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We sure never see this topic on HN. :) Of course you don't have to go. And of course, getting stuck working in the restaurant business until you're 40 because y

We sure never see this topic on HN. :) Of course you don't have to go. And of course, getting stuck working in the restaurant business until you're 40 because you started working their because it was quick money out of high school and easier than going to college is always an option too. Now, lest anyone get the wrong idea I do not mean to imply that one path leads to the other. But also, please let's not pretend that Gates and Zuckerberg are "typical" college dropouts either. Maybe, the restaurant kids are more common than Gates type people, eh? -- Anyway, seriously, if you are a recent HS grad and choose not to go to college and instead decide to give Devbootcamp $12,200 for an RoR course ... I'm sure they have a nice product ... But I will also like to contact you regarding the small matter of a bridge I would like to sell.

revuniversal 14y ago
You can learn quite a bit from just the Internet, a bit of ambition, and a willingness to say "I don't know, but I will figure it out." Sure, there are foundational concepts that you will miss, but I haven't noticed their absence yet. Besides, if I'm missing some kind of CS knowledge I will buy the book, ask the web, and take the heat. I'm sure college is great, but is it necessary in this field, at this time? My personal experience says no. I'm not the best dev, and I have some things to learn, but so do the guys with papers.
- Arelius 14y ago
  Agreed. As an interviewer, I'm constantly disappointed with the skills of CS grads. Many years in industry show me that if there is anything to be learned about programming in college, it in a field other than CS. Now, that's not strictly true, but the fact that we've accepted more non-CS grads, or non-grads than CS grads I think says something about the state of our CS education.
- dinkumthinkum 14y ago
  Well again, there are individuals but on the whole this is an issue. I suspect there are many more people without degrees that have no idea about this field than anyone really likes to admit. Is it true that there are very successful autodidacts in this field? Yes. Is it true that autodidacts represent a much smaller percentage of the population than is implied by articles like this? Yes. It is a broad field, no one can be expected to know everything; this is true of any field. However, what is found in a few YouTubes and a devbootcamp is not, in my view, something that will carry large percentage a of people through a bubble or saturation. These discussions are a little awkward as well because anyone that is in the pool of autodidacts is quick to defend themselves. The issue is not "Can one be in the top of the field of programming/CS without a CS degree?" This is very different question; actually I think a good foundation in computer science or mathematics would help people, greatly, in realizing that these are separate issues!

revuniversal 14y ago

You can learn quite a bit from just the Internet, a bit of ambition, and a willingness to say "I don't know, but I will figure it out." Sure, there are foundational concepts that you will miss, but I haven't noticed their absence yet. Besides, if I'm missing some kind of CS knowledge I will buy the book, ask the web, and take the heat. I'm sure college is great, but is it necessary in this field, at this time? My personal experience says no. I'm not the best dev, and I have some things to learn, but so do the guys with papers.

Arelius 14y ago
Agreed. As an interviewer, I'm constantly disappointed with the skills of CS grads. Many years in industry show me that if there is anything to be learned about programming in college, it in a field other than CS. Now, that's not strictly true, but the fact that we've accepted more non-CS grads, or non-grads than CS grads I think says something about the state of our CS education.
dinkumthinkum 14y ago
Well again, there are individuals but on the whole this is an issue. I suspect there are many more people without degrees that have no idea about this field than anyone really likes to admit. Is it true that there are very successful autodidacts in this field? Yes. Is it true that autodidacts represent a much smaller percentage of the population than is implied by articles like this? Yes. It is a broad field, no one can be expected to know everything; this is true of any field. However, what is found in a few YouTubes and a devbootcamp is not, in my view, something that will carry large percentage a of people through a bubble or saturation. These discussions are a little awkward as well because anyone that is in the pool of autodidacts is quick to defend themselves. The issue is not "Can one be in the top of the field of programming/CS without a CS degree?" This is very different question; actually I think a good foundation in computer science or mathematics would help people, greatly, in realizing that these are separate issues!