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by nextos
1719 days ago
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In Europe there are many universities where you can register for as many courses as you want, ignore lectures, sit the exam, and get full credit in case you pass. In principle, nobody prevents you from passing the whole BSc in two semesters. This opportunity gets especially interesting when you consider national open / remote universities, as you won't need to travel to pass the exams. However, coding is one thing, theory is another one. Even if you know theory pretty well, you will need to review a bit which kind of imposes a speed limit on how fast you can pass said courses. |
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Yes, definitely. For example, I did a lot of work with genetic algorithms about ten years ago. Jumped-in head-first, read a pile of university-level books on the subject. However, I haven't touched any of that in probably five or six years. I would likely have to do a deep review for two or three months before being able to take a real test on the subject.
I am looking at the online program offered by the University of London. Not sure if they have the ability to just take tests one one's own schedule as opposed to only being able to take a test at the end of the term, which defeats the purpose by imposing artificial time constraints.
The other thing I see at universities in Europe is that they don't tend to make you waste a year of your life taking non-degree coursework. One ought to be able to obtain a degree in CS, Engineering or Mathematics without having to devote a year passing courses in history, philosophy, etc. We could argue about the idea of general education, etc. Well, this ought to be a part of primary and secondary education. In the US, that extra year or more devoted to non-degree coursework can cost you USD $30K, $50K or $60K, depending on where you go. This is insane.
Yes, give people the option to study such courses, and, if they have career value or are valued by employers, graduates can list them as part of their resume. The reality is that the vast majority of employers don't give a shit. This ads no value at all. I would much rather a CS student spend another solid year on real CS course work than on general education. Far more value in that.
I bit of a rant, I know. It just bothers me to see young people in the US leave school with debt they did not need to incur. Last I checked the hiring process at FAANG companies does not include an essay on ancient European history. And yet our students spend tens of thousands of dollars and a massive amount of time (opportunity cost) getting enough of a good grade on this stuff to be able to obtain a degree.