It seems to me that one of the biggest advantages of having a CS degree from an actual institution is that prospective employers are far more likely to believe that you actually have the skills you say you do.

If you're self-taught, but have truly gone through something like OSSU (or [https://teachyourselfcs.com/](https://teachyourselfcs.com/), or any other set of courses that covers much of what a CS degree would), how do you convince employers that you actually know what you say you know? Sure, you can perform well in the interview, but first you have to make it that far.