Programming jobs need critical thinkers and problem solvers with a mathematical ability. What degree such students were attracted to at the age of 18 is neither

Programming jobs need critical thinkers and problem solvers with a mathematical ability. What degree such students were attracted to at the age of 18 is neither here nor there really. An undergraduate degree is not really training you in anything formally. How many of us actually use, or for that matter remember, what we learned in our undergraduate degree program? In my case it was pure Mathematics, and to this day I have not had to use Field Theory, say, in my career (and I would likely fail abysmally if required to). The most important bit is the 'critical thinking' coupled with a passion to learn, build and being creative. At the end of the day writing software has a huge creative component to it. Sadly most companies require STEM degrees for an entry level Software Engineer position. I agree with the author that we need to be more open and be the meritocracy we thump our chests about so loudly. Conversely for liberal arts jobs ...