Originally Posted by sadguy

Dear Members,

I'm in desperate need of a reality check and some life advice. Currently, I'm intending to pursue a Computer Science degree in UNSW, which will cost a fortune. My Father's monthly income is in the low ten-thousands and my mum has no income, but I'll be requiring a study loan of 100k+ to be studying overseas to cover my 140k school fees, and more for misc.

A little background of myself:
- 21
- Unable to enter local CS degrees with my average A level results due to co-curricular priorities back then, big mistake on my part
- Experience in C, Python for about a year+ (self-taught while in NS)

I'm someone whose extremely passionate about CS and is constantly learning and programming on a daily basis. I'm currently waiting to matriculate locally in InfoSys. Bottomline is, I'm not getting any support from my parents as they feel that any local degree is fine and it's unecessary to pursue my dream of Computer Science. They feel that its too big a bet and that 'CS Prospects are not guranteed', and that if I want to go overseas I'll have to bear the full cost of it.

As a young adult myself, I can't disagree with that as I have no actual experience in the working world, and probably don't understand the value of money as much as the working adults on this forum.

To the people working in CS-fields: Is the ROI on my CS degree worth taking this loan to pursue my studies? I see varying salaries from 3-7k starting. I would need years to pay off this debt and its interest.

Any other life advice/salary-related advice that may help overcome my situation would be appreciated.