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General Discussion

Posted by Shay Paustovsky
Shay Paustovsky
4,281 Points

College Degree or TechDegree ?

Hi There,

So I am afraid my question is a bit off-topic but I'm still gonna ask it here because I couldn't find an answer online.

Question: I am looking to find a job in the US after I complete my TechDegree at TreeHouse, and this involves applying for an "H-1B Visa" which requires a 4-year Bachelor's degree or equivalent in work experience while (3 years of experience = 1 year of college/university). I am afraid that if I will go to college/university I will not get the "hands-on experience" in programming such as treehouse offers. including the "little sum" of money you have to pay for tuition in college/university compared to treehouse.

I am looking for an advice or two from people who have experienced of sorts the situation I am having right now and will be more than happy to get some tips regarding my situatio.

Thanks for the help.

3 Answers

Martin Zahariev
Martin Zahariev
10,366 Points
Martin Zahariev
Martin Zahariev
10,366 Points

Honestly, what I think is that, yes College degree will definitely look much better on your resume compared to a treehouse techdegree, but spending your time focusing only on the skills you need might be a better idea for you, that is usually the case for developers since they are for the most part self-taught, even the ones who go to college. You are not only going to save lots of time but you are also skipping studying other things in college that are not going to be as useful in your career. As a developer you shouldn't have any issues finding a job even without a college degree, it's your skills and you proving your skills with projects you've done in the past that matters the most.

Shay Paustovsky
Shay Paustovsky
4,281 Points
Shay Paustovsky
Shay Paustovsky
4,281 Points

Thanks a lot for your response and advice Martin

Nicholas Gaerlan
Nicholas Gaerlan
9,501 Points
Nicholas Gaerlan
Nicholas Gaerlan
9,501 Points

personally, I'm looking to work my way through the Treehouse material and then try to get into Hack Reactor or another bootcamp with good job placement stats. Hack reactor is like $18k but the end result is worth it. From what I've heard there is demand for those who demonstrate the ability to teach themselves online, and certain bootcamps are recognized in the industry as very attractive because you are getting programmers that can learn the work but you're getting them at a discount since their resume isn't built up yet. I'm starting with Python here, then the JavaScript full stack, then all the java/android courses.