软件学院软件工程学费
The sounds of the keys clicked and clacked as I rushed my fingers across the laptop keyboard. I only had 30 seconds left.
当我用手指在笔记本电脑键盘上拉动时，按键的声音发出喀哒声。 我只剩下30秒了。
“Gotta finish this fast,” I thought.
“想快点完成，”我想。
After a couple more finishing touches, I hit “Enter” and watched as a popup window appeared on-screen.
再经过几次修饰后，我按“ Enter”键，然后看到弹出窗口出现在屏幕上。
ALERT: MALWARE DETECTED! PLEASE INSTALL NEW ANTI-VIRUS UPDATE!
警报：检测到恶意软件！ 请安装新的抗病毒更新！
Beneath the popup were two buttons: “Update” and “Cancel”. Just as I had practiced.
弹出窗口下方有两个按钮：“更新”和“取消”。 就像我练习过的一样。
A few moments later, I heard a door open and footsteps coming down the hallway. I shut the laptop, tip-toed to the filing cabinet across the room and began rifling through the papers, as if searching for something important.
片刻之后，我听到一扇门打开了，脚步声从走廊上走下来。 我关上笔记本电脑，,起脚尖穿过房间的文件柜，开始浏览文件，仿佛在寻找重要的东西。
Penny, my co-worker, strolled around the corner and made a beeline for her laptop on the counter. My pulse quickened in anticipation. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the alert materialize as she opened her laptop.
我的同事潘妮(Penny)在拐角处漫步，在柜台上为她的笔记本电脑做了一条直线。 我的脉搏在期待中加快了。 当她打开笔记本电脑时，我从眼角看不见警报。
Penny said nothing as she read the alert and quickly clicked “Cancel”. I bit my tongue — the last thing I wanted was to give myself away with an unintentional titter. The silence was broken when a new alert popped-up on Penny’s screen.
Penny在阅读警报时一言不发，并Swift单击“取消”。 我咬我的舌头-我想要的最后一件事是让自己无意间滴落。 当Penny的屏幕上弹出新警报时，这种沉默被打破了。
WARNING: New Virus Detected! Shut Down Now!
警告：检测到新病毒！ 立即关机！
A red danger symbol accompanied the text, emphasizing the apparent danger:
文字后附有红色危险符号，强调明显的危险：
“What the hell?” Penny whispered to herself.
“我勒个去？” 竹enny小声对自己说。
She immediately powered down her laptop and slammed the screen shut as soon as the screen turned black. I bit my tongue harder but to no avail. I let out a muffled snort that devolved into a fit of laughter.
屏幕立即变黑后，她立即关闭了笔记本电脑的电源并猛然关上了屏幕。 我用力地咬了一下舌头，但无济于事。 我发出了闷闷不乐的声音，变成一阵笑声。
“Was this you?” Penny said, turning to me. I nodded. She sighed in frustration and relief.
“这是你吗？” 竹enny说，转向我。 我点了头。 她无奈地叹了口气。
“You really shouldn’t do that. We work with medical patients. It wouldn’t be good for them to think that our computers are infected.”
“你真的不应该那样做。 我们与医学患者合作。 他们认为我们的计算机已被感染对他们不利。”
“Yeah, you’re right. Sorry. I won’t do it again.” I sighed, though my persistent smile revealed my true feelings. It had worked! I thought to myself with glee.
“是啊，你说得对。 抱歉。 我不会再这样做了。” 我叹了口气，尽管我持久的笑容显示出我的真实感受。 它奏效了！ 我高兴地想着自己。
A couple minutes later, my other coworker walked into the room holding her computer. Her eyes were wide, seeking assurance.
几分钟后，我的另一个同事拿着她的电脑走进了房间。 她睁大眼睛，寻求保证。
“Can one of you help? I think there’s something wrong with my computer.”
“你们其中一位可以帮忙吗？ 我认为我的计算机出了点问题。”
I looked to Penny, who was glaring at me. “That was the last one, I promise.”
