Channel 9 Forums - Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Christian Liensberger — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 11:45:50 GMT

I'm 24 now and have still 2 years ahead (master). How old were you when you finished studying? I wonder, if I'm late. I'm a little bit behind schedule, because I did a lot of other things during studying - wrote my own ORM, did a lot internships, did courses, wrote articles, ...

Anyway: How old were you when you got out of university with your diploma?

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

SecretSoftware — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 11:49:07 GMT

I never finished studying. Studying lasts for a lifetime. Cant put a number on it really. Life is a learning experiance.

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

An_Angel — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 11:51:15 GMT

I've never stopped studying and learning new stuff. It's part of what I do and who I am

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Christian Liensberger — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 11:53:33 GMT

Hmmm. My question was more how old you were when you exited university...

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Herbie Smith — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 12:00:22 GMT

Lets see, potted history:

18 - 22 undergraduate degree
22-23 Masters degree
23 - 26 the wilderness years
26 - 30 Phd.

Now feel like I have catching up to do.

Herbie

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

dahat — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 12:13:23 GMT

23: Undergrad
25: Masters
26+: ?

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

JoeE — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 12:21:19 GMT

15-17: Drunk
17-21: Stoned and Drunk
23: ???

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

WBurggraaf — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 12:54:53 GMT

Well I did the hard way . Our(Netherlands) school system really differs from other Country's. So I began in the middle level of the school system. Graduated school on my 21st as a system administrator. Went working. Got my Microsoft Certified Application Developer certificate last summer. And now on my 24th I'm going to start on my new job as Medior Software Engineer(with 3years experience as a OO programmer) on University level. A friend of mine almost has his bachelor degree and than he starts as a Junior Software Engineer. And we graduated together from the same school we were on together 3 years ago.

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

eagle — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 13:06:31 GMT

I was 23, but you never finish and nobody ever told me that at school....

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Christian Liensberger — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 13:10:07 GMT

eagle wrote:

I was 23, but you never finish and nobody ever told me that at school....

That's clear... life is learning. Especially in IT. I was awake this night and thought about how old I'm and how long it still takes until I'm finally done with university...

That's why I posted this question.

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

t63094 — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 15:13:00 GMT

I got my degree at 40 and have never stopped studying. You can't in this business.

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

JohnAskew — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 15:25:50 GMT

ROFL, die-Sel. To quote Janis Joplin: "You, me, and Bobby McGhee."

B.S. in Computer Science in Dec. 1993 when I was 32.

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Yggdrasil — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 15:29:32 GMT

littleguru wrote:

Anyway: How old were you when you got out of university with your diploma?

I only started studying when I was 24, taking on a humanities degree alongside full time programming work. This didn't work out time-wise, so after a couple of years of taking a course here and there I've cut down to part-time work and taking my studies more seriously. I should finish my BA in 2009 - when I'm 30.

Life is more fun when you're in no hurry.

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Ping — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 16:36:56 GMT

Learning is a life time journey. I haven't even start uni yet.
I wonder how long does each degree/qualification take in different countries? I know in England Uni-3 years
                                              master-1year
                                              PhD- 3 year
Medicin takes longer

whereas in China           uni--4 years
                                       master-2 year
                                       PhD-4 years

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Herbie Smith — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 16:44:46 GMT

Ping wrote:

Learning is a life time journey. I haven't even start uni yet.
I wonder how long does each degree/qualification take in different countries? I know in England Uni-3 years
                                              master-1year
                                              PhD- 3 year
Medicin takes longer

whereas in China           uni--4 years
                                       master-2 year
                                       PhD-4 years

Scottish degree is 4 years, but we start a year earlier that England. A Phd in the UK get funding for three years, but you can take more time to finish (unpaid).

Herbie

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Angus — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 16:57:09 GMT

I haven't finished studying, but I expect that the earliest I will finish would be 22 years old. I still have AS/A2 Levels to do, and then the university course I hope to take can be either 3 or 4 years (I would like to do the extra year, so I would be there for 4 years). After that I'm not sure whether I will try and complete another qualification, or get a job, but I would probably say that I will finish most my studying at about 22 years of age.

Angus Higgins

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Ping — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 17:11:38 GMT

Angus wrote:

I haven't finished studying, but I expect that the earliest I will finish would be 22 years old. I still have AS/A2 Levels to do, and then the university course I hope to take can be either 3 or 4 years (I would like to do the extra year, so I would be there for 4 years). After that I'm not sure whether I will try and complete another qualification, or get a job, but I would probably say that I will finish most my studying at about 22 years of age.

Angus Higgins

Not even master degree? what kind of good job can u get without a decent qualification? there's graduated university student everywhere.

I'll get a master I think, That's the minimum level my parents hoping me to get.

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Angus — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 17:51:11 GMT

Ping wrote:

Not even master degree? what kind of good job can u get without a decent qualification? there's graduated university student everywhere.

