- The author completed a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science remotely via Coursera over 3.5 years while working full-time, after a 21-year tech career without a degree.
- The degree, offered by University of London Worldwide and Goldsmiths, includes remote lectures, assignments, and proctored exams, with costs around £17,000 (A$33,000) spread over the period.
- Performance-Based Admission allowed entry by passing initial modules, and Recognition of Prior Learning (via Coursera certificates) replaced three modules, saving time and money.
- Workload was intense, especially near exams and assignments, with modules increasing in difficulty; some students completed it in 3 years by taking 4 modules per session.
- Highlights included collaborative student Slack communities, inspiring peers from diverse backgrounds, and hands-on projects like games, simulators, and a final breast-cancer detection classifier.
- Drawbacks included slow grading (3-month delays), problematic group projects, platform issues with submissions, and stressful proctored exams via Inspera with technical difficulties.
- Tips for success: start assignments early, triple-check submissions, establish consistent study times, prioritize blocker subjects, and carefully review regulations and Slack resources.
- The AI policy evolved during the degree, treating unacknowledged LLM use as contract cheating, with guidelines for allowed AI usage in assessments.
- Despite challenges and sacrifices, the author valued the learning, filled knowledge gaps, gained degree portability for overseas work, and appreciated the diverse student community.