There are a number of studies that about half of all software developers do not have a CS degree. From what I have seen, many of these have degrees in other so

There are a number of studies that about half of all software developers do not have a CS degree. From what I have seen, many of these have degrees in other so-called STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields such as mathematics. Paul Minton's LinkedIn profile lists a 4 year B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Illinois at Chicago (2009-2011). He apparently was a transfer from University of Vermont. GPA is listed as 3.31. His LinkedIn profile also lists courses in probability, statistics, and linear algebra. https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulminton https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulminton Data scientists in particular tend to be people with degrees (often Ph.D.s) in other STEM fields involving heavy statistics and data analysis. Most do extensive software development for these data analyses. It is not clear how much programming experience he had prior to the coding boot camp either from the New York Times article or his LinkedIn profile. These days, most people taking probability and statistics probably do some programming in class. It is also worth noting that San Francisco is quite expensive with apartment rents running over $4,000/month in the city. Software jobs are concentrated in high cost of living areas. http://blog.sfgate.com/ontheblock/2015/06/02/san-franciscos-median-rent-hits-a-ridiculous-4225/ http://blog.sfgate.com/ontheblock/2015/06/02/san-franciscos-...