As A Young Developer Should I Keep My Job Or Keep My Studies

[Brawler]

Do both. Even if the degree takes 6 years. It was worth it for me.

 

[reactor_sa]

While I don't believe the degree is critical, I do believe it will give you peace of mind as it will then never be a road block for some other opportunities later.

 

[C4Cat]

I don't think there is a wrong choice here, to be honest, either one will work out for you, so don't worry about it. Choose whichever feels most attractive to you at this point and you can be sure you've made the right choice. You continue working now and study at a later point if you still want to, or study now and go back to work later. Either way your skillset will improve (in different ways)

 

[cguy]

After graduating Matric in 2017 I got discovered by a software development company through one of my personal projects I was working on, impressed they decided to extend an opportunity for me to work as Mobile Applications Developer in their Android team which I kindly accepted. My first year at the company (2018) I worked as an intern developing small in house apps and working on older projects, fixing and maintaining code. I then got moved to Flutter which I adopted really quickly such that I had to develop a fully functional production app for a client who's deadline was a month which I did without question. I got better & better at what I was doing. Fast Forward to 2019 I got moved back to Android again this time to work on a student banking app as a junior Android developer, our client is one of the biggest banks in South Africa. For legal reasons I cannot disclose the name of the bank and company I work for until the app is released. Anyway my head developer said that I have a lot of potential to become a good developer going on to say that I'm better than some of the seniors at the company. The problem is that this year (2019) I registered to study at UNISA, BSc in Computer Science. I told my head developer that if things ever got difficult I would leave the company to focus on my studies but he said I should consider the alternative which is to continue working with them and build my portfolio as a developer and get the experience. This really has me confused because I really love what I do but I also feel the need to complete my qualification which I believe will aid me. I don't have anyone I can ask for guidance but if anyone has any advice for me please do advise. Being 19 I feel like my options are plenty but that's part of the problem I'm facing. How do I make a decision that will impact positively on my future but also impact positively on my current interests and skills.

On the highlighted points above:

If after a year of work, you are actually better than some of the senior developers in your company, it means that they must be employing some seriously checked-out developers. This isn't a good sign for the company. I don't want to burst your bubble, but if this was really the situation, you would have a case to be granted the same salary - it's a common management tactic to give praise in lieu of promotion or pay check. It also most likely makes sense for your head developer to have you continue doing what you are doing, rather than obtain a qualification and move onto something more advantageous to you.

On your portfolio - experience is great, but the work you are doing is currently the type of work that one can do with a years experience and no degree. Over time of course, you can and I am sure will expand the scope and complexity of your projects, but realistically, the app you built in 2018 isn't going to be in the slightest bit relevant to your career in 2028. Completing your degree, however, will be, if you leverage it properly - it will allow you to do an entirely different type of work that isn't currently available to you, and build a portfolio of this type of work instead.

I highly recommend continuing with your BSc concurrently, and favouring this over work, if you have to choose.

 

[Steamy Tom]

On the highlighted points above:

If after a year of work, you are actually better than some of the senior developers in your company, it means that they must be employing some seriously checked-out developers. This isn't a good sign for the company. I don't want to burst your bubble, but if this was really the situation, you would have a case to be granted the same salary - it's a common management tactic to give praise in lieu of promotion or pay check. It also most likely makes sense for your head developer to have you continue doing what you are doing, rather than obtain a qualification and move onto something more advantageous to you.

On your portfolio - experience is great, but the work you are doing is currently the type of work that one can do with a years experience and no degree. Over time of course, you can and I am sure will expand the scope and complexity of your projects, but realistically, the app you built in 2018 isn't going to be in the slightest bit relevant to your career in 2028. Completing your degree, however, will be, if you leverage it properly - it will allow you to do an entirely different type of work that isn't currently available to you, and build a portfolio of this type of work instead.

I highly recommend continuing with your BSc concurrently, and favouring this over work, if you have to choose.

it is way more common than you think, terrible dev's masquerading as seniors, somehow being carried for years on bigger teams

 

[eXisor]

it is way more common than you think, terrible dev's masquerading as seniors, somehow being carried for years on bigger teams

There is a problem with how we perceive experience. Some people learn for a period in a position, then just reuse that knowledge for the rest of their term. Experience should entail the acummulation of knowledge over the period, not just regurgitation for as long as it was.
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[Steamy Tom]

There is a problem with how we perceive experience. Some people learn for a period in a position, then just reuse that knowledge for the rest of their term. Experience should entail the acummulation of knowledge over the period, not just regurgitation for as long as it was.
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yes I fully agree, they get competent to a degree but it is only based on what they have experienced, throw then a curve ball and there is little to no problem solving ability.

 

[Lebogang95]

There is a problem with how we perceive experience. Some people learn for a period in a position, then just reuse that knowledge for the rest of their term. Experience should entail the acummulation of knowledge over the period, not just regurgitation for as long as it was.
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I suppose a BSc would assist in granting you the skills you need to be able to accumulate that knowledge.

