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Comment by xwdv | Hacker News Reader

No CS degree is fine when you’re doing trivial programming work that doesn’t really matter, such as application frontends.

But could you imagine riding in a plane or using critical infrastructure services programmed by people with absolutely no computer science degree to their name? Not a chance. Like getting surgery from a butcher.

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Ehmm ... do you think all airplane programmers are CS graduates? They are not. At least not at SAAB. Actually, very few are CS. Most are mechanic, electric and fluid engineers.

In at least Sweden's machine industry programming is just something you learn in your engineering role by osmosis and revulations from God, and typically one to three 7 week courses at university.

Volvo Cars, Volvo Trucks, Scania, SAAB etc.

People with CS degree have more theoretical knowledge, for sure. But people without it, self taught, have more practical knowledge, cause they simply done things instead of learning about them. Decide yourself, which is better.

I don't think that many self taught developers have any practical knowledge related to avionics control systems, there is only so much you can do on your own.

People who get jobs without a degree don't invalidate the people who do get a degree. Or that there are use-cases where a degree is necessary.

Luckily, the planes keep flying and the infrastructure keeps working whether you can imagine using them or not.

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