Quote (HERETICtheory @ May 13 2012 06:41pm)

I'm no regular around here but I happened to see this thread and it randomly caught my attention.  I have to say, there's an awful lot of discouragement going on here which I find really saddening.  You are never too late to learn anything.  If you measure your own success by job stability and employment opportunities etc. then you are already setting yourself up to be at a disadvantage if you cannot attend school.  That's not to say you can't be successful.  But really, if you want to learn something, you will find a way to learn it. 

It's simple as that.  I don't care who you are or what you're learning, if you have the drive and motivation to learn, you will learn.  If you're approaching it from an angle of planning a path, that may differ for a self-motivated person.  You may end up making many mistakes and taking the "long route" instead of knowing the right way to do it off the bat like a graduate might, but you will have experience.  Experience is really what it comes down to no matter what you're doing.  A kid who went to school and has a head full of theory is not technically better off than a person who has much experience but lacks theory.  Which came first?  Somebody first figured it out from nothing, on their own.  I know it's possible.  I promise you it's possible.  Don't let things like jobs and money determine your success, let it flow from within you because you truly love and are passionate about what you do.  That is how self-motivated and self-taught people act.  They take charge.  That's simply what this is about. 

We live in a culture that is very institutionalized and it can be a knee jerk reaction to say "go to college."  I am inclined to agree, if you have the funds, do yourself a favor and attend a school that fits your personality and teaches you what you want to learn.  It's a great way to learn.  But it seems to me, that's not an option for you.  We're not all that lucky.  The world of "success" isn't divided by who went to college because they had the funds and who didn't have the funds and thus was doomed to a life of obscurity.  It's not like that.  Don't let anybody convince you that it is.  I am sorry to say I cannot advise you on your path because this is not my area of expertise.  And I know that, because of that fact, many here will try to tell you that I am wrong and they will keep pushing their "college=success" thing on you but I think there is a universal truth to what I am saying, otherwise I would have never taken the time out of my day to write this at all. 

All I can say is, follow your dream and don't give up.  This very thread is EXACTLY the type of lesson you need to learn to deal with... problems and solutions.  And when you see everything in your life as a lesson to be learned from you can become extraordinarily self-confident and self-aware.  You make your own future.  Good luck dude, you can do whatever you want.

Quote (Invizard @ 14 May 2012 05:17)

Quote (carteblanche @ May 11 2012 04:20am)

1. What level are you at right now?
2. Why do you want to learn trig/calculus? They sound like a waste of time if you're not going to college

There is another book i'd recommend about writing good refactored code, but I don't recall the title off hand

Quote (eagl3s1ght @ May 14 2012 12:56am)

What's wrong with you? All you're doing is whining when people took their time to tell you about their experience in the field.
And here you are, just asskissing the guy who stood up to you abit, and said nothing but OBVIOUS things.
But maybe, just maybe all you were looking for when creating this thread- was for people to go Dude, you can do this! We believe in you! Whatever you do, you'll succeed, no problem! like HERETICtheory just did.

I seriously hope you fall soon, and fall hard - because that's how you get good at Programming - trial and error.
The way you look in this thread, it looks like you're going to cry when there's a tiny bit of slope.

Quote (feored @ May 14 2012 09:43am)

An interesting thread, sort of related -- http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3968890

"As an employer I want the best prepared and qualified employees. I could care less if the source of their education was accredited by a bunch of old men and women who think they know what is best for the world. I want people who can do the job. I want the best and brightest. Not a piece of paper."

Quote (irimi @ May 14 2012 11:21am)

lol.  why even bother.



While true, nobody in this thread has really extolled on the virtues of the piece of paper (though if you know anything about economics, you recognize that the piece of paper is incredibly valuable regardless of talent).  It's not so much about the "source" or the accreditation as it is about the experience.

That said, with regards to the OP, his inability to hear or to accept anything beyond what he wants to hear isn't something that college is going to fix.  A psychiatrist might help though.

Quote (Invizard @ 14 May 2012 17:49)

What part of this is helpful whatsoever? It's quite a reach to act like I've been whining because your advice was "too hard" or "not what I wanted to hear"

Right off the bat I said I knew it wouldn't be easy, that college was better, etc. Yet you're still riding that same horse?

What's wrong with you?

Quote (Invizard @ 14 May 2012 18:53)

Sounds like something you're actually struggling with yourself pal

Your stance is nothing short of arrogant