"The problems we’re working on involve in-depth data analysis that require an extensive math and algorithms background." I can see why a college sophomore woul

"The problems we’re working on involve in-depth data analysis that require an extensive math and algorithms background." I can see why a college sophomore would fear this response. But in my 18 years of programming, I've seen that the vast majority of software development isn't about the stuff they teach you in school. It's about design, collaboration, languages, libraries, and frameworks. It's about working around crazy cross-version incompatibilities, solving heisenbugs, and keeping everything maintainable. Math and algorithms? Feh. Not the real issue. Let's assume the startup bubble bursts and programming jobs become scarce. There won't be any kindly interviewer at the large bureaucratic companies. There will just be a faceless HR person with a keyword-searching database saying, "No CS degree--no interview." But personally, even if the startup bubble bursts, I don't see the demand for programmers going anywhere but up. And that entrepreneurial background will only be an asset at the smaller, more interesting companies.