Tech Prodigy and College Choices: Balancing Advanced Skills with Less Prestigious Schools

[Anonymous]

You're a hiring manager at a FAANG company. Can't you just hire your kid if he's that good, regardless of what school he comes out of?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, here I'd like to add that when weighing the value of an Ivy League education against standing out through coding tests and a strong resume, it prompts a reconsideration of priorities. I'm thinking of helping my son stand out by adding side projects to his resume and showcasing his impressive GitHub repository, which he initiated at the age of 10. His dedication to tech is exceptional and could be pivotal for his future career.

Additionally, it's fascinating that despite his lack of interest in non-tech subjects, managing and motivating him is surprisingly easy when it comes to tech-related pursuits. He exhibits an entirely different level of attention, engagement, and openness, which highlights the significance of these skills in his future. I also forgot to mention that he began creating bots in Minecraft and Roblox during his tweens, incorporating AI libraries and delving into machine learning. He's more inclined to create programs and enhance them rather than play games. This makes me wonder if top Ivy League CS programs might be overlooking kids like him, who bring a unique blend of innovation and coding talent into the picture. It's certainly worth contemplating.

This sounds exactly like my child, who is autistic (I'm of course not saying your child is autistic, but I don't think this asynchronous development/pattern of strengths is unusual). Because of her autism, my child gets overwhelmed easily and so will do much better at a "lower ranked" college. She could shine at any school's CS classes, but college is not exclusively about classes in your major. It sounds like your child might be similar.

Support your child in developing study skills and encourage them to take on additional challenges in CS. That's really all you can do -- what would you do to enforce a "no Cs" policy anyway?

Wow, you totally picked up on it. He's on the spectrum and highly functioning. I've been wondering if there are any schools that would provide the right support for someone like him. It's an interesting perspective, and maybe it's something to consider as a DEI for Ivy League school admissions. sorry still trying to find a way for ivy lol

I appreciate your advice about supporting him in developing study skills and taking on additional challenges in CS. You're right; enforcing a "no Cs" policy isn't really the way to go. It's about finding the right balance and nurturing his strengths.

And just to clarify, the Cs he's getting aren't in his core subjects; it's mostly in things like foreign language, which he sometimes finds a bit silly and not very helpful. Maybe I should frame it like this: it's similar to him coding in a different language, but a language he's not really excited about! 😄 Thanks for sharing your insights!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're a hiring manager at a FAANG company. Can't you just hire your kid if he's that good, regardless of what school he comes out of?

OP here, FAANG companies are weird there are a lot of rules about nepotism and equity when hiring people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're a hiring manager at a FAANG company. Can't you just hire your kid if he's that good, regardless of what school he comes out of?

I don't know about the other companies, but Google doesn't allow that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're a hiring manager at a FAANG company. Can't you just hire your kid if he's that good, regardless of what school he comes out of?

OP here, FAANG companies are weird there are a lot of rules about nepotism and equity when hiring people.

What's weird about not allowing nepotism? IMO, that's a good thing. Rules out bringing in unqualified people just because of family connections.

-former FAANG employee with a CS kid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, here I'd like to add that when weighing the value of an Ivy League education against standing out through coding tests and a strong resume, it prompts a reconsideration of priorities. I'm thinking of helping my son stand out by adding side projects to his resume and showcasing his impressive GitHub repository, which he initiated at the age of 10. His dedication to tech is exceptional and could be pivotal for his future career.

Additionally, it's fascinating that despite his lack of interest in non-tech subjects, managing and motivating him is surprisingly easy when it comes to tech-related pursuits. He exhibits an entirely different level of attention, engagement, and openness, which highlights the significance of these skills in his future. I also forgot to mention that he began creating bots in Minecraft and Roblox during his tweens, incorporating AI libraries and delving into machine learning. He's more inclined to create programs and enhance them rather than play games. This makes me wonder if top Ivy League CS programs might be overlooking kids like him, who bring a unique blend of innovation and coding talent into the picture. It's certainly worth contemplating.

This sounds exactly like my child, who is autistic (I'm of course not saying your child is autistic, but I don't think this asynchronous development/pattern of strengths is unusual). Because of her autism, my child gets overwhelmed easily and so will do much better at a "lower ranked" college. She could shine at any school's CS classes, but college is not exclusively about classes in your major. It sounds like your child might be similar.

Support your child in developing study skills and encourage them to take on additional challenges in CS. That's really all you can do -- what would you do to enforce a "no Cs" policy anyway?

Wow, you totally picked up on it. He's on the spectrum and highly functioning. I've been wondering if there are any schools that would provide the right support for someone like him. It's an interesting perspective, and maybe it's something to consider as a DEI for Ivy League school admissions. sorry still trying to find a way for ivy lol

I appreciate your advice about supporting him in developing study skills and taking on additional challenges in CS. You're right; enforcing a "no Cs" policy isn't really the way to go. It's about finding the right balance and nurturing his strengths.

And just to clarify, the Cs he's getting aren't in his core subjects; it's mostly in things like foreign language, which he sometimes finds a bit silly and not very helpful. Maybe I should frame it like this: it's similar to him coding in a different language, but a language he's not really excited about! 😄 Thanks for sharing your insights!

Honestly, I don't think you should feel badly about him not getting into an Ivy _ sounds like he has more useful skills and also, even if he can do the work in CS classes, he will be in a hyper competitive environment and likely be required to take classes outside his field of interest. Focus on what he wants and his skills (though it might also be good to work on the soft skills that are inherent in getting lower grades in unfavored classes - turning in work, being timely etc, that are important in the real world).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're a hiring manager at a FAANG company. Can't you just hire your kid if he's that good, regardless of what school he comes out of?

