If the best companies are de-emphasizing traditional credentials, why do most employees have degrees and why do they use coding interviews that question you on

If the best companies are de-emphasizing traditional credentials, why do most employees have degrees and why do they use coding interviews that question you on raw CS questions? The problem with alternative tracks is that they bottle neck you. They often teach you a technology, they don't teach you an actual skill. Of course, its not that this isn't important, but the fundamentals take you much further because they're not tied to anything specific. Coupled with the knowledge of a technology, it can help you understand what you're doing and what the limitations are. Also, universities are pretty well rounded in terms of learning so they teach you about being a better person instead of being a coder like in a code camp. Not only that, most popular MOOC sites are run by universities such as MIT, Coursera, and EdX. In fact the most top voted courses on https://hn.academy/ https://hn.academy/ are from universities. Sure it isn't the same generations ago, but you're highlighting problems that aren't inherent to the idea of the university itself. Costs can be reduced, bureaucracies trimmed, "lifestyle services" is basically the business of the Internet due to rampant self-help, not sure what you mean by "heavier political loads". "What do I do if it's been ages since I took algebra?" is something you shouldn't address by going to university, you're correct. But if you expect to just learn an entire profession by reading a bunch of Internet articles, doing some exercises/projects, and expect to walk into companies, you're still a far cry, especially from the more demanding law/engineering/MD professions.