I think the original question tends to ignore the fact that no two employers are indeed the same. So there's no yes or no to be had, just maybe..
Paul ----- Original Message ----- From: Daniel Freiman To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 3:09 PM Subject: Re: [flexcoders] do you need CS Degree to get a job? A lot of us are putting our 2 cents in. A few things that are getting lost in the conversation (and I'm guilty of these as well). 1. As Doug pointed out, we're equating the ability to do the job with the ability to get the job, which is not alway true. 2. Not all jobs are created equal. Some jobs require formal CS knowledge and some don't. The hiring process can reflect these differences. 3. Matt Chotin is a project manager at Adobe and he posted his response very quickly. There's no more authoritative source (although there are some equally as authoritative sources) to answer the question as it was originally posed. - Dan Freiman On Wed, Feb 20, 2008 at 8:10 AM, Brad Bueche <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: If its your first job in the field a degree will certainly help. After that you had better have some good references and be able to code on the spot. You also need to be personable in the interview (no small point). I was a political philosophy major. It was the only degree I could find that didnt have a math requirement at my school! (Still had to take 6 hours of statistics .....twice). My first job was as a bill collector! Didnt like that so I quit, worked construction, and took some night school classes in programming (cobol, pascal, c)(1988!). Somebody in my class got me a job at a bank and I've just gone from there. I've been through several banks and two startups. One very successful, one not. I've been through several managerial positions. I personally dont care if you have a degree or not. I care about what you know and (VERY important) how motivated you are/how much passion you have for what you do, and how much of a team player you can be. Its absoluteley no fun working with people who are not doing what they love (this job just requires too much dedication). Its also a colossal waste of time and a huge vulnerability to hire people who can not communicate with others and/or are elitist (therefore, the team player requirement). If you give short answers at an interview and talk to your feet, you wont get the good jobs. With all this in mind, a degree is, therefore, irrelevant to me. Most of the people I would hire will come through mutual friends (linkedin is a great source for this). NEVER burn a bridge (5 years down the road, you have no idea who is going to be the decision maker in something you want/need very, very badly). And ALWAYS keep in touch with people you know are good, motivated and love what they do. Build your short list of contacts as you advance through your career. It WILL be a life saver sooner or later. (The coolest idea in the world and VC money are useless unless you can build a good team). Somebody mentioned putting a blog up and posting like hell. I think thats is a great idea! Its much better than a resume. It shows that you are motivated, it displays your talent level (code wise), your organizational ability, your ability to explain difficult concepts, your ability to communicate in writing, and, it can, show your ability to deal with annoying people! (And, at deadline, after a 60, 70 hour week, everybody gets annoying!) A very good idea. brad -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Sherif Abdou Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 7:12 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [flexcoders] do you need CS Degree to get a job? A bit off-topic but I was just wondering since i have no reminescense of this and their seems to be a lot of programmers on here I thought I would ask this question. Do you actually need some sort of CS degree or Computer Related degree to get a job say in programming Web Applications or getting a Job at Adobe or MSFT or Google. I have a degree in Molecular Biology with a Chem Minor. I am Self-Taught so let me here some stories. Thanks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.