I don't know about the other companies, but Google doesn't allow that.

yes exactly, if i was a dc beltway bandit business owner i could totally just hire him as the CTO lol. That's another topic of is that the best way to develop software dev skills as dc contracting small and big is more about billing and proposals etc, i did a decade on that before faaang.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're a hiring manager at a FAANG company. Can't you just hire your kid if he's that good, regardless of what school he comes out of?

OP here, FAANG companies are weird there are a lot of rules about nepotism and equity when hiring people.

What's weird about not allowing nepotism? IMO, that's a good thing. Rules out bringing in unqualified people just because of family connections.

-former FAANG employee with a CS kid

Maybe weird isn't the right word, i'd say there are rules around it which are good for the most part, a good hire will get through the tests and interviews, i guess its the getting attention and in the door before that part

[Anonymous]

Ivy League schools aren’t really the best for CS. I’m not sure why you’re locked on those. Kids who go to Ivy schools for CS are headed for management work, not the hands-on work your son seems to excel at.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like you have a very talented kid, OP. I agree with others who say a degree from a prestigious college is not important. BUT he won't reach his potential in his career unless he is actually motivated. Maybe he's not motivated in his classes, but would be a responsible and motivated worker in a job he is passionate about. For a kid like this, I would focus more on work ethic than natural ability. Talent is not enough, and there are plenty of prodigies that squander their talent. The people who drop out of college but are successful have drive and work ethic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, here I'd like to add that when weighing the value of an Ivy League education against standing out through coding tests and a strong resume, it prompts a reconsideration of priorities. I'm thinking of helping my son stand out by adding side projects to his resume and showcasing his impressive GitHub repository, which he initiated at the age of 10. His dedication to tech is exceptional and could be pivotal for his future career.

Additionally, it's fascinating that despite his lack of interest in non-tech subjects, managing and motivating him is surprisingly easy when it comes to tech-related pursuits. He exhibits an entirely different level of attention, engagement, and openness, which highlights the significance of these skills in his future. I also forgot to mention that he began creating bots in Minecraft and Roblox during his tweens, incorporating AI libraries and delving into machine learning. He's more inclined to create programs and enhance them rather than play games. This makes me wonder if top Ivy League CS programs might be overlooking kids like him, who bring a unique blend of innovation and coding talent into the picture. It's certainly worth contemplating.

This sounds exactly like my child, who is autistic (I'm of course not saying your child is autistic, but I don't think this asynchronous development/pattern of strengths is unusual). Because of her autism, my child gets overwhelmed easily and so will do much better at a "lower ranked" college. She could shine at any school's CS classes, but college is not exclusively about classes in your major. It sounds like your child might be similar.

Support your child in developing study skills and encourage them to take on additional challenges in CS. That's really all you can do -- what would you do to enforce a "no Cs" policy anyway?

Wow, you totally picked up on it. He's on the spectrum and highly functioning. I've been wondering if there are any schools that would provide the right support for someone like him. It's an interesting perspective, and maybe it's something to consider as a DEI for Ivy League school admissions. sorry still trying to find a way for ivy lol

I appreciate your advice about supporting him in developing study skills and taking on additional challenges in CS. You're right; enforcing a "no Cs" policy isn't really the way to go. It's about finding the right balance and nurturing his strengths.

And just to clarify, the Cs he's getting aren't in his core subjects; it's mostly in things like foreign language, which he sometimes finds a bit silly and not very helpful. Maybe I should frame it like this: it's similar to him coding in a different language, but a language he's not really excited about! 😄 Thanks for sharing your insights!

We are finding plenty of schools that offer a challenging CS program, supportive disability services, and plenty of on campus recruiting. RIT might be particularly appealing because of their coop program.

[Anonymous]

Find a school in a metro area where he can secure internships and work IRL with other people doing the stuff he likes. IDK if there are any less competitive schools near Silicon Valley or other hubs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ivy League schools aren’t really the best for CS. I’m not sure why you’re locked on those. Kids who go to Ivy schools for CS are headed for management work, not the hands-on work your son seems to excel at.

Agree, but even schools like MIT require high stats.

[Anonymous]

High school and college admissions tend to reward good generalists, and also kids who are highly motivated to hit externally-established goals. Doesn’t sound like that’s your kid. That’s cool, though. Life has a way of rewarding those who are self-motivated, and who specialize and have the ability to go deep.

It’s a different thing, parenting kids who just aren’t extrinsically motivated. Be honest (with yourself first, and then with him) about your concerns, your hopes, and your fears. Know he’s on a different journey. He just is. Tune out the chatter of the parents of the kids who are on a more standard path. They don’t know what they don’t know.

Trust him, and his skills. And keep the conversation going. You sound like a great, astute parent. Trust that, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ivy League schools aren’t really the best for CS. I’m not sure why you’re locked on those. Kids who go to Ivy schools for CS are headed for management work, not the hands-on work your son seems to excel at.

My ivy kid started coding in college only as an engineering major requirement. Had only few CS courses until he had to declare a specific major during his junior year. He felt with an ivy degree, he was able to pretty much sign up for a job. He's now holding his own alongside non-ivy grads who probably coded from Pre-K. That said, he's realizing coding is not what he wants to do for the rest of his life. If PP is correct that ivy kids are headed for management work, at least he has that option.