New ask Hacker News story: Ask HN: How do I stop flip-flopping an important decision?
Ask HN: How do I stop flip-flopping an important decision?
3 by overclk64 | 0 comments on Hacker News.
I've been indeterministically bouncing from one state to another (and back again) for longer than I would like to admit. Frankly, I'm in a while(1) loop, and I desperately need someone to hand me a 'break.' I would love to settle on the decision and act upon it. For context, I'm 28, a non-EU resident, and have been programming for five years. I have always wanted to get a degree in software engineering. However, when I first considered going to university, my math skills were far below the level required for passing the entrance exam. Despite not knowing how to add two fractions, I was determined to get into the study program I wanted in the future. Fast-forward a few years: I invested about 2K hours, scattered across three years, in mathematics only. Besides math, I read and programmed a lot. I was very disciplined and covered about 70% of the university curriculum I was aiming for, including areas like computer architecture, computer networks, computer security, databases, operating systems, compilers, etc. Considering that I have very high aspirations (migrating to EU/US, six-figure income, etc.), what should I do? There are some compelling things about enrolling in a university: I'm sure having a diploma is very valuable for the immigration process, and good networking can never hurt. But I keep seeing people who succeeded even without a degree. I don't know their path in detail, but I know they have done it, although they are usually EU residents. Anyway, an inevitable question arises: why haven't I enrolled earlier? It almost feels unfair now. I've put so much work into everything, and for what, only to start from the beginning again? Time is precious. Besides that, I'm a bit skeptical about how the networking part would turn out since I'd be 10+ years older than most students. On the other hand, I'm positive I would regret it for the rest of my life if I hadn't at least tried. I know that I would be miserable if I stayed here forever. I just need someone to nudge me in the right direction with a convincing argument. Thanks for reading.
3 by overclk64 | 0 comments on Hacker News.
I've been indeterministically bouncing from one state to another (and back again) for longer than I would like to admit. Frankly, I'm in a while(1) loop, and I desperately need someone to hand me a 'break.' I would love to settle on the decision and act upon it. For context, I'm 28, a non-EU resident, and have been programming for five years. I have always wanted to get a degree in software engineering. However, when I first considered going to university, my math skills were far below the level required for passing the entrance exam. Despite not knowing how to add two fractions, I was determined to get into the study program I wanted in the future. Fast-forward a few years: I invested about 2K hours, scattered across three years, in mathematics only. Besides math, I read and programmed a lot. I was very disciplined and covered about 70% of the university curriculum I was aiming for, including areas like computer architecture, computer networks, computer security, databases, operating systems, compilers, etc. Considering that I have very high aspirations (migrating to EU/US, six-figure income, etc.), what should I do? There are some compelling things about enrolling in a university: I'm sure having a diploma is very valuable for the immigration process, and good networking can never hurt. But I keep seeing people who succeeded even without a degree. I don't know their path in detail, but I know they have done it, although they are usually EU residents. Anyway, an inevitable question arises: why haven't I enrolled earlier? It almost feels unfair now. I've put so much work into everything, and for what, only to start from the beginning again? Time is precious. Besides that, I'm a bit skeptical about how the networking part would turn out since I'd be 10+ years older than most students. On the other hand, I'm positive I would regret it for the rest of my life if I hadn't at least tried. I know that I would be miserable if I stayed here forever. I just need someone to nudge me in the right direction with a convincing argument. Thanks for reading.
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