[jmduke]

This is well written, but I feel as though I'm missing something.

The best way to get better at being a career programmer is to be a career programmer. This is understandable! And the author's initiative at 16 years of age to identify his passions and stick with them at the exclusion of higher education is commendable.

But I've learned a whole, whole lot in college -- and yes, I completely agree with the author that the amount of time I spent tinkering around with computers is smaller than it otherwise would. Instead, I spent time joining a fraternity; taking classes comparing Milton to Bradbury; learning how to pitch a stock; volunteering with the homeless; getting blackout drunk on a Tuesday night; learning the differences between Brahman and Brahma.

Do those things make me a better programmer? No, but I absolutely think they make me a better person than had I spent the past four years as an apprentice. (And, I'd wager that they're better for my career in the long term, but that's not really relevant to this discussion.)

So, I guess, my takeaway: if you know with absolute certainty that computer programming is your sole passion in life, then college is probably not your best choice. (I'm not saying that the author is being anti-college in this post: but I fear most of the readers might interpret his post as such.)

[terhechte]

I did both, I first did an apprenticeship, and then some time after that went to college. I think that's a great way to do it, because I first learned the pragmatic way, and then could expand it with theory. In addition to that (I think), I had matured enough when college started, to better decide what to do, which courses to choose.

I wholeheartedly agree on all the other things you list about college; doing an apprenticeship doesn't give you any of that. I'm confident that going to college was one of the best decisions of my life, maybe the best decision, given all the contacts / friends I made, the things I exprienced, the new topics I learned about, the discussions I had, the parties I had, etc.

[MikeKusold]

I wish I did things this way. In college I formed a lot of uneducated opinions (why would you ever not have a completely normalized database? That's dumb) that only thanks to my extensive coop experience did I retrospectively see the value of.

[sebcat]

I dropped out of school (college equiv.), started parachuting from airplanes and solid objects, joined the military, dropped out of the military, ended up as a software developer.

All that matters in the end is that you like what you do. And if you don't, you can always quit. You might not always know what you want, but you'll figure it out.

[TheEzEzz]

Most kids don't actually read Milton or Bradbury in college when it's assigned. On the other hand, people who do want to read classics can do so while also being a software developer.

I'm all for enrichment, and I did enrich myself in college, but no more than I do on my own now that I'm in the real world.

(Edit: Also, I didn't learn how to really party until after college =)

[jimmaswell]

>(And, I'd wager that they're better for my career in the long term, but that's not really relevant to this discussion.)

How so?

[bromang]

the ability to do all those things without having to work at the same time is a real luxury. it is certainly a nice thing to do, but someone (you or the state) has to pay for it, so the costs and benefits of different types of education/training still have to be considered.

[ahoyhere]

I think the confusion here is that Tobi is telling his story, not your story, and he's not telling anyone what to do. If you reread the essay and don't believe he's talking about your choices, it will make sense.