I'll get a master I think, That's the minimum level my parents hoping me to get.

Well, I would like to go on to do a further qualification, but this course would be a very valuable one, and often, most jobs would not be entirely suited to the particular qualification, and thus, it could be more profitable to show to the employer that you are serious about studying and can commit to something and then begin training with them than going on to do further education that may or may not result in a better career prospect. I will decide on further education when I consider the job I want to do when I am older, I am currently undecided. The degree is a Mathematics degree which I will do because I want to study Mathematics to a high level, not due to a specific job.

In a lot of jobs once you have proved to the emplyer that you can study to a high level (by obtaining a degree, etc.) it isn't necessary to have it in a specific subject.

I wouldn't mind going into investment banking, or stock broking and as such, Mathematics could be helpful, but not necessarily the style of Mathematics I wish to do. I would, however be able to show the employer that I have at least a small amount of intelligence, and therefore it would give me a better chance of getting into the job.

It would be nice to study for a PhD, but I don't want to be stuck in education for too long, I want to be progressing through a company so that I will be earning as much money as possible, as soon as possible.

Angus Higgins

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Mike Sampson — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 18:44:32 GMT

Got my BS in CS at 21. Started at Microsoft a month later.

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

kettch — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 21:31:42 GMT

I was 18, but I did drop out of high school two years early to go to the local community college for an AS degree. I've mentioned in other threads that school and I don't get along (to put it lightly), so I won't get into the details. Suffice to say that I have not and will not be pursuing any further education other than what I teach myself. So far that hasn't been an obstacle to getting the employment I want, so I'm not worried.

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Adam Kinney — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 22:04:40 GMT

I finished "studying" in the US Army when I was 21, then I started working with computers. Never did try the whole "university" thing

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

ddewbofh — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 23:03:19 GMT

Speaking of studies...

For reasons out of my control I couldn't get the eduation I wanted, nor will I ever be able to. Needless to say I'm looking into other options and I'm kinda curious over how important the various MS certifications really are? If it actually means something I would definatly pursue them but the impression I've gotten so far is pretty much "Good to have on your resumé but nothing substantial." Any experiences?

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

figuerres — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 23:08:07 GMT

SecretSoftware wrote:

I never finished studying. Studying lasts for a lifetime. Cant put a number on it really. Life is a learning experiance.

Yeah, and while I took some cc stuff no fancy degree....

never stop learning...

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Colin Angus Mackay — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 00:32:34 GMT

littleguru wrote:

How old were you when you finished studying?
...
Anyway: How old were you when you got out of university with your diploma?

Now, those are two totally different questions.

I finished Uni' at the age of 22.

I'm now 32 and I'm still studying and I will continue to do so until technology stagnates - which just ain't gonna happen in the forseeable future.

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Colin Angus Mackay — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 00:35:27 GMT

eagle wrote:

I was 23, but you never finish and nobody ever told me that at school....

You sound bitter about that... like it came as a disappointment.

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Colin Angus Mackay — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 00:45:26 GMT

Ping wrote:

Not even master degree? what kind of good job can u get without a decent qualification? there's graduated university student everywhere.

That is kind of elitist thinking there. I have to admit I used to think the same way. However, I've now found that experience counts for more than qualifications. These days I'd be more concerned about someone who had spent too much time in academia because it is a big jump to the world of business. The more time you spend there the more set in your ways you can get. I know of people who have done very badly at uni, but outshone everyone as a professional developer and vice versa. Of course, I know people that did well in uni' and did well in business too. What I'm really saying is that qualifications are not a marker as to how good a person is in the business world.

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Colin Angus Mackay — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 00:51:22 GMT

ddewbofh wrote:

I'm kinda curious over how important the various MS certifications really are? If it actually means something I would definatly pursue them but the impression I've gotten so far is pretty much "Good to have on your resumé but nothing substantial." Any experiences?

MS Certification is especially useful if you are going for a job with a Microsoft Partner. Also, the act of studying for them will reinforce the knowledge you have and you'll learn things too. For my MSCD I learned lots of useful stuff that I'd not touched prior to that, but knowing what was there and what it could do has been very useful.

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

TimP — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 00:56:08 GMT

I'm 19 now, looking to be finished by 21, just shy of 22.

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Charles — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 01:12:24 GMT

Graduated from college at 24.

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Raghu — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 05:06:52 GMT

Colin Angus Mackay wrote:

However, I've now found that experience counts for more than qualifications.

Mr. Mackay, Thank You, for this line it gives me strength. And, littlegure, thanks for this valuable thread, reading all great niners reply was really really useful. , Me, finished college ar 21 (incomplete) and later did'nt had time to go uni and that was the end of my education. All from there, working as programmer from last 8 years. I guess, I need to gather lots of experience in working, so it adds value to my resume.

Anyway. Thanks once again.

