Hacking and programming are different than CS. The illustration that I use is this: I also have a music degree, but a music degree involves much more than bein

Hacking and programming are different than CS. The illustration that I use is this: I also have a music degree, but a music degree involves much more than being able to read (and write) sheet music. Of course a music degree involves this skill, but written music is just the tool used to communicate ideas. Likewise, in CS, programming is just the tool used to communicate ideas. A CS degree is not about learning to be a programmer, it's about learning the basics of "Computer Science", which is itself a huge field. A CS degree uses programming to express the ideas. You do not need a CS degree to be a programmer, in the same way that you do not need a music degree in order to play the piano. (Technically, you do not need "a degree" in any field simply to learn the concepts of that field! That's what books are for!) You do, however, need a CS degree if you want external validation that you have learned the common competencies of the scientific field which is shared by everyone else in the world who has also earned a CS degree.