Do software developers really need degrees?
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Just because you have a college degree doesn’t mean you have learned anything. That is the main problem I have with most traditional education programs today. School has become much more about getting a degree—a piece of paper—than it has about actually learning something of value.
"The weekend at the college didn't turn out like you planned. The things that pass for knowledge, I can't understand"
I have a PhD in Computer Science and have been a developer for over 35 years. I found in a couple of cases I didn't get a job because I had a PhD and my potential boss didn't - I removed it from my CV along with three years as a teaching Professor and managed finally to get a real job! The PhD itself is so out of date that, from what little of it I remember, it is almost completely obsolete as far as being useful in my current job. Degrees are bits of paper that say what you were able to remember enough about to pass an exam or two - very little of which will remain in your memory or of any use in the real world.
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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Just because you have a college degree doesn’t mean you have learned anything. That is the main problem I have with most traditional education programs today. School has become much more about getting a degree—a piece of paper—than it has about actually learning something of value.
"The weekend at the college didn't turn out like you planned. The things that pass for knowledge, I can't understand"
I don't think that all developers need degrees, but I did. Without my degree, I would have never been able to get the job I have today. My employer has very strict hiring standards. A degree is absolutely required to even be able to apply for my position.
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But, at the same time, I believe you can get by perfectly well without one—you’ll just have a few less opportunities—a few more doors that are closed to you. For a software developer, the most important thing is the ability to write code. If you can demonstrate that ability, most employers will hire you—at least it has been my experience that this is the case.
I agree with the author on this point. There are many places that will hire without a degree, but you will have many more opportunities with one regardless whether or not you view it as just a piece of paper. Kudos the developers that were able to make it without a degree.