If you pair a self taught engineer with a classically trained engineer, the self taught will dramatically reap benefits from the collaboration but the reverse isn’t true.
A true 4 year CS curriculum is so theoretical you basically have to self teach to do anything practical once you leave the university. But due to the intuition you gain in university, your teaching process happens much faster and can hone in on specific correct paths, which contrasts with the pure self taught engineer who maybe stumble around longer or get trapped in local minimums.
Some self taught engineers may never truly grasp certain high theoretical concepts because they never occur often enough in the wild, but the CS degree holder will at least know these concepts exist and where they might apply. This is what can make the difference in a business’s competitive edge.
Nowadays though, I’m growing cynical of a lot of people trying to enter the industry as self taught, as many are simply chasing the high salary and easy lifestyle of the typical software engineer. You need to figure out quickly if you’re dealing with a true enthusiast or just someone chasing a good job. It’s safer to just go with the CS degree, but even there you have the same problem, the people entering the industry just aren’t built like they used to be.
A true 4 year CS curriculum is so theoretical you basically have to self teach to do anything practical once you leave the university. But due to the intuition you gain in university, your teaching process happens much faster and can hone in on specific correct paths, which contrasts with the pure self taught engineer who maybe stumble around longer or get trapped in local minimums.
Some self taught engineers may never truly grasp certain high theoretical concepts because they never occur often enough in the wild, but the CS degree holder will at least know these concepts exist and where they might apply. This is what can make the difference in a business’s competitive edge.
Nowadays though, I’m growing cynical of a lot of people trying to enter the industry as self taught, as many are simply chasing the high salary and easy lifestyle of the typical software engineer. You need to figure out quickly if you’re dealing with a true enthusiast or just someone chasing a good job. It’s safer to just go with the CS degree, but even there you have the same problem, the people entering the industry just aren’t built like they used to be.
Sorry if this is a little rambly, it’s late.