> I suspect most of these kids want to be successful doctors, lawyers, scientists, (non-software-) engineers, or "traditional" business management rather than h

> I suspect most of these kids want to be successful doctors, lawyers, scientists, (non-software-) engineers, or "traditional" business management rather than hackers, and credentials are still the way to do those things, and will be for the foreseeable future. In the case of doctors and lawyers (and engineers in many cases), there is a legal requirement to have credentials in order to be involved in practice. I believe it is different in the US, but in the UK, experience is valued most regarding hacking (IT work). A CS degree holds little water, since many of them are, well, inadequate.