I agree with moo083 and let me add to their comment. There are other things that a 4-year degree will give you besides just algorithms. For example, the breadth of viewpoint that leads one to determine the correct time and opportunity to use an algorithm. Or, maybe, perspective enough to know when you need to seek knowledge from others rather than trying to create it yourself.

I've worked with so many programmers in my career. Relatively few of them would I call an engineer because of the lack of a disciplined approach to their work. In my experience, most of these programmers were vocationally-educated or self-taught. To be fair, there are quite a number (alarmingly so) of 4-year educated programmers that exhibit this lack of thought in their work, but there is a better chance that someone with a 4-year degree will be able to think from an engineering standpoint rather than taking a "let's code this sucker up" approach.

As with any life experience, your mileage may very, but I always have an appreciation for those among us that have completed a 4-year program. Since when is persistence and fulfilling a long-term goal a negative?

Just my 2 cents.

You insensitive clod!

As Joe Isuzu would say, "Right.... You have my word on it." :)