College and pay raises? Need some advice.

/u/keineid is right about the ambiguity of such a question.

I have a BFA in Web Design & New Media, but I'm a designer, not a developer. It was through personal projects and time that I learned more than most designers about the development side. For me, getting a position is about talent backed up by skills. The BFA is just a way of saying I dedicated myself to the profession and studied it. But again /u/keineid is right about after time the degree becomes pointless and it's your post-college experience that matters to employers. But you can't get the right experience or job without something to get you in the door in the first place.

For a developer I think it's less about talent (I know it takes talent especially more complicated projects I'm speaking as black & white as I can here) and more about whether you have the skills to perform the job.

Our industry is tough in the fact that we often have to show previous work in order to get a job (while other industries often just say "I studied x and worked x job for x years) but it's also very accepting of those who don't go the Bachelor's path.

For instance: someone I know got their Bachelor's in Environmental Science at Berkeley, spent the next year or less taking classes and learning Javascript. They then got a job that understood they were still developing their skills and fostered them before they moved on to a company as a primary node.js developer. All of that had absolutely nothing to do with their degree.

There are places that you won't get preference over those with more extensive degrees, but there are a lot of places that are just looking for someone with the necessary skills. If you have them and don't need a certain degree to tell you so, then landing a job can be all you need for the path to a "senior position."

Senior positions are either filled by someone coming in to the company who was already in the position elsewhere and has the experience, or someone who's in the company and showing they want to perform at that position and has developed the skills.

Pretty much once you start getting a job/career, it's your track record that matters. The degree can just make the start easier. It's also important to note none of this considers the value different degrees will have in actually teaching you; Definitely remember school isn't just for a job, it's to learn.

/r/web_design Thread