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Even as a software engineer I don't use my computer science degree. Companies aren't interested in code that requires a CS degree to write because then develope

Even as a software engineer I don't use my computer science degree. Companies aren't interested in code that requires a CS degree to write because then developers aren't replaceable cogs.

imtringued 3y ago
I don't think you understood the purpose of mass education. Companies don't care about code that requires a CS degree, but they care about the author of that code having a CS degree, precisely because that makes him a replaceable cog. Self taught developers are of varying quality. Each of them knows different things. If you want to fire a CS graduate you can just hire another CS graduate. If you hire someone with a unique skillset, how exactly are you going to find another one with the same skillset? The purpose of the CS degree is akin to the purity stamp on a bar of gold. Think about it. You have one bar of gold without a stamp and one with a stamp. Both are completely identical. How would you know? You wouldn't, hence the need for a stamp.
- david-gpu 3y ago
  > Companies don't care about code that requires a CS degree, but they care about the author of that code having a CS degree, precisely because that makes him a replaceable cog When I was a hiring manager, the reasons why I only looked at CVs with a degree in a relevant field (CS or EE) were two. First, because it gave me some confidence that this person knows all of the basics that are required for the job, whereas a self-taught person may be missing big parts of the picture -- after all, they don't know what they don't know. The second reason is because it suggested that the candidate was willing to remain focused on a multi-year project even when some parts of it weren't "fun". I never saw anybody as a "replaceable cog". Even if they had the same degree, everybody is different, and each member brings different skills to the table. Your job as a hiring manager is finding whether a candidate will add significantly to the existing team or not. > If you want to fire a CS graduate you can just hire another CS graduate If it was that simple, we would simply issue an offer to every CS graduate we come across and would not bother interviewing them. Since this isn't at all how the industry works, it's clear that here's a good opportunity to re-evaluate your beliefs.

Even as a software engineer I don't use my computer science degree. Companies aren't interested in code that requires a CS degree to write because then developers aren't replaceable cogs.

imtringued 3y ago

I don't think you understood the purpose of mass education. Companies don't care about code that requires a CS degree, but they care about the author of that code having a CS degree, precisely because that makes him a replaceable cog. Self taught developers are of varying quality. Each of them knows different things. If you want to fire a CS graduate you can just hire another CS graduate. If you hire someone with a unique skillset, how exactly are you going to find another one with the same skillset? The purpose of the CS degree is akin to the purity stamp on a bar of gold. Think about it. You have one bar of gold without a stamp and one with a stamp. Both are completely identical. How would you know? You wouldn't, hence the need for a stamp.

david-gpu 3y ago
> Companies don't care about code that requires a CS degree, but they care about the author of that code having a CS degree, precisely because that makes him a replaceable cog When I was a hiring manager, the reasons why I only looked at CVs with a degree in a relevant field (CS or EE) were two. First, because it gave me some confidence that this person knows all of the basics that are required for the job, whereas a self-taught person may be missing big parts of the picture -- after all, they don't know what they don't know. The second reason is because it suggested that the candidate was willing to remain focused on a multi-year project even when some parts of it weren't "fun". I never saw anybody as a "replaceable cog". Even if they had the same degree, everybody is different, and each member brings different skills to the table. Your job as a hiring manager is finding whether a candidate will add significantly to the existing team or not. > If you want to fire a CS graduate you can just hire another CS graduate If it was that simple, we would simply issue an offer to every CS graduate we come across and would not bother interviewing them. Since this isn't at all how the industry works, it's clear that here's a good opportunity to re-evaluate your beliefs.