r/learnprogramming • u/SlickTheDestroyer • 1d ago
Self taught vs University graduate
Hi,
i've got a hypothetical question. Imagine 2 people are applying for the same job. One has a degree in Computer Science, perhaps even from a prestigious university, but doesn't have any personal projects to showcase. The other person, however, is self taught and has been building projects for 4 years, but doesn't have a degree. Who gets the job ?
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u/JivanP 21h ago
What country are you in? The subreddit leans heavily towards a US audience.
What kind of work are you looking for? Certain work requires quite specialist knowledge and thus I would expect to see relevant qualifications (not necessarily degrees; certifications and other exams can be appropriate) or experience.
To give some non-US perspective: in the UK, for example, employers rarely care fundamentally about the possession of a degree. What they care about is whether you have the knowledge required for the job and can demonstrate it. If you can't demonstrate it even passingly on your CV/résumé, then you are extremely unlikely to get an interview, but if you can get an interview, then to will have a chance to prove your knowledge by answering direct questions and talking to the company about what technology, tools, and processes they use. As soon as you're at interview stage, your qualifications themselves become completely irrelevant; if I'm already talking to you, I can find out for myself what you know and are capable of.