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These are the classes I took to get my Computer Science degree. I spent about 45 hours in lecture for each of these classes plus somewhere between 20 - 50 hours
by hdctambien 12y ago
These are the classes I took to get my Computer Science degree. I spent about 45 hours in lecture for each of these classes plus somewhere between 20 - 50 hours per class (depending on the class) doing labs/homework/studying/etc.
Java
Lisp
Data Structures
Algorithms
Operating Systems
Information Systems (How databases work)
Software Engineering
Assembly Language
Artificial Intelligence
Networking
Embedded Systems
Calculus I & II
Multivariate Calculus
Linear Algebra
Discrete Mathematics
Probability and Statistics
Anyone could self teach all of these things to the same level that I learned them. It would probably take a similar time commitment. Honestly, if someone was dedicated enough to spent 60 - 100 hours learning each of those topics on their own time, they are probably a better computer scientist that I.
Although, I wouldn't say my CS degree made me a "programmer".
What did I didn't learn from College:
How to write maintainable code
How to write testable code
How to deploy code
How to manage servers
How to document code
If you're building web pages there probably isn't any difference between a self taught developer and someone with a CS degree. The person with the CS degree most likely also self taught themselves all their web development skills.
However, if you're building new programming languages or compilers or robots or missile guidance systems or self driving cars or spaceship navigation systems you'll probably start to see some differences. From reading the comments on this thread, I'm not convinced that the self identified self-taughters are aware of all that a CS degree encompasses (heck, no two CS degrees are necessarily after the first three semesters!)
A 22 year old with a CS degree is probably not going to be as good of a web developer as a 22 year old with with 4 years experience working as a web developer instead of a CS degree. But, a 22 year old with a CS degree and 2 years of internships working as a web developer...