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Ask HN: Do companies accept self-taught programmers?

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Re: Ask HN: Do companies accept self-taught programmers?

#31
post #21

Yes. I've hired >50 engineer in the last 12-18 months. They are experienced hires I will grant you, but education is something I barely look at on a resume. In fact, I can't even tell you how many are self taught vs not, but I suspect it's 30%+. It's a little different for junior engineers, as it can make a difference, but in my experience the only thing you can ask for from any engineer, which is especially true for…

Would you mind if I asked how you test for attitude and aptitude?

Re: Ask HN: Do companies accept self-taught programmers?

#32

Typically with years of experience substituted for a degree. For example, if hiring someone with a CS/MIS/CIS degree with 4 years experience. We'd accept 8 years experience in lieu of a degree. If you find learning in college boring, what do you think this field holds for you? You have a world full of knowledge you could be learning if you're bored, no professor is preventing you from becoming knowledgeable across ma…

  "...with 4 years experience. We'd accept 8 years experience in lieu of a degree."
I don't necessarily think this is a bad policy, but the idea of counting someone's freshman year at university as a year of experience makes me chuckle a little.

Re: Ask HN: Do companies accept self-taught programmers?

#33
Short answer, focused on the USA's job market: Yes, with some effort you can definitely find companies that don't require a degree.

Long answer: The long-term trend has been that it's becoming harder and harder to get by without a degree. It's just supply and demand in action. A long time ago, people with programming skills were hard to find, and companies had to settle for hiring whoever they could find.

But people with programming skills are becoming increasingly common nowadays. Supply is starting to catch up with demand. That's making it harder to find a job that doesn't require a college degree than it used to be. Now companies start having an incentive to add a degree requirement just to reduce the number of applicants they have to consider.

Even if there is not a degree requirement, it's only going to get more common that you find yourself competing directly with people who are similar to you in every way except that they have a degree and you don't. When that happens, they're likely to pick the person with the degree. It's just the safer option from their end.

Re: Ask HN: Do companies accept self-taught programmers?

#34

I don't have degree and I worked in the second largest internet company in Russia (where university degree is mandatory for 90% of population due to soviet mindset). Currently, I'm in process of interviewing with London Office of Facebook. They told me that they don't care about my degree. The only important thing is my skills. Also, I had conversation with Google HR, he told me the same. Ripple Labs has very advance…

California is home to a world of startups in San Francisco that don't care about a degree. If you can prove yourself to be curious enough and have enough verifiable experience to back up your abilities, the startups will come for you.

I totally agree with you. But in order to get H1B visa, I should have bachelor degree or 12 years of documentary proved experience. I have 12 years of experience, but I can prove only 8 years because my first employer doesn't exist anymore. So it's a visa issue, not employers.

Re: Ask HN: Do companies accept self-taught programmers?

#35
post #16

95,476 jobs posted http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=%22bachelors+degree%22&l= 5,308 jobs posted http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=%22in+lieu+of+degree%22&l=

Instead of "in lieu of degree" you should've looked for "or equivalent technical experience" or something like that. That's what job ads usually say (Still true that having a degree gives you more job openings, but it's not that big of a difference).

Also, just because an ad says "bachelor's degree" doesn't necessarily mean it's required. Businesses have a problem they need solved and there are very few problems that require a BS.

Re: Ask HN: Do companies accept self-taught programmers?

#38
post #36

Yes they do. Interviewed a few self-taught programmers. Some kind of test task and an interview says more about candidate than line with degree in resume.

This is true. That said, I'm not sure how true it is in Indonesia.

Many very attractive jobs will be outside Indonesia. Immigration without a degree can be very tricky...

Re: Ask HN: Do companies accept self-taught programmers?

#39
If you're already in college and borde with your CS course, stay there and study something else. Knowing programming plus anything else will make you more attractive than someone who just knows programming. Especially, now that 'everybody' is teaching themselves programming.
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