我望着瞪着我的潘妮。 “我保证那是最后一个。”
This happened back in April 2016 but I’ve recently found myself reflecting back on that day quite a bit. For two main reasons.
这发生在2016年4月，但我最近发现自己在那天回想了很多。 有两个主要原因。
The first is that it’s a memory that fills me with a sense of pride. Admittedly, the script I wrote wasn’t anything special and could have landed me in trouble with HIPPA. But it was the first time anyone had used code I had written, besides me.
首先，这是一种让我充满自豪感的记忆。 诚然，我编写的脚本并不是什么特别的东西，可能会使我陷入HIPPA的麻烦中。 但这是除我之外任何人第一次使用我编写的代码。
The second reason is because it happened four years ago. Why is that length of time special? Because it was at this job that I had to make a difficult decision that would impact my life for that exact amount of time.
第二个原因是因为它发生在四年前。 为什么这么长的时间很特别？ 因为是这项工作，所以我必须做出一个艰难的决定，在那段确切的时间内影响我的生活。
两条路分开 (Two Roads Diverged)
At the time, I was working as a technician in a physical therapy clinic. The pay wasn’t anything to brag about and there wasn’t any upward mobility. But it was a fine job for what it was: a means to an end.
当时，我在一家物理治疗诊所担任技术员。 薪水一点也不夸张，也没有任何向上的流动性。 但这是一项很好的工作：达到目的的手段。
I knew I wasn’t going to stay there for long. But I also wasn’t going to quit until I found a calling. Something that motivated me to continuously improve myself. Something that would help me achieve the life I wanted to live.
我知道我不会待在那里很久。 但直到找到一个电话，我也不会退出。 促使我不断提高自己的东西。 可以帮助我实现自己想过的生活的东西。
I had found it in coding.
我在编码中找到了它。
Programming made sense to me. It was logical yet creative. It was a craft that was welcoming to novices but difficult to master. I wanted to make this my career. The question was how?
编程对我来说很有意义。 这是合乎逻辑但又富有创造力的。 这是一种欢迎新手但很难掌握的Craft.io。 我想把这当作我的职业。 问题是如何？
Up until the day my coworker opened her computer to find a suspicious popup, I was self-taught. I would often practice and study on lunch breaks and after work. When I decided to make this my profession, I saw my road ahead diverge into two distinct paths.
直到我的同事打开计算机找到可疑弹出窗口的那一天，我还是自学成才。 我经常在午休时间和下班后进行练习和学习。 当我决定以自己的职业为职业时，我看到自己的前进道路分为两条截然不同的道路。
Do I continue to teach myself to code? Or should I go to college?
我会继续自学编码吗？ 还是我应该上大学？
Believe me, it was a tough choice. While I had been learning on my own for free, the idea of a degree was enticing.
相信我，这是一个艰难的选择。 当我自己免费学习时，学位的想法很诱人。
I lived in Seattle, only a stones throw from the University of Washington. If you aren’t aware, the University of Washington has one of the best computer science programs in the country. Seattle itself is also home to some of the largest tech giants in the world.
我住在西雅图，离华盛顿大学只有一箭之遥。 如果您不知道， 华盛顿大学拥有全美最好的计算机科学专业之一 。 西雅图本身也是世界上一些最大的科技巨头的故乡。
In fact, a large portion of the patients I worked with were either software engineers or computer science students. I often talked to them about their jobs and studies. Who knew that sitting in front of a computer for over eight hours a day with bad posture can lead to physical ailments?
实际上，与我合作的患者中有很大一部分是软件工程师或计算机科学专业的学生。 我经常和他们谈论他们的工作和学习。 谁知道每天以不良姿势坐在电脑前八小时以上会导致身体疾病？
When I was at my crossroads, I asked some of the patients I worked with how they had landed their first jobs and whether they thought getting a degree was the best way to get a job.
当我处于十字路口时，我问了一些与我一起工作的患者，他们是如何找到第一份工作的，以及他们是否认为获得学位是获得工作的最佳途径。
To no surprise, most of the engineers had computer science pedigrees. And the students all thought that a degree, or at a certificate at the minimum, was the best way to get that coveted first job.
