> You can reach a higher salary.

I'm not sure about "reach". From what I've seen it's more of a "You can start with a higher salary". After a decade of work barely anyone cares about your university. There are some exceptions of course - R&D departments at corps like degrees for example.

Your second point is only true if you add a constraint to learn alone, nothing wrong with seeking out other self learners. Salary is generally true but that really depends on your negotiating skills.

It's a lot easier to learn complex math and CS topics with a guide than with other people at the same level. There's a reason study groups often end up in the math lab asking for guidance.

Many self learners have no clue about processes, threads, memory allocation. Nor do they care about algorithmic complexity.

They end up using a list for a map etc.i.e. there are foundational gaps in their knowledge. A CS program ensures that there is at least an attempt to build a foundation.

> Many self learners have no clue about processes, threads, memory allocation.

This all also applies to “many CS graduates”. My systems-programmer wife has given up asking basic systems questions to new grads in technical interviews because she just expects to get blank stares at this point.

Stuff that was expected knowledge of anyone programming computers in any capacity up through the 1990s is now a mystical secret known only to gurus.

Someone who takes hard college courses in operating systems, database implementation, networking, distributed systems, etc. can obviously learn a lot of useful stuff. But those are often not required for a CS degree.

It is possible to scrape through a program without much curiosity or real understanding. Thus defining a clear gap in the workforce that those with CS degrees (and who actually paid attention) can fulfill. Specifically, building the tools, algorithms, and systems that the code monkeys will add features to. Which part of the food chain one wants to show up in has surprisingly little to do with how much one gets paid, but since it doesn't matter, I know where I'd rather be.

Like I said a CS program at least attempts to bridge this gap. Courses are there. Most self learners are unaware or just want to learn React.

If they don't have much worn experience I always look through their transcript.

You can't say that for a fact, and you are probably wrong on that generalization.

That same thing that drives people to be good in programming happens with it without schooling. And most of it happens to be experience.

You can either pay for experience, or you can get paid to get experience.

At the end of the day bad programmers from whatever walks of life are going to use list where maps should be used, and not understand algorithmic complexitie of the code they write.

Processes, threads, and memory allocations are all system level operations and a programmers depth of knowledge of them are highly dependent on where in the stack they are working.

In fact. I would wager that most self tough programmers are a cut above the average college grad, and way more suited to actually gettng work done. Thry have already shown they are self motivated and don't require hand holding to get the job done. Besides they will also be less stressed from not having all that debt.