Ask HN: Is it a waste of time to teach yourself data science without a degree?
Don&#x27;t have a degree myself and about a third of the people I hire also don&#x27;t have one. Why? Because I don&#x27;t give anything about them.<p>I&#x27;d say if you don&#x27;t want to work for a large, respected company <i>first</i>, it&#x27;s a waste of time. Your degree is your entry ticket to your first job, not more. Later on, you can even work at Google if you want - just make a great product and get acquihired.<p>Three tips on what you should do instead:<p>1) BUILD something and show off your skills. Like, continuously. Always have your own challenges, do something about them, put your code online on Github. Host it so it can be seen and played with. Work towards a goal and learn what you need to learn on the side.<p>2) Focus on applying to companies not listing a degree in their job ad. You&#x27;ll see there are quite a lot of them.<p>3) Don&#x27;t focus on your lack of a degree in any interviews. Don&#x27;t deny it, but just don&#x27;t make it seem a deal. Often times, people won&#x27;t even ask.