This is why I left IT school [EN]

Why I Left IT School

From building my first computer at the age of eight to scripting in VBScript by ten, my journey in IT began very early. By eighteen, I had already dedicated more than half my life to the IT world, seeing programming not only as a skill but as a hobby and a form of relaxation. However I have chosen to leave IT school after just six months. Here’s why.

Early Beginnings

Building my first computer as a child and running a Minecraft server on Ubuntu 14.04 were just the beginning. IT and programming have always been my way to chill, and I’ve always enjoyed creating something new. Over the years, I’ve taught myself various programming languages and technologies, constantly seeking to solve problems in the most effective ways possible.

Frustrations with IT School

My experience with formal education was disappointing. We started learning Java, which I don’t like for some reason. I think its time has long passed and if most banks and government things had moved on to newer languages it would be dead. In my opinion, the only good thing about Java is that it’s very good for teaching OOP programming. (But OOP is not always the best option) However, I didn’t want to learn a language I didn’t like and, most importantly, I didn’t want to start writing instant legacy code :‘D. Yes, I know that these are strong words. However, I believe that each language has its own uniqueness and what it is best used for. Java was a very good option in the past because of the JVM architecture that allowed cross-platform applications. But that’s not really the case anymore, the world is moving towards web based applications. Many desktop applications today are just web browsers with advanced features. For example, Discord is just an Electron app. I can really understand this, it’s actually very nice that you can write a web application and package it into an application that can run on almost any operating system.

The Value of Self-directed Learning

My journey in IT has always been self-directed. I’ve built desktop apps, web apps, APIs, and various projects that I found interesting. I program in Python, script in Lua for Openresty and Knot Resolver, use Mruby with the H2O web server, and write scripts in Bash for Linux systems. I’ve even started learning Swift and Assembly for fun (I might write about the 6502 processors👀). I believe programming isn’t about solving everything with one language, but about solving a problem with the technology that provides the best solution. For instance, you definitely don’t want to program a database in Python it’s going to be slow, and there are many drawbacks with Python that you wouldn’t face with low-level languages. However, programming a web application or API in C wouldn’t be ideal either. Python would be a more efficient choice. It’s more time-efficient to select the right language for the task at hand.

I also work with a lot of new technologies that I would never have had the chance to learn in school. When I started school it felt like I was back in 2005. Old technologies, old solutions and old approaches to problems. School is about 15 years behind current technology and I don’t need that. I like learning old stuff, but for myself and what I’m interested in.

My biggest issue is that many teachers are not competent to teach modern IT. They learned something 15-20 years ago and continue to teach that outdated knowledge today. This results in graduates with degrees but no practical, current skills. When I asked my teachers if they knew about Docker or Microservice architecture, they had no idea what I was talking about. It’s very sad because many young people have the potential to become excellent IT experts, but the school system is holding them back.

And my networking teacher? He’s not even worth mentioning. He tried to teach me networking, but he had never heard of L3 switches or VXLAN, technologies widely used in modern networking. It’s ironic, to say the least.

I love networking, so my home setup is quite complex. I have VLANs to separate different networks, custom firewalls between them, custom routing for various services running on my Proxmox server, 10G networking, and more. These things just feel right to me. What I’ve seen at school? Not so much.

I also do a lot of fun things for myself, just because it’s fun. For example, I’ve recently started working with AI, LLMs, and machine learning.

These are things you can’t learn in school. So, my question is: if schools are teaching outdated material now, what will happen to those who rely on it in 10 years? Without self-directed learning, they’ll be completely lost. Having a degree is great, but it won’t practically reflect your knowledge or skills in any meaningful way.

In my opinion in school you don’t really learn how to solve a problem in your own way but you learn how to solve it in the way the teacher has shown you. In programming this is never really the case. There are always several ways to solve a problem, and there is probably a reason why we chose one or the other. I love hearing other people’s opinions about my code, but I hate it when someone tries to force me to do something that I know is wrong. Well, this is exactly what I hated the most about IT school.

Outdated Examination Methods

What made me finally decide to leave school was the outdated examination methods. Writing a program in Java on paper is just non-sense. Programming is dynamic, even experienced developers make mistakes that require a debugging process. This is impossible on paper. The oral exams required me to present material I had learned over the three years, but despite my practical experience and self-taught knowledge, I would have been judged on outdated technology and information. So, it wasn’t a viable option for me. I just feel like it’s a waste of time.

Final Thoughts

I actually started looking for other schools in the area so that I could get a degree. I found one that looked really good: 42Heilbronn.

I am currently working as a Devops Engineer at a data broker company, so I chose to work instead of going to school. The reason is that I wouldn’t have had any income with school and I couldn’t work while I was in school. Also, 42Heilbronn is more like a job. It’s a completely different environment than a normal school. Which is good, but unfortunately I can’t afford to live without an income.

But I still believe that my knowledge will not depend on a piece of paper. Or at least not from school! :D

The whole point of a college degree is to show a potential employer that you showed up someplace four years in a row, completed a series of tasks reasonably well and on time. So if they hire you, there’s a semi-decent chance that you’ll show up there every day and not fuck his business up - Sylvester Stallone

So… Thank you for reading this article. I hope you understand my decision and liked this article. ✌️