're in India given your college timings and name. There aren't many companies in India that are okay with a fresher not having a degree. I belong to a company that doesn't care. There are very few of us, apart from start ups.
  • 0
    Thanks for the comment, I understand your point. Yes I am from India, from a shitty college . I would like to work in a company where my skill are valued not my degree. Anyway I am a freelancer and am more focused on setting up myself as professional and established one rather than a job . So even if I apply to a company in far future , I would have more experience and wouldn't be a fresher in any way since my code is already in production. @jsdev
  • 4
    I would hire you, but I don't control the budget, and having to continually explain to superiors why it makes sense to hire someone without a degree loses credibility over time. It stinks that it's that way sometimes. Management doesn't see the difference between a crappy degree and a good one. They didn't even care when I applied for a programming job with a degree in Biology. They just said at least I had a degree.
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