毫不奇怪，大多数工程师都有计算机科学的血统书。 学生们都认为，获得学位或最低要求的学位是获得令人垂涎的第一份工作的最佳途径。
I agreed with them. A top-notch Computer Science education combined with internships at high-profile tech companies would open any employment door. It was a straightforward plan. However, before I made a decision, I needed to consider how life would look over the next four years if I followed this path.
我同意他们的观点。 一流的计算机科学教育加上在知名科技公司的实习经验，将为您打开任何就业之门。 这是一个简单的计划。 但是，在我做出决定之前，我需要考虑如果我遵循这条道路，那么未来四年的生活将会如何。
If I chose to pursue a degree, it’s no doubt I would get a top-tier education and a significant boost to my career, but it would come at a price. Judging by the tuition rates, four years would costed me nearly $45,000 in student loans.
如果我选择攻读学位，毫无疑问，我将获得一流的教育并极大地促进我的职业发展，但这是有代价的。 从学费来看，四年将花费我近45,000美元的学生贷款。
There was no question that I would have to take out loans — I had hardly a penny to my name. After all, I was still trying to pay off the debt from my first degree. A second trip to college would leave me with a total bill of around $70,000. While still in the five figures, the thought of accruing that much debt made my heart race.
毫无疑问，我将必须借贷-我的名字几乎没有钱。 毕竟，我仍在努力从第一学位上还清债务。 第二次去大学旅行，我总共要花掉约70,000美元。 虽然仍然在五个数字之内，但积欠了这么多债务的想法使我心跳加速。
But the even more intimidating factor was the time commitment — four years.
但是，更令人生畏的因素是时间投入-四年。
For a single eighteen year old with no life obligations, it’s not an issue. In fact, it’s expected. However, for someone nearly in their thirties, four years is an eternity to put life on hold.
对于没有生活义务的单身十八岁，这不是问题。 实际上，这是预期的。 但是，对于将近30岁的人来说，四年是永恒的生命。
I had loved my time at college the first time. I made great memories and friends. But I wasn’t 18 or single any more. I had just moved in with my girlfriend and we were enjoying a new chapter in our lives. I didn’t want to force her to live the starving college lifestyle all over again.
我第一次爱上大学。 我留下了美好的回忆和朋友。 但是我不再是18岁或单身。 我刚和女友住在一起，我们正在享受生活的新篇章。 我不想强迫她再次过着饥饿的大学生活。
雕刻自己的道路 (Carving My Own Path)
So with all of those thoughts swirling in my head, I made my decision. I rejected the sage advice of the patients I worked with and dived headlong into the self-taught route.
因此，所有这些想法在我脑海中盘旋，我做出了决定。 我拒绝了与我一起工作的患者的明智建议，并一头扎进了自学成才的路线。
I was gripped with fear at the idea of striking off into the unknown. I didn’t know anyone who had successfully taught themselves to code, much less land a job as a self-taught engineer.
进入未知世界的想法让我感到恐惧。 我不知道有谁能成功地自学编程，更不用说找一个自学成才的工程师了。
But I also had hints of excitement and hope. In the months that I’d been studying, I had made leaps and bounds in progress. If there was even a chance that I could start my career in less than the four years it would have taken to earn a diploma, it would be worth it. Any time saved would be extra time spent with my family — enjoying the fruits of my labor.
但是我也有兴奋和希望的暗示。 在我学习的几个月中，我取得了长足的进步。 如果我什至有机会在不到获得文凭所需的四年时间内开始自己的职业，那将是值得的。 节省下来的任何时间都将是与我的家人一起度过的额外时间-享受劳动成果。
And that’s exactly what happened.
而这正是发生的事情。
After deciding that college wasn’t in the cards for me, I threw myself into self-study.
在确定大学不适合我之后，我投入了自学。
I picked the brains of my techie patients until I eventually quit to study full time. My girlfriend and I moved to New York City and I signed up for every several online courses and tutorials. That is, until I settled on LaunchSchool.
