This post seems imbued with the philosophy that programming is fundamentally a trade skill, with a skills development path that is roughly equivalent to becomin

This post seems imbued with the philosophy that programming is fundamentally a trade skill, with a skills development path that is roughly equivalent to becoming a master carpenter or mechanic (which are significant accomplishments, but that's a separate topic). One cannot become a cardiothoracic surgeon simply by being a doctor for 10+ years, or even by taking part in thousands of open heart procedures as an anesthesiologist. Unfortunately for our profession, looking for a 'solid CS background' or an active github repo haven't proven universally effective as methods for identifying self-sufficient people capable of building reliable systems that solve complex problems. Those people are more easily distinguished by being in exceedingly comfortable positions already, or enjoying early retirement.