Hacker News Reader

Comment by jaegerpicker | Hacker News Reader

Now a days, it's very much true. I've worked for FAANG companies, a number of mid-major sized tech/internet companies, have had a engineering job for 20+ years, been a CTO and co-founded a VC backed company. All without any degree, in fact in the 20+ years in the field I've never once been out of work. Early in my career I was rejected a couple of times for lack of degree but I can't even remember the last time I was asked about a degree. I know a number of other long term successful non-degree engineers also. So unless you have solid data to back that up, I'd agree strongly for it not being bullshit. The only tech field that I can see that argument for is higher level Data Scientists and that's clearly becoming less and less of a requirement also.

View on HN

That's the point though - in lieu of some outstanding success and track record that makes you an extreme outlier, a degree is pretty much required.

>I've worked for FAANG companies, a number of mid-major sized tech/internet companies, have had a engineering job for 20+ years, been a CTO and co-founded a VC backed company. All without any degree, in fact in the 20+ years in the field I've never once been out of work.

Things are very different now than they were 20, or even 10 years ago. It used to be that people coming into this field did it out of passion and interest in the work, and accordingly the talent pool was fairly small and someone with a bit of knowledge and aptitude could get a shot.

Now it's just seen as a lucrative career like Law or Business, and so CS has become the number one major at many US universities these days. We are facing an absolute glut of new grads. And if you're trying to compete for an entry level job without a degree now, you're pretty much out of luck.

I work in a big tech company and you have to be extraordinary to get hired without a degree as an entry level dev. 10+ years experience and it won't matter so much, no.

That's why you join a small company that doesn't ask for anything, maybe a small web design shop. Then within a year you find some other company, maybe a middle ware company or consulting shop. And after that, since you now have 2-3 years of experience, you aim for the big boys.

Basically a sort of on-the-job-training-degree, just that you get paid for it :-)

I have successfully went through a chain of technical interviews, but wasn't hired to Facebook because HR realized I have no degree. So our experience is really different.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com