我选择了技术专家的大脑，直到最终我退出全职学习。 我和我的女友搬到了纽约市，每完成几本在线课程和所有教程，我都会报名参加。 也就是说，直到我决定使用LaunchSchool为止 。
From there, life is a blur. Programming, note-taking, and the (not-so) rare video-game break. All while sitting in my tiny New York apartment.
从那里开始，生活变得模糊。 编程，记笔记和(不太)罕见的视频游戏休息。 一直坐在我的纽约小公寓里。
My original hope was to get my first job and start my career within four years. Through the power of dedicated study, practice, and Zelda, I was able to do it in two.
我最初的希望是在四年内找到我的第一份工作并开始我的职业生涯。 通过专注的学习，实践和Zelda的力量，我能够一分为二。
Ever since getting my first job, life has been anything but a blur.
自从找到第一份工作以来，生活简直就是一片模糊。
As the alternate version of myself would have been sitting in classroom adding to his student loan debt, I paid off all of mine. And while college version of myself would have graduated into the worst job market in a decade, I got promoted and became a project lead.
由于我的替代版本本来会坐在教室里，这增加了他的学生贷款债务，所以我还清了我的全部债务。 虽然大学时代的我本可以毕业于十年来最糟糕的工作市场，但我却获得了晋升并成为项目负责人。
While I’m proud of my career milestones, I’m even more proud of the time I was able to spend with my family and the adventures I’ve taken. In the past four years I’ve I road-tripped across the entire United States.
尽管我为自己的职业生涯里程碑感到自豪，但我为能够与家人共度的时光和所经历的冒险感到更加自豪。 在过去的四年中，我遍及整个美国。
I’ve visited several countries.
我参观了几个国家。
And proposed to the love of my life at Yosemite National Park.
并向我一生的挚爱求婚。
All while the other version of myself was heads down in the books.
一直以来，我的另一个版本在书本上都很低落。
那我做了正确的选择吗？ (So Did I Make the Right Choice?)
If you’ve read up to this point, you can probably guess that my answer is yes.
如果您已经读到这一点，则可能会猜到我的答案是“是” 。
Four years ago, I was working in a physical therapy clinic and pranking my coworkers with fake viruses. I was treating software engineers on a daily basis while daydreaming of having their lives. Now, I’m one of their peers.
四年前，我在一家物理治疗诊所工作，并用假病毒给我的同事恶作剧。 我每天都在对待软件工程师，同时幻想着自己的生活。 现在，我是他们的同龄人之一。
Not only that, teaching myself to code has resulted in a faster start to my career and more time spent with my family. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
不仅如此，自学代码还可以更快地开始我的职业生涯，并有更多的时间陪伴家人。 我什么都不会换。
But let me be clear, this was the right choice for me. I took a risk and it paid off. Not everyone who has made the same choice has been as fortunate. This article is the definition of survivorship bias and shouldn’t be seen as prescriptive.
但是请让我清楚一点，这对我来说是正确的选择。 我冒了一个险，并且得到了回报。 并非每个做出相同选择的人都幸运。 本文是生存偏差的定义，不应被视为规范性的。
For those of you learning to program, you may have to decide to either teach yourself, get a diploma, or something in between. If you’re in this position and are unsure what direction to take, I have some advice.
对于那些学习编程的人，您可能必须决定自学，获得文凭或两者之间。 如果您处于这个位置并且不确定该朝哪个方向走，我有一些建议。
Remind yourself of your goals and which aspects of your life mean the most. — use that to shape your decision. The most important lesson I’ve learned in this process is to not sacrifice what means the most to you.
提醒自己自己的目标以及人生中最重要的方面。 -使用它来决定您的决定。 在此过程中，我学到的最重要的教训是不要牺牲对您最重要的东西。
Don’t worry if other people are getting a job faster or a better starting salary. Breaking into tech isn’t the important part. It’s all about what you do when you get here.
不用担心其他人能更快地找到工作或获得更好的起薪。 突破技术并不是重要的部分。 这是您到达这里后所做的一切。
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