This is one of the things I love the most about Software Engineering: It is really possible to learn everything relevant, and more importantly apply that knowledge and experiment with it by self-study. This is pretty unique in STEM fields other than Math...and the difference there is, that it's much much much easier to get a job as a SE sans degree than as a mathematician.
Sure, one could read tons of books about Biochemistry...but applying that knowledge? No chance, you need a lab. One can self-study mechanical engineering, but good luck building a workshop. Its not impossible, but the cost is just too prohibitive.
What do I need to start learning how to write software? An old laptop for a couple hundred bucks and internet access. That's it.
I would have been so heavily punished financially for going to college vs taking that first tech industry job at 19 that I would have been an idiot for waiting 4 more years and end up in the same place. If society wants more college graduates for reasons, we need to reward students with industry level wages scholarships. Of course this will could only ever happen in Europe, progressive latin America and so on.
At any healthy, mature tech company, the ratio of employees with college degrees in CS, unrelated college degrees, and no college degrees at all is approximately equal.
To quote from TFA:
> You can easily make a six figure salary these days without a university
> degree as a self-taught software engineer.
Sure, one could read tons of books about Biochemistry...but applying that knowledge? No chance, you need a lab. One can self-study mechanical engineering, but good luck building a workshop. Its not impossible, but the cost is just too prohibitive.
What do I need to start learning how to write software? An old laptop for a couple hundred bucks and internet access. That's it.