I've toyed with the idea of going back to school and getting a CS degree before, and now I'm leaning toward trying to cobble together some sort of self-study program using MIT OCW and other resources...but then I'm thinking...if I'm going to do the work why not get the sheepskin?  But then I'm thinking...cuz that takes time I don't have to actually...attend school...and there's no University within reasonable distance of me (lame I know), and I'm not sure about online learning...but I digress.

I was talking with someone today about it and I recalled the only formal programming education experienced I ever had, which was a Pascal course in 10th grade (1993...).  I have written about this before.

Long story short I got creative with the first assignment, went ahead of the class to write my program, and got an F.  Why?  "I didn't teach you loops yet, that's chapter 5 (or whatever), stick to what we are doing next time."

Commentary about the state of education aside (i could go on for days)...that rubbed me the wrong way.  The rest of the year became a challenge between me and another guy in the class who had a similar experience to see who could get the lowest possible grade while doing all the work.  I lost.  That F was the difference between me graduating High Honors and just Honors.  That F kept me out of National Honor Society.  I never regretted it for a second.

Fast forward to college, freshman calculus.  I did not get to take AP calculus in high school due to...personal issues...with the teacher (I was an asshole student, i'll admit it).  My roommate did though, but we both ended up in the same Calculus 1101 class.  We were doing limits pretty early on (week one or two) and while studying the material, my buddy turned me on to L'Hopital's Rule, which essentially is a shortcut to finding limits in indeterminate form.  Doesn't always work...but it just so happened on the first test of the semester all of the limits did work when applying L'Hopital's and I breezed through the test and got everything right.  And suffered a B, because she didn't like my use of something she hadn't taught, and so I only got half credit on the handful of problems where I applied it.

So she had in her syllabus that she drops the lowest graded test.  The next test that came around, i brought a book to class (Newt Gingrich's To Renew America no less, knowing her to be a lefty) and visibly read it during test time.  After class I presented her a blank paper and said "You did not teach me basic arithmetic, nor to read or write for that matter, and therefore I was unable to complete this test to your liking."  We got into a pretty good argument, I took my F, it got dropped, I finished the class with a B, and I hated every minute of it.

I said all that to say that I'd like to think I've changed, but I am who I am, and will I be able to handle an academic setting, particularly in the "practical applications" type classes, when I've been out here doing it in the real world for 10 years?  Could I possibly be successful if I went back for a CS degree?  Maybe I should just finish that history degree if I really want to appease my parents...and my pride.