I’m extremely biased when it comes to whether a computer science degree needed to become a software engineer. Laying all my cards on the table: I have bachelors and masters degrees in computer science (b-schools). I have hired engineers for my team and for the organizations that I’ve been a part of. I believe coding schools only give you a small, limited subset of a computer science education for an entry level roles. I believe that beyond L2 that a computer science degree or education should be required.

John Arundel shared on Twitter this morning, “Umpopular opinion: you need a degree-level education in computer science to be a really good developer. If you have one from a university, great. If not, it’s time to start educating yourself. The resources are there; all you need is willpower, effort, and time”

I know this is an unpopular opinion—I share this opinion. I know this opinion because this opinion is lamented online. While it’s true that there are good developers without the degree. But the lack of education in development is reflected in the code I see everyday. It’s reflected in the open source code I use everyday. The lack of education only gets you so far. You have to keep learning, keep growing. You are only limited by the knowledge that you have.