Should I finish my non tech degree?
For the past two years, I've been working as a full-stack developer at a startup, a role I began after completing a coding bootcamp. I'm feeling burnt out and the startup is slowly running out of runway, but I still feel passionate about coding! I'm contemplating quitting my job to return to school this winter semester (January to April), which would enable me to complete the final year of my biology degree. This seems like a short-lived opportunity, since I'm 24 and living at home, which will not be the case for much longer.
Given my two years of experience, I'm wondering if adding a biology degree to my resume will enhance my job prospects in big tech. Will this degree offer additional advantages in my future career search? I'm trying to set myself up for success in the long run and Im trying to assess if its worth it since I am still living at home
5 Replies
I'm gonna assume that the main cost here is time spent on a degree in which case the main question should be are you passionate about biology?
If it's a field you don't wanna ever touch anymore than no use burning yourself even further, but if it is something you're genuinely interested in I'd say go for it since it is only one year and as you said now is the ideal opportunity.
Along, with the facts you presented keep in mind that going in a new job burnt out is not a good idea, and the tech job market may be a little bit smaller at the moment (depends where you are, but a lot of tech companies have reduced hiring, at least in US and Europe). Therefore, time wise you will not be missing out on much for doing something else one semester.
It may not bring you any benefit in tech (unless you land in a biology related project, and in some cases having a degree can be a minor plus when resume filtering), but it does sound like an opportunity you might regret not taking.
I will add that if it comes with an additional monetary cost, you need to way your options more carefully. I can't offer much info on that perspective as this is not an issue in my part of the world (higher education is cheap or basically free) so I'm unfamiliar how to handle such situations.
Btw I answered as if you've already quit your job, so a word of advice there: Even if you decide not to go to school, get out of that job! Maybe search for a new one before quitting to try to have a leg up on salary negotiation, but if that's not going anywhere just quit whenever it's safe to do so. You want to be able to do the job (coding) in the long run, no use in burning out early on, trust me.
In terms of job opportunities I think it can be a pretty good addition. I might be biased tho since I’m in my last year studying bio-informatics. What I learned from all my internships is that biotech companies are more likely to hire someone who lacks in programming skills compared to your biology skills. Having a good understanding of biology is crucial in these companies and the programming you can pick up along the way. So I think for you it’s best to think about if you actually want to end up working in the biological field using your programming skills along the way. The biotech industry also has a great future. Keep in mind that I don’t have a lot of work experience outside of internships so take it with a grain of salt.
Thanks for the replies so far guys, just for reference I don't see myself pursing something biology related in the future, I was more coming from a place of "even a degree is better than nothing" even if its not comp sci related
Then I don’t think it’s worth finishing the degree
But a degree could give many employers the feel that you also do stuff that does not directly many sense.