Engineering and Indie Hacking #1

Studying computer engineering is likely the least chosen path for an Indie Hacker. Many successful makers have achieved success without going through university. And that’s fantastic.

You could say I’m one of those Indie Hackers who chose the path defined by society, so I’m not an outlier.

While it’s true that I don’t regret my time at university, I believe that not everyone needs to follow this path.

Today, I want to share with you 5 reasons why I DO recommend investing 4 years (or however long it takes you to finish the degree 😂) in getting this qualification:

The reality is that university can give you that push you need to kickstart your personal journey through personal and professional development.

On a professional level, I remember that in multiple courses, we completed projects in different programming languages and tools. By the end of my degree, I had learned:

• Programming languages: C++, C, Java, SmallTalk, R, Python, JavaScript, MIPS

• Graphics libraries: OpenGL, Unity, Qt

• Databases: SQL, MongoDB

• Hardware: PIC Board, PWM Modules, Computer Networks

• Software Engineering Tools: Linux, UML, MathLab

Many technologies and tools that would help me in the future to quickly learn any other that came my way.

Engineering is ALWAYS applied to a specific field. It doesn’t make sense on its own.

That’s why, halfway through your degree, you can choose a specialty to dive deep into (and which you most likely won’t end up working in professionally). These are the options you can choose from:

• Computing: For AI learnings. How does an AI works. From the inside.

• Computer Engineering: For hardware users. For people like Max Blade

• Software Engineering: For most developers and programmers (I am here!)

• Information Systems: Scalable APPS.

• Information Technologies: Enterprise data management.

Through university, you can access positions or jobs that you wouldn’t be able to without this degree.

These are high-level positions in large companies like Google, Meta, or Amazon.

During my time at university, I had the opportunity to meet professors from many fields (video game development, cloud services, social networks, etc.). These professors use the university to scout talent for their projects.

So, university is a golden opportunity to gain high-level professional experience.

Related to the previous point, the faculty provides a networking environment like no other.

It’s like having Twitter in real life, with real people.

I still keep in touch with many of my friends from university. Some of them are working for multinational companies in foreign countries (outside of Spain).

If you want to work at an institutional level, you need to have a university degree.

I love teaching. And to be a teacher (at least in Spain), you need a university degree. (Well, and a master’s degree too).

For this reason, the degree opens doors to the institutional environment.

Remember: qualifications should be used to open doors, not to close them.

It’s true that university isn’t for everyone. I firmly believe that anyone could reach the point where I am now without having gone through university.

But I also believe that if I hadn’t spent those 4 years in my degree, I wouldn’t be the person I am today, both professionally and personally.

If you found this content interesting, share it with those who might benefit from it. If you have any questions or want to ask me about my experience, feel free to reach out via X/Twitter.

By the way, I’m sharing valuable insights every week through this newsletter, so if you want to stay updated on all my projects, don’t forget to follow me on X/Twitter.

See you next week with the other side of the coin about university. For now, let’s leave it here today!