While I agree with your points, rejecting a company because it makes that demand isn't quite right. If (hypothetically) you have 2 equally good programmers, and the only difference between them is one has a degree and the other one doesn't, then its natural to choose the former
Re:How To Become An Apprentice Developer
by cstejerean on Monday November 12, 2012 @09:56AM
(#4773028)
If you have two equally competent candidates, hire both. It's surprisingly difficult to find good programmers though, so ending up with 2 awesome candidates to choose from is unlikely.
I went through college, learned dittily squat when it comes to cs, and now I'm playing catch-up hardcore with js/functional programming/kernel hacking/everything.
Autodidacts rule the world today, and they will only continue to become more influential. Nobody can push you harder than you can push yourself.