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

WBurggraaf — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 07:30:20 GMT

Ping wrote:

Not even master degree? what kind of good job can u get without a decent qualification? there's graduated university student everywhere.

I'll get a master I think, That's the minimum level my parents hoping me to get.

That’s true, but what do you do if the school system kicks you down. When I was 12 my teachers wanted to send me to the lowest level in our school system, just because I was more interested in computers than in school stuff. Since then I always was busy learning stuff about computing and software (began programming when I was 14) and never really did a thing for school until I went working and met my true passion. So I did an iq test got 130. On my job interview for the Software Engineer job I event didn’t need to explain what my school background was, I only needed to do a test and explain what I knew about software development on university engineering level and voila I got the job, witch I’m really happy about .

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Herbie Smith — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 07:41:15 GMT

Colin Angus Mackay wrote:

Ping wrote:  Not even master degree? what kind of good job can u get without a decent qualification? there's graduated university student everywhere.

That is kind of elitist thinking there. I have to admit I used to think the same way. However, I've now found that experience counts for more than qualifications.

Yes, but when it comes to the decision between two candidates with aparently equal experience, many employers will choose the one with the MSc. simply because it's an extra 'point' on their CV.

Also, in larger companies where there are many applicants at once, an MSc can reduce the chances of being immediately put on the 'discard' pile (I've heard horror stories about the graduate recruitment process at large, famous companies: stamp on the envelope squint? Discard. Addressed in blue pen? Discard ...).

Herbie.

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

blowdart — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 12:15:49 GMT

Colin Angus Mackay wrote:

Ping wrote: Not even master degree? what kind of good job can u get without a decent qualification? there's graduated university student everywhere.

That is kind of elitist thinking there. I have to admit I used to think the same way. However, I've now found that experience counts for more than qualifications.

I don't have a degree. Although I'm bored enough to be doing one part time these days. At work we don't really care about degrees at all, and everyone I've worked for hasn't either.

Of course it's an opinion if my job is "good" or not. I'd wonder what sort of a good job you can get if you use text-speak like U *grin*

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

eagle — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 14:01:32 GMT

Colin Angus Mackay wrote:

eagle wrote: I was 23, but you never finish and nobody ever told me that at school....

You sound bitter about that... like it came as a disappointment.

Education is an industry; University’s sell a solution that sustains THEM but doesn’t teach you how to learn.

Colin Angus Mackay wrote:

I'm still studying and I will continue to do so until technology stagnates - which just ain't gonna happen in the forseeable future.

School always got in the way of my education.

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Christian Liensberger — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 14:02:32 GMT

eagle wrote:

Education is an industry; University’s sell a solution that sustains THEM but doesn’t teach you how to learn.

The only thing I got from university so far is that they told me HOW to learn... HOW to solve problems on my own and HOW to break problems into smaller problems that are easier to solve.

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

Herbie Smith — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 14:24:02 GMT

littleguru wrote:

eagle wrote: Education is an industry; University’s sell a solution that sustains THEM but doesn’t teach you how to learn.

The only thing I got from university so far is that they told me HOW to learn... HOW to solve problems on my own and HOW to break problems into smaller problems that are easier to solve.

Me too. How to use a library is the only thing that I really remember (apart from some of the central concepts from my subjects).

But Eagle has a point, Universities tend to stay with the mainstream and can sometimes discourage original thought. They are driven by funding (at least in the UK).

Herbie

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

WBurggraaf — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 14:38:23 GMT

Well thats true, my girlfriend works on Human Recources and tells me such storys every day, sometimes its even fun . But then you have to be smart. My CV was so build up that first my MCAD certifcation was seen and my work eperience before you saw my oldest degree.

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

martin_lovick — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 15:54:03 GMT

I graduated from university at 21

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

harumscarum — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 16:00:10 GMT

24

Dont worry about being behind schedule. A friend of mine who is in Finance was around the same age as you when getting his masters. He is now doing very well with his career.

The great thing you having going for you is the experience you have built....."wrote my own ORM, did a lot internships, did courses, wrote articles".... If you were getting out of college at 21 you would not have any of it.

Its not a race.

Coffeehouse - How old were you when you finished studying?

ckozlowski — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 16:13:07 GMT

I'm 23, still attending George Mason University and working towards my undergrad.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about a schedule other than the one you set for yourself. So long as you stay focused and continue to chip away at it, I think you'll be alright.

As for other approaches to learning, I started working full-time in IT after high school and have been working on my degree part time ever since. (I've been continually enrolled) I think this helps in a number of ways. I've been continually pleased in how much my job has helped my school work and vice versa, and I've noticed my career has progressed much farther already than my other friends who have graduated ahead of me. (That being said, a degree will go a long way to advancing your career.)

It's really whatever works for you best. But being thrown into the enviroment teaches you in a way school won't. If you can leverage the two then you'll really learn a ton.

And that's what it's all about, really...=)