Comment Wrong (Score 1) 359
Quite true.
Although many CS degree-holders go on to get degrees in web design, basic coding, and systems administration (which for the most part do not require any or much extensive education in formal Computer Science, they just require basic technical skills), for the real cream (if this is your thing), such as R&D, advanced design, or just new technologies, you simply NEED a university degree.
Where else do you learn the math to recognise properties of multi-dimensional curves (useful in graphics design and cryptography), matrices and vector spaces (Graphics, numerical analysis, languages), recursive properties and enummeration (compilers, parsers, AI, lang recog), statistics (predictive processing), limits and functions (algorithm analysis and design), or even the CS-learned skills of LR-parsing, concurrency (as in implementing it from scratch, not just using it), compilation and code generation, issues concerning true real-time applications, coding theory (error correction, et al), tree theory (algorithms), etc etc.
If all you want to do is write programs that display fancy GUIs (without understanding the nature of GUIs or human psychology and sociology, another university thing), print text in different fonts, draw windows on the screen, or implement somebody else's protocol, go for it.
But if you want to do something exciting, such as design the OS that uses the GUI, or the graphics algorithms that'll render it in 3D, flawlessly; invent the protocol that others will implement, or the compilers that will allow them to implement it, then you'll likely need that piece of paper.
If anything else, you can also pick up electives at university in the arts, or other areas, that may help you innvoate in the future, or even assist you in entrepreneurial ventures.
Although many CS degree-holders go on to get degrees in web design, basic coding, and systems administration (which for the most part do not require any or much extensive education in formal Computer Science, they just require basic technical skills), for the real cream (if this is your thing), such as R&D, advanced design, or just new technologies, you simply NEED a university degree.
Where else do you learn the math to recognise properties of multi-dimensional curves (useful in graphics design and cryptography), matrices and vector spaces (Graphics, numerical analysis, languages), recursive properties and enummeration (compilers, parsers, AI, lang recog), statistics (predictive processing), limits and functions (algorithm analysis and design), or even the CS-learned skills of LR-parsing, concurrency (as in implementing it from scratch, not just using it), compilation and code generation, issues concerning true real-time applications, coding theory (error correction, et al), tree theory (algorithms), etc etc.
If all you want to do is write programs that display fancy GUIs (without understanding the nature of GUIs or human psychology and sociology, another university thing), print text in different fonts, draw windows on the screen, or implement somebody else's protocol, go for it.
But if you want to do something exciting, such as design the OS that uses the GUI, or the graphics algorithms that'll render it in 3D, flawlessly; invent the protocol that others will implement, or the compilers that will allow them to implement it, then you'll likely need that piece of paper.
If anything else, you can also pick up electives at university in the arts, or other areas, that may help you innvoate in the future, or even assist you in entrepreneurial ventures.
