In spite of having programmed for many years before starting my degree, there was a lot of academic challenge. There's a lot of theory that simply writing code

In spite of having programmed for many years before starting my degree, there was a lot of academic challenge. There's a lot of theory that simply writing code does not teach you. There's a lot of course work that doesn't have to do with programming. Iteracting with people, project design, team management. If nothing else, it's 8-9 hours of work a week per class any way you look at. Do the work, don't short-change yourself in your education.