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So to start off, I'm a college drop out as well as a high school drop out. I entered the field of technology just a few months before the bust in 2001, and I was able to build my experience from there. I do however low computer science, so I've continued to study it over the years. MIT Open Courseware has helped me out a ton. Career wise I'm doing ok, I'm a software engineer, and I make well above a 6 figure salary.
However I've been finding software engineering to be a bit stale. To me, it doesn't offer the same challenges it once did. A lot of the business use cases for me are not intriguing, and to do some of the more interesting stuff in software development, it feels that higher education is needed. So basically I've found that I really really love machine learning and data science. I would love to do this type of work on a daily basis. And for one, it seems like a job that would never get boring, as I'm data obsessed.
The catch. Most job requirements for data science seem to require some soft of PHD. While I would not mind going back to school for a PHD, the universities are incredibly expensive, and I'm debt free. Is it worth it to incur debt and commit myself to possibly 10 or more years of study just to get a job as a data scientist? Or should I just be happy that I'm making a decent salary with basically no education?
I don't know about data sciences, but in my field (chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, materials engineering), PhD is normally free. In fact you also get small scholarship (about 18K/year) just to survive (get roof above you and buy some food). So PhD in my field is totally debt-free. But time consuming (at least 4 years, but in most instances about 5 years). Time = money. So even if you are getting paid for PhD program, you are still losing $$$ during these five years. But you can probably do some work part time and get at least half of your six figure salary.
I don't know about data sciences, but in my field (chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, materials engineering), PhD is normally free. In fact you also get small scholarship (about 18K/year) just to survive (get roof above you and buy some food). So PhD in my field is totally debt-free. But time consuming (at least 4 years, but in most instances about 5 years). Time = money. So even if you are getting paid for PhD program, you are still losing $$$ during these five years. But you can probably do some work part time and get at least half of your six figure salary.
He does not have a masters, or an undergrad degree... not even a high school diploma.
No one jumps from high school dropout to a paid PhD program.
He does not have a masters, or an undergrad degree... not even a high school diploma.
No one jumps from high school dropout to a paid PhD program.
Yes, I forgot about it.
So basically if he wants PhD, he has to get high school diploma and then bachelor's degree anyway. In his situation I believe that's a waste. Many PhDs complain about not getting any real jobs at all.
In my field you can't reach six figure salary even with PhD easily (normally need few years of experience with PhD).
Can we know why you dropped out of high school and college as this may be pertinent to providing advice on pursing one of the highest academic achievements offered?
Yes, I forgot about it.
So basically if he wants PhD, he has to get high school diploma and then bachelor's degree anyway. In his situation I believe that's a waste. Many PhDs complain about not getting any real jobs at all.
In my field you can't reach six figure salary even with PhD easily (normally need few years of experience with PhD).
I already a GED, which I got at 16. I completeld about 3 years of my bachelor's degree as well in college before dropping out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jjmars
Can we know why you dropped out of high school and college as this may be pertinent to providing advice on pursing one of the highest academic achievements offered?
I dropped out of high schools because I had a a lot of personal issues in school. My parents and me thought it would be better if I just left high school and got my GED. So that is what I did, I ended up leaving high school about 3 months after my 16th birthday and then getting my GED a month after that. So I ended up entering college at 16.
My college career was very start and stop, but I did well in my studies initially. I genuinely found myself withdrawing a lot due to the same personal issues I had in high school. I mostly self studied and whenever I would go back to college I ended up being ahead of my classes in terms of knowledge. As a result my college courses were boring to me. In 2001, after dropping out of college (with the intent of going back) I ended up landing an IT job. And I never went back as the money was good and I was getting real experience.
I dropped out of high schools because I had a a lot of personal issues in school. My parents and me thought it would be better if I just left high school and got my GED. So that is what I did, I ended up leaving high school about 3 months after my 16th birthday and then getting my GED a month after that. So I ended up entering college at 16.
My college career was very start and stop, but I did well in my studies initially. I genuinely found myself withdrawing a lot due to the same personal issues I had in high school. I mostly self studied and whenever I would go back to college I ended up being ahead of my classes in terms of knowledge. As a result my college courses were boring to me. In 2001, after dropping out of college (with the intent of going back) I ended up landing an IT job. And I never went back as the money was good and I was getting real experience.
I would tend to think PhD programs are more closely monitored and team oriented with academic staff including having a mentor you report to. Just something to keep in mind...
I already a GED, which I got at 16. I completeld about 3 years of my bachelor's degree as well in college before dropping out.
I dropped out of high schools because I had a a lot of personal issues in school. My parents and me thought it would be better if I just left high school and got my GED. So that is what I did, I ended up leaving high school about 3 months after my 16th birthday and then getting my GED a month after that. So I ended up entering college at 16.
My college career was very start and stop, but I did well in my studies initially. I genuinely found myself withdrawing a lot due to the same personal issues I had in high school. I mostly self studied and whenever I would go back to college I ended up being ahead of my classes in terms of knowledge. As a result my college courses were boring to me. In 2001, after dropping out of college (with the intent of going back) I ended up landing an IT job. And I never went back as the money was good and I was getting real experience.
I do not mean to pry, but to give you an honest answer, I think you will need to express to us some of what that personal issue was. Personally, I found there to be a big difference between undergraduate and graduate studies. Everyone in graduate school is a lot nicer, more helpful, and driven to acquire knowledge, if not succeed in the program, even if they have doubts about the future. With regards to isolation, yes, I'm sure you could isolate yourself again in your studies to some extent. For me though, I found a lot of people didn't necessarily want to study together, as that was never my thing, but that you did many group projects, had to work with your professors on or off site, and tended to discuss a lot of stuff at the bar....made me comfortable going to bars at least. lol
I do not mean to pry, but to give you an honest answer, I think you will need to express to us some of what that personal issue was. Personally, I found there to be a big difference between undergraduate and graduate studies. Everyone in graduate school is a lot nicer, more helpful, and driven to acquire knowledge, if not succeed in the program, even if they have doubts about the future. With regards to isolation, yes, I'm sure you could isolate yourself again in your studies to some extent. For me though, I found a lot of people didn't necessarily want to study together, as that was never my thing, but that you did many group projects, had to work with your professors on or off site, and tended to discuss a lot of stuff at the bar....made me comfortable going to bars at least. lol
A lot of my issues from high school were me not really fitting in with my classmates. My mother had got laid off from her job, was living above her means to keep me in the high school, and it had an effect. I was basically poor going to a mostly middle and upper middle class high school. So the peer pressure was pretty astounding, as kids were big on you having name brand clothes, and I didn't own any.
After working with my father for the summer, and getting a part time job at 16, I found that actually working was easier. I also found how much easier it was to deal with adults instead of of other kids. So my mother and me thought I would be more positive in an adult environment (community college basically).
But because I had so many unresolved issues from high school, it took me awhile to reach a good maturity level. I often lost focus during college, and it was inconsisitent. Most of the times I would kill it, and then some semesters I wouldn't be focused at all. For one, I found that I was just good at self studying, and that had been the case even in high school. And after I got around people in my field through free meetups and workshops, I found that it pointless to go back to college, so I focused my effort on finding a job in the field.
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