To go for the minor or not, that is the ?

[shiznit770]

I wasn't sure where to get some opinions on my present predicament, but this seems a good place to start.

I am on track to finish my B.A. this year but have the possibility of getting a minor in Computer Science by only taking two more courses.

I am presently employed as a Web Programmer. A position I attained 6 months ago after teaching myself asp.net by volunteering and discovering I really enjoyed it. My question is this:



Is taking two more courses and getting a Computer Science minor worth it? My major will be in History.


So far I've come up with the following Pros/Cons

Pro:

-Relevant education to my chosen field is always nice

-Some employers care about education even when there is extensive experience

Cons:

-The courses will not be very relevant or applicable to my chosen career (they will be computer architecture and network based ie. no programming)

-~$6,000 tuition (my company does not offer education reimbursement)

-time taking courses which I would otherwise be using to volunteer and find extracurricular experiences

-My boss and brother, both Lead Developers, say the only benefit would be the content of the courses (so none).


So far I'm having a hard time convincing myself its worth it. Any comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[DeeJayH]

no brainer to me
take the classes

 

[Cardinal]

I'm feeling too lazy to read the entire thread, so I'll just answer the thread title: No, do not go for the minor. That is illegal.

 

[aps]

Gosh, shiznit, I see your dilemma. If tuition was $1000, then I would agree with DeeJay and say take the classes. But $6000? Yikes. That is a lot of money.

You will learn that as time goes on, your experience will far outweigh your education.

 

[shiznit770]

Gosh, shiznit, I see your dilemma. If tuition was $1000, then I would agree with DeeJay and say take the classes. But $6000? Yikes. That is a lot of money.

You will learn that as time goes on, your experience will far outweigh your education.

My biggest problem is that I have yet to find someone in the field to argue in favor of the minor. Everyone says its more about experience and who you know.

 

[Tucker Case]

Think long-term on the 6K. If you stand to get better jobs with higher pay in the future for having the minor, you'll recoup the tuition costs and it is worth it and like Dee-Jay said, it's a no-brainer.

Even more important, if the minor means you'll be more likely to GET a job in the future you have GOT to take the classes. If you stand to be out of work for even a month longer by not having that resume building peice of paper, then not getting it is stupid.

These are the only issues worth looking at. Everything else is fluff.

 

[aps]

My biggest problem is that I have yet to find someone in the field to argue in favor of the minor. Everyone says its more about experience and who you know.

I'd say don't take the classes. What you can do on your resume is indicate your major and then add in something like, "Also concentration in computer science" or something to that effect to show you took A LOT of computer science classes.

I think your cons outweigh your pros. This is solely my opinion.

Edit: I like Tucker's response better than mine.

 

[Tucker Case]

Think long-term on the 6K. If you stand to get better jobs with higher pay in the future for having the minor, you'll recoup the tuition costs and it is worth it and like Dee-Jay said, it's a no-brainer.

Even more important, if the minor means you'll be more likely to GET a job in the future you have GOT to take the classes. If you stand to be out of work for even a month longer by not having that resume building peice of paper, then not getting it is stupid.

These are the only issues worth looking at. Everything else is fluff.

Let me add that if these two things are not probable, taking the minor is stupid.