Hello fellow devs!

It has definitely been a while since my last post and even though I wanted to write a new post, I hate writing just for the sake of doing so, I like adding value to my articles.

Enjoy 😊

The debate of having a CS degree

There is this stigma and hot debate on whether a developer with a degree is “better” than one without.

Quick moment to point out that I have a degree but did it really make me a better developer?

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Here is my opinion based on my experience and some others who are in the industry:

A degree is only step 1

Getting a degree gives you a basic framework of how to think as a programmer but was it the entire recipe for who I am today?

I wouldn’t say so as technology is constantly evolving and certain principles thought within a specific course may not be valid in a decade.

Its fair to say that this doesn’t apply to all aspects e.g data structures but does one need to go through the process of a degree to truly understand these concepts?

A degree is a requirement for most tech roles

In Europe, a degree is generally one of the basic requirements when applying for a tech role and therefore it is quite important to have one.

However a shift has been taking place where a degree is no longer a requirement. https://www.google.com.mt/amp/s/amp.businessinsider.com/top-companies-are-hiring-more-candidates-without-a-4-year-degree-2019-4

Will other companies follow suit?

Work experience is more important

Throughout the years of working as a dev I had the amazing experience of working with some knowledgeable individuals and one thing that I learnt is you can have all the degrees you like, but without work experience you are as good as a sitting duck. 🦆

Some of the best devs I met had no fancy degree to show for their experience and knowledge but they surely worked their ass off to get to where they are today.

A degree will not prepare you for the real world

This might not apply to all however some courses do not prepare you for the real world and I see it kind of natural as there is so much you can fit in one course.

Only through work experience will you learn about migrations, issues on scalability in a real world scenario, proper debugging, how to effectively work with other teams etc.

It is not the only path

The more time passes the more I realise how there are a ton of ways of achieving something and with all of the resources available to us, I can say that one does not need a degree to learn how to code. I am a classic example, I learnt HTML, CSS and JavaScript before joining university.

What one needs is guidance, guidance on how learning a programming language is not enough and how logical and critical thinking helps one write better software.

Shit, did I waste my time at university or college?

This post is in no way trying to bash universities or colleges as I do not regret getting one and if you have the chance, do go get one but remember its not the beyond and all and does not necessarily mean it will make you a better developer.

In my eyes, a piece of paper will never define someone but it is the personality, your critical thinking and methods of approaching an issue that will make you a great dev :)

Do not wait

My final advice is whether you choose to get a degree solely depends on you and your financial situation (for some countries) but one thing for sure, do not wait to get a degree to start coding as I didn’t and all I can say it paid off!

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Hope you enjoyed this article and found some value in it.

How was your experience with choosing to get a degree? Love to hear from you on Twitter or in the comments below!

Keep well and stay hungry 🙃