I think so. Knowledge is power. You can get it handed down from an ivory tower but academia only has a monopoly on reputation, not information. It comes down to

I think so. Knowledge is power. You can get it handed down from an ivory tower but academia only has a monopoly on reputation, not information. It comes down to whether or not companies want to hire the stinky self-taught developers. I think the answer is mostly yes. You can always create your own company if that doesn't pan out, assuming you are into that sort of thing.