Vblog – Dropping out
Alright- time for a new video because it sure has been a long time since the last video. I’ve decided to have a few personal blog posts and videos – not many but just a few since I’ve had so many people request them. No need to worry, there will still be just as many tech posts as before- probably more since I’m not traveling for a few weeks. If you have no interest in my personal life as a developer just avoid the posts tagged with ‘Life of Iris’ :)
In this video I talk about deciding to drop out of school – evening school that is since I do work fulltime a a developer. I had started on a 2 year trade school degree in Testing and QA but after half a year, and half of the education (since half of it is practical training) without doing any testing and focusing instead on project management I decided it didn’t teach me wath I wanted to learn- and at the pace I wanted. I’m very much a hands on person and I’ve done my time at university and can do theory on my own. I have been learning testing on my own instead, with the help of friends and courses on for example Pluralsight. For me, this time, it was the right choice not to get formal education. But it is a difficult question, and one only the person in question can answer. Is school right for me? We discussed this earlier here:
Stupid Question 220 and 221: Should I go to school to learn programming? Do I need a formal education to get a job as a developer?
I recommend you read the comments as well- there were many good ones. I’ll get back to this topic in a later video, just wanted to give a short update- and see you soon!
Comments
Hello Iris. Your career is very inspiring for me. I've been in this industry for more than 10 years 8 as .NET developer and you have accomplished a lot more than me even if I have learned during all my career and also I try to be in the latest technology. What you said in your video does totally make sense is important to be familiar with the testing process but trying to get that from formal theorical education. Congrats for all that you do. I have a single question out of development stuff ... what is your real hair color?
I dropped out since I prefer to learn hands on, and I can read the theory myself and ask question where I feel like I don't understand. I guess for some people they prefer it the other way around, there really isnt any right or wrong as long as you learn and learn it well. And my natural hair color is a very dark brown, almost black. Haven't seen much of it since I was 14 but there is a picture of me with short black hair here (the graduation photo where Im holding the flowers): http://irisclasson.com/2013/07/18/stupid-question-220-and-221-should-i-go-to-school-to-learn-programming-do-i-need-a-formal-education-to-get-a-job-as-a-developer/ I prefer color, I love colors, they make me happy :)
School is definitely not for everyone.. I pretty much did the same thing when I was younger (19), I am now 27. One thing I've always told my family and friends, is that if you love what you do, you're a lucky person, in other words, find something you love to do and you'll never work a day in your life! That's something that I apply to my career every day, I am a technical infrastructure integrator working with the datacenter stack (Virtualization, Storage, Network, Windows, etc). You seem to have done pretty well for yourself and honestly, much respect for that. Today, in IT having the hands on experience proves to be very valuable and I have yet to see someone who has no degree in IT to fall behind. You seem to have evaluated your options well and that is the best thing you can do. Going back to school is never too late, it will always be there, but sometimes you have to concentrate on the important things, such as developing your career while you have the opportunity and the drive, as time goes by, goals change, opportunities change, and so does your life :). Keep up the great work!
Last modified on 2013-12-15