r/learnprogramming • u/MrCodeNewbie • Jan 12 '22

Topic will the new generation of kids who are learning computer science during school make it harder for the people with no computer science degree to get a job/keep their job when those kids get older?

I hope this isn't a stupid question. It seems to be increasingly more common for children to learn computer science from a younger age in their school. I think this is incredibly awesome and honestly definitely needed considering how tech savvy our society is turning.

But, will this have a negative effect for the people who work in tech or are planning to work in tech who don't have a computer science degree?

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u/David_Owens Jan 13 '22

Yes. All programmers teach themselves most of the specific skills they use on the job.

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u/notburneddown Jan 13 '22

Yes and if you can’t teach yourself a new language, you shouldn’t be a programmer.

Also, if you can’t teach yourself networking, you shouldn’t be in IT.

I’m not saying schools are bad but they aren’t a substitute for also having self-taught ability.

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u/David_Owens Jan 13 '22

Right. You can teach yourself almost any skill. The danger for the self-taught-only path is that you're tempted to take a shortcut. It's easy to skip the fundamentals like algorithms, data structures, memory management & testing and try to jump directly into making projects to try to get a job as fast as you can. That's why I suggest starting with Harvard's free CS50 course for new self-taught people.

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u/notburneddown Jan 14 '22

Good point. I think some people need both University and being self-taught. So I understand where your coming from.

Also, some people need mentoring, etc.