4 ms·

I wonder how many of these are of the "Computer Science B.Sc. or 'equivalent experience'" sort. In theory, you can get those jobs without a degree. In practice,

I wonder how many of these are of the "Computer Science B.Sc. or 'equivalent experience'" sort. In theory, you can get those jobs without a degree. In practice, acquiring the "equivalent experience" is nearly impossible without the degree.

pjscott 13y ago
Really? I'm one of those people who didn't get a CS degree, but I learned a lot of CS stuff; I learned it because it was interesting. People have put a lot of effort into making CS accessible to anybody who wants to learn. There are textbooks sitting in public libraries which can teach you, in well-written straightforward language, far more about CS than most CS graduates ever remember. There are people on the internet who know amazing things, and will share their knowledge gladly. Hell, people stick entire books online, just waiting for you to read them. It's easier to get "equivalent experience" in CS than with any degree I know of, and has been for some years now. This is a beautiful thing; let's at least acknowledge it.
- deleted 13y ago
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- icebraining 13y ago
  There's equivalent experience and "equivalent experience". The latter is what HR departments actually consider valid.
  - ollysb 13y ago
    HR departments are infamously bad at hiring developers. In this case having a degree will help you get a job at a corp but that doesn't make you a good candidate (of course you might be as well, they're just not going to be able to tell the difference by your degree).
    - icebraining 13y ago
      I know, my point is that quanticle was talking about the latter, and pjscott replied with the former. You can get equivalent experience without college, but it's still hard to get what the HR departments consider "equivalent experience". The two views are not contradictory.
- quanticle 13y ago
  The problem is that "equivalent experience" means equivalent work experience. Unless you're very fortunate (or happen to live in the Valley, which is largely the same thing), you're not going to be able to get that first job without a CS degree.
adrianhoward 13y ago
In practice, acquiring the "equivalent experience" is nearly impossible without the degree That's just not true in my experience. A goodly percentage of the very best people I've worked with - and the very best people I've hired - have not had a degree in CS. Many do not have a degree full stop. Many of the people I hire who do have degrees aren't being hired because of the degree - they're being hired because of the side project, and their experience of hacking code since they were 11, etc. I think students, especially American students (because that massive personal debt must be worth something...), overestimate the importance of a degree when it comes to hiring.
- quanticle 13y ago
  They may not be hired because of the degree, but the degree is what gets their resume on the desk of the hiring manager.
- deleted 13y ago
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pjscott 13y ago

Really? I'm one of those people who didn't get a CS degree, but I learned a lot of CS stuff; I learned it because it was interesting. People have put a lot of effort into making CS accessible to anybody who wants to learn. There are textbooks sitting in public libraries which can teach you, in well-written straightforward language, far more about CS than most CS graduates ever remember. There are people on the internet who know amazing things, and will share their knowledge gladly. Hell, people stick entire books online, just waiting for you to read them. It's easier to get "equivalent experience" in CS than with any degree I know of, and has been for some years now. This is a beautiful thing; let's at least acknowledge it.

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
icebraining 13y ago
There's equivalent experience and "equivalent experience". The latter is what HR departments actually consider valid.
- ollysb 13y ago
  HR departments are infamously bad at hiring developers. In this case having a degree will help you get a job at a corp but that doesn't make you a good candidate (of course you might be as well, they're just not going to be able to tell the difference by your degree).
  - icebraining 13y ago
    I know, my point is that quanticle was talking about the latter, and pjscott replied with the former. You can get equivalent experience without college, but it's still hard to get what the HR departments consider "equivalent experience". The two views are not contradictory.
quanticle 13y ago
The problem is that "equivalent experience" means equivalent work experience. Unless you're very fortunate (or happen to live in the Valley, which is largely the same thing), you're not going to be able to get that first job without a CS degree.

adrianhoward 13y ago

In practice, acquiring the "equivalent experience" is nearly impossible without the degree That's just not true in my experience. A goodly percentage of the very best people I've worked with - and the very best people I've hired - have not had a degree in CS. Many do not have a degree full stop. Many of the people I hire who do have degrees aren't being hired because of the degree - they're being hired because of the side project, and their experience of hacking code since they were 11, etc. I think students, especially American students (because that massive personal debt must be worth something...), overestimate the importance of a degree when it comes to hiring.

quanticle 13y ago
They may not be hired because of the degree, but the degree is what gets their resume on the desk of the hiring manager.
deleted 13y ago
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