there is no such as an autodidact really, untraditionally taught perhaps but even if you learn at home and not at a university you still probably read kind of the same books nd you talk to a lot of people on forums.

i guess if two people have the same skills and one is selftaught then that says a lot more about the selftaught person.

i personally have no experience in hiring people but i could imagine a lot of idiots who think they are the shit(but have a horrible lack of understanding for the fundamentals) would apply.

wouldnt most jobs that ask for a degree consider someone who has a really proven trackrecord?

i mean at least for webdevelopment...