The original comment sounded like general advice not specific to data science. I was thinking about it in the context of general CS/programming. But even in data science specifically, in my experience the focus in hiring is towards actual skills and less towards credentials/qualifications. I recently (few weeks ago) interviewed with a data science company for a data science role as someone with a software engineering background. It was a challenging interview but the subject of my degree never even came up and I got the job.

I'm a data scientist at a research institution and I have no college degree. I'm self-taught and was originally hired as a software engineer on the basis of my projects and work experience.

> Remember, this question isn't about general CS.

What's your perception of data science vs CS, especially with respect to hiring?

My impression is there is huge demand for data scientists (e.g. friend who is trying to hire someone and can't find anyone). Open Data Science Conference is running right now in Boston, 3600 attendees... it seems likely that if you can demonstrate skill, someone somewhere will hire you.