[willisrocks]

I was in a similar situation as you. I completed a BA in Econ then ended up working in tech. I wanted to move into a full-time development role, so I made the decision to go back to school full-time for my BS in CompSci.

I'm happy that I made the decision that I did, but I had already been pretty heavy into self-learning for years before going back to school. I could see both approaches working, but I felt more comfortable getting my foot in the door as a developer with the degree.

Working full-time while working towards your CompSci degree sounds rough! I didn't even try it.

Not sure how helpful that is for you, but I wish you the best of luck.

[TheGrkIntrprtr]

Hey, thanks for your comment. It is definitely helpful. Perhaps this would be the best option, especially if I stay in the public sector. I'd be interested to hear your approach to self-learning too, if you're open/have time to share.

[willisrocks]

You're already doing one of the mains things I do for self-learning: checking this site every morning. I bookmark interesting stuff for later and try to play with the things that really catch my eye. Either way, keeping an eye on what other people are talking about is important.

I tend to do well with watching videos as a way to get familiar with new tools, stacks, languages, concepts, etc. Then I need to get my hands dirty. For my first few years learning programming, I went pretty deep on personal projects.

Additionally, I've always had an interest in the ops side too, so I got comfortable with stuff like Docker and Linux pretty early on. Having a general sense of how your software gets built and deployed really helps, in my opinion.

The biggest thing for me was building up the confidence that I would be able to figure out whatever was thrown my way. Between my self-learning and internships, I stepped into my first job after school with enough confidence to really hit the ground running. That mindset continues to be an asset now.

My CS program was heavy with theory, so it was important for me practice building software the whole time. This is probably the biggest reason to avoid juggling the degree and a full-time job in my mind. Your coursework will keep you plenty busy on its own, let alone doing your own personal learning and projects!

Regardless of the approach you take, I wish you the best on your journey! I love talking about this stuff, so I'm always happy to share my experience.