Is a computer science degree worth the paper it's printed on?
Self-taught technologists are almost always better hires than those with a BSCS and a huge student loan
By Andrew Oliver, InfoWorld, 09/11/12
A reporter recently asked me what advice I had for kids coming out of high school. I said, "Go into computer science and you'll
probably always have a job." I wonder if I should have said: "Skip college and spend all your time teaching yourself computers."
Especially in America, where an education incurs tremendous debt and most educational institutions teach you so little of
what really matters, you have to ask: "Can't I just do this myself?"
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I don't have a computer science degree, though I've worked at big-name companies and founded my own firm. I've literally grown
up in this field. I started programming in BASIC when I was 8 years old and learned how to create database-driven software
in dBase III+ when I was 9 or 10. I even grabbed big books on compiler theory and all kinds of nonsense so that I'd know everything
I needed.
If I had picked up a degree, I would have missed the entire dot-com boom and graduated during the ensuing recession with no
experience carrying a load of debt. Instead, I stayed gainfully employed through all but a month or two of the bust and joined
a successful startup as the economy picked up.
But is teaching yourself to code sound advice given today's grinding economy? If you believe the headhunters, the national
unemployment rate for the technology sector is 5 percent. If you recall, 5 percent unemployment is supposedly "full employment,"
where everyone who wants a job has one.
Moreover, most of us in the industry believe the supply of talented programmers will forever be constrained. A recruiter recently
asked me why employers are so picky. I explained that of the people who earned a computer science degree, most don't know
any theory and can't code. Instead, they succeed at putting things on their resume that match keywords.
Plus, companies don't consider it their responsibility to provide training or mentoring. In fairness, that's because the scarcity
of talent has created a mercenary culture: "Now that my employer paid me to learn a new skill, let me check to see if there's
an ad for it on Dice or Craigslist with a higher rate of pay."
When searching for talent, I've stopped relying on computer science degrees as an indicator of anything except a general interest
in the field. Most schools suck at teaching theory and aren't great at Java instruction, either. Granted, they're not much better with any other language, but most of them teach Java. Not that there
aren't bright, shining exceptions; for example, every single Virginia Tech grad I've interviewed has a firm grasp of theory.
Our most successful employees have been nontraditional hires. One of my most valuable players has a doctorate in music, got
promoted on his first assignment, received wild raves from clients, and now leads large integration projects. I have another
fellow who we hired directly from an Apple Store. On his first assignment, he developed the AJAX UI for a multi-billion-dollar
financial institution that the client loved.
