I've never met a programmer who was any good that wasn't mostly self-educated. In order to be successful in the fluid world of development, one must always be l

I've never met a programmer who was any good that wasn't mostly self-educated. In order to be successful in the fluid world of development, one must always be learning, and the information is out there, for free, ripe for the picking. A good programmer is voracious, always wanting to know and understand more. People who wait around for a third party to educate them, on that third party's schedule appear to me as people who aren't passionate about whatever they are studying. I understand the structure of formal education and socialization with like-minded people has real value (I would not be half the person I am today were it not for the UVM computer science student association) , but it's a "nice-to-have", the drive is the only requirement for a programmer you'd want to work with.