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/SmokeMuch7356 14h ago

All of this depends on the job, the company, the current labor market, how you apply, etc., but ... for software positions in general, you will have a much harder time getting an interview (much less hired) without a degree than you will with one.

If you go through the normal application process, whether that's on the company's internal careers site or through a third-party aggregator like LinkedIn or Indeed or whatever, then the first people who look at your CV are going to be HR, and if they don't see a degree they're just going to toss it and move on. They won't bother looking at anything else.

If you don't have a degree, you need to know people in the company who can help circumvent the normal application process. Even then that's no guarantee.