Do You Need A College Degree To Become A Programmer?

Here's a recent blog article attempting to answer a question that many people here at TE might also have.

Do You Need A College Degree To Become A Programmer?

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ptilsen

Be sure to read the article and the bottom half. (This is the Internet, and sometimes we read headlines and then get started without reading the content).

Great article. I think "programming" and all the various programming terminology is more or less interchangeable with IT infrastructure terminology. Fundamentally, there's no difference. You don't need a degree for either, but the article lays out great reasons you should still get one.

the_Grinch

I think you will find that a lot of jobs just require an "IT" degree and then programming knowledge. I know a lot of people who are professional programmers with degrees in MIS, IS, CST (Computing and Security Technology) so it is doable.

CodeBlox

I know an AMAZING programmer who isn't a computer or IT anything major. This person is a physics major and finished a masters degree. They do however have a nice paying job doing programming currently. Said person has been programming since she was like 7 years old. Always helps me when I get stuck while programming and is able to answer literally any question I've had. I've never thrown a question at her that she could not answer. Key to it is a lot of time put in, and a desire to actually do it.

Webmaster

The statement "I really don't think a college degree is required for programming." in that article is a bit black-and-white. You don't need a degree for programming, but for a long term career in programming it sure is useful. You don't really need a car to cross a distance of 1000 miles, but it sure beats walking.

He kind of lost me when he said "I started programming in BASIC when I was around 11ish through the ATARI manual". I agree you don't need a degree for programming if you did it from age 11. I started on the same platform but only programmed on and off over the past decades, have a diverse portfolio, and getting 'a' job as a programmer is 'relatively easy' compared to jobs I actually have more paid experience in. However, the more interesting, challenging and in general "better" jobs at the better companies with the better salaries often do require a degree.

Something else I noticed is that unlike often with net/sys admins, more experience does not necessarily make a degree less important, I frequently see junior and mid-level positions that require experience+BS and senior positions that require a experience+MS. Without a degree you're likely to hit a ceiling sooner.

The key factor is the demand for programmers. For example for mobile development currently (iOS and android) a portfolio and having some self-published apps in the stores outweighs having a degree by far for many available job openings. I occasionally see employers organize challenges, like create an app in one or two days, and then they pick the candidate based on the results (actual skills) and not prior education.

On the other hand, I also see job ads looking for people with a degree and as little as merely an interest in programming or experience with any programming language even if it doesn't match the one they are looking for. In a recent job ad I read a few days ago the employer was looking for people who have "programming as a hobby", as long as they have or are working on a degree. Like the blogger said, you can learn programming without having a degree. But if someone without a degree (in IT) can learn programming, surely someone who does have a degree in IT can learn programming too and maybe even faster/better/easier - at least that's what some employers seem to think.

It would be unwise, when making a long-term career choice, to assume the demand remains that high though. Once it decreased and there are plenty of candidates to choose from, candidates who have the combination of experience+portfolio+degree will generally be preferred over those without a degree. Even if you have 10 years experience, if other candidates have that too but also have a degree it will become hard to compete.

Point being that if you want a career in programming and you can get a degree, imho I say "go for it". Not just to get your foot in the first door, but also other doors you might encounter on your path and for job security if the market ever becomes saturated.

paul78

It sounds like the main theme is that you dont actually need a degree. It just gets you in the door. Once in the door, does it really matter if you have the experience, skill, an desire to succeed. I dont see how a piece of paper makes anyone a better programmer.

joshmadakor

paul78 wrote: »

It sounds like the main theme is that you dont actually need a degree. It just gets you in the door. Once in the door, does it really matter if you have the experience, skill, an desire to succeed. I dont see how a piece of paper makes anyone a better programmer.

The "piece of paper" itself doesn't do anything, it's just a piece of paper. However, obtaining this "piece of paper" often requires that you demonstrate a certain set of skills or knowledge in a given area. Having the degree is seen as "proof" by many people. I got my original (real) job as a programmer making $50k/yr without a degree. I'm not bragging and it was *NOT* easy. I'm missing many core concepts, if you will, that someone with a real degree in Computer Science would have had the opportunity of being immersed it.

If somebody came to me and asked how to become a programmer, I would strongly advise them to go for their Bachelors in CS.

paul78

joshmadakor wrote: »

The "piece of paper" itself doesn't do anything, it's just a piece of paper. However, obtaining this "piece of paper" often requires that you demonstrate a certain set of skills or knowledge in a given area. Having the degree is seen as "proof" by many people. I got my original (real) job as a programmer making $50k/yr without a degree. I'm not bragging and it was *NOT* easy. I'm missing many core concepts, if you will, that someone with a real degree in Computer Science would have had the opportunity of being immersed it.

If somebody came to me and asked how to become a programmer, I would strongly advise them to go for their Bachelors in CS.

Oh I agree with you. Having a degree helps but I do stand by my assertion that it only gets you in the door. Sounds like you worked very hard and you deserve to be proud of it. I am not really sure that core concepts stick unless you sart to have real world experiences.

JDMurray

I think it's very important for every IT professional to make a serious attempt at learning programming, if only to discover if they like programming or not. Programming is certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but if there's a possibility you like to write software--but don't know it yet--you should try to acquire this creative skill set that most IT people never get the opportunity to experience. With the proliferation of free programming tools, learning materials, classes, and advice from knowledgeable and experienced programmers online (*ahem*), anyone can try to learn programming without needing to enroll in a computer science program.

paul78

JDMurray wrote: »

I think it's very important for every IT professional to make a serious attempt at learning programming, if only to discover if they like programming or not.

Very true. I would add though that learning to program as close to bare metal is something that can help make any IT pro more proficient - including programmers. Toonmany programmers today dont understand the basics of how computers and networks actually work.