The main issue, I think, is that you imply that is better than simply learning how to solve a problem enough to make the customer happy. It’s great that you pre

The main issue, I think, is that you imply that is better than simply learning how to solve a problem enough to make the customer happy. It’s great that you prefer the former, but it is not strictly better. Sometimes, a CS background means you have base knowledge you can use to apply yourself to things you haven’t solved yet. And sometimes it means you have a deep theoretical background and absolutely zero idea of how to write code; I have interviewed plenty of these folks, and they rarely get hired over someone who perhaps has a shallower CS background, but can... solve the customer’s problem, because they know how. Theoreticians are useful, but not necessarily “better.” And of course there are CS folks who can code; but that that isn’t all of them means it’s hard to make generalizations like this.