 

[Lebogang95]

it is way more common than you think, terrible dev's masquerading as seniors, somehow being carried for years on bigger teams

From what I've experienced, some senior developers don't do much but inspect code, suggest design patterns, do unit testing. They don't really code, most of that falls to the guy in between a senior and junior developer (Don't know what they are called). This is how the seniors at work have been carried I guess.

 

[eXisor]

I suppose a BSc would assist in granting you the skills you need to be able to accumulate that knowledge.

The wish to learn more is important. Hang on to that. One can grow even if you are stuck in the same position, but you need to have a curious personality to do that. If you are a curious person then you do not need a degree to grow your experience.
That being said, I encourage you to finish your studies while working. More qualifications are always better.
.

 

[Lebogang95]

On the highlighted points above:

If after a year of work, you are actually better than some of the senior developers in your company, it means that they must be employing some seriously checked-out developers. This isn't a good sign for the company. I don't want to burst your bubble, but if this was really the situation, you would have a case to be granted the same salary - it's a common management tactic to give praise in lieu of promotion or pay check. It also most likely makes sense for your head developer to have you continue doing what you are doing, rather than obtain a qualification and move onto something more advantageous to you.

On your portfolio - experience is great, but the work you are doing is currently the type of work that one can do with a years experience and no degree. Over time of course, you can and I am sure will expand the scope and complexity of your projects, but realistically, the app you built in 2018 isn't going to be in the slightest bit relevant to your career in 2028. Completing your degree, however, will be, if you leverage it properly - it will allow you to do an entirely different type of work that isn't currently available to you, and build a portfolio of this type of work instead.

I highly recommend continuing with your BSc concurrently, and favouring this over work, if you have to choose.

Thank you for this. The most complete answer of the lot.

I agree with you, a degree will allow me to reach a different level developing which I believe I lack.

 

[eXisor]

From what I've experienced, some senior developers don't do much but inspect code, suggest design patterns, do unit testing. They don't really code, most of that falls to the guy in between a senior and junior developer (Don't know what they are called). This is how the seniors at work have been carried I guess.

It depends on the company, and the incumbent. A really good senior developer is exceptionally valuable, not only for what they produce, but also for the guidance and assistance they provide to the team.
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[wcm]

To be fair the company actually supports the idea of upskilling and educating oneself. To give you an idea, they paid for my course fees in 2018 which was a software & game development course all the while paying for short courses which I requested for in sites like Udemy. If I asked they would likely pay for my varsity fees as well. I even get Fridays off and flexible hours to study as I already did talk to my director and manager about UNISA. I guess this is where the dilemma sort of stems from as well. They're supporting me in my studies whilst giving me a job. It really makes me want to stay with them.

Seems like a good work environment, I suggest try both studying and working initially. If you're unable to manage both weigh up your options and decide what would benefit you most in the long run.

 

[Steamy Tom]

I suppose a BSc would assist in granting you the skills you need to be able to accumulate that knowledge.

for me when it comes to degrees it is really about learning some fundamentals and learning to learn, or should i say making you more susceptible to learn.

 

[Steamy Tom]

From what I've experienced, some senior developers don't do much but inspect code, suggest design patterns, do unit testing. They don't really code, most of that falls to the guy in between a senior and junior developer (Don't know what they are called). This is how the seniors at work have been carried I guess.

those seniors are either technical leads or architects, and those imo are mostly real seniors.

 

[eXisor]

Seems like a good work environment, I suggest try both studying and working initially. If you're unable to manage both weigh up your options and decide what would benefit you most in the long run.

As someone who studied through Unisa while working in a production support department, I can tell you there will be times that your Unisa work will suffer. Rather do fewer courses per year than neglect your work responsibilities.
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[Lebogang95]

As someone who studied through Unisa while working in a production support department, I can tell you there will be times that your Unisa work will suffer. Rather do fewer courses per year than neglect your work responsibilities.
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A couple of you guys have mentioned that you studied and worked at the same time it's kinda giving me hope. I mean there are a few downsides here and there but definitely more hope than doubt.

 

[eXisor]

A couple of you guys have mentioned that you studied and worked at the same time it's kinda giving me hope. I mean there are a few downsides here and there but definitely more hope than doubt.

Back yourself to be able to do both and give it a go. I used to do a major and a filler per year.
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[Kosmik]

You should do both. Also best to get into the habbit now, there's no such thing as coasting on what you learnt previously in development, you are ALWAYS learning. So for the next few years just apply that logical of your practical to studies, I bet you will find it a lot easier studying as well with good practice in hand, some concepts may be difficult to grasp without practical application.

 

[Cius]

In SA a lot of the bigger employers respect the degree a lot and pay you accordingly. There is the occasional exception to the rule but mostly if you have a degree behind you you will comfortably out earn those without degree's even if you are worse than the other guy. A sad but true fact. I think this is less of an issue in smaller companies but can't speak from too much experience there. So personally I would try do both but if that is not working out I would pick studies over work, get it out of the way, and then carry on working.

I studied my undergrad full time but did masters part time and it is no picnic. Still, more than worth it. I got a 25% raise the day I handed in my masters certificate at work which paid off the masters in under a year and its been profit every since.