On Sun, 2022-08-21 at 07:08 -0700, techlists@phpcoderusa.com wrote:

> I think the Universities 
> will dry up.  

I   H O P E   S O !

Degree discrimination really frosts my petunias. Very little of the programming I've
done or seen done couldn't be done by a fairly bright person, perhaps with 3 or 4
programming courses in junior college. To me, the higher education system is class
warfare, plain and simple. And I have a BSEE degree.

> I first looked at college in 1978 and that year it was $275 a semester 
> at the University of Arizona. I ended up going to junior college and it 
> was $100 my first semester the spring of 1979.

I took programming and business courses at Santa Monica Community College, for
$20/course. My income tripled, so both the state of California and I laughed all the
way to the bank.


> When I was first exposed to programming in 1983 a bachelor's degree was 
> required to be a programmer. I think that requirement is long gone.  I 
> think employers are looking for just skills.

1983 was the tail end of the glass house, IBM Mainframe era, which was almost a
monopsany. By 1985, with DBASE, Turbo Pascal, and the rise of affordable 286's, 
the Kitchen Table Programmer made his or her move, running circles around the
mainframe programmers on minis or micros. But still, many employers screen out the
non-degreed. They claim it's because the graduate at least proved he/she could
complete something. But all too often, what a college degree proves is you didn't
have to spend all your time supporting your family as a kid. By the way, 1984 was
when I busted into professional programming: Whitesmith Pascal on a PDP11/23 running
TSX multitasking over RT/11. The next year I started professional programming in C.

> 
> I think self study is big today.  

Huge. And also these inexpensive online courses.


> And if the economy does crash I'm 
> thinking that the next generation of programmers will be self thought 
> and might just be more inclined to be using Linux.

LOL, depends on the severity of the crash. If it's too bad the guy knowing how to
grow crops, sanitize water, and buy/sell stuff will be on top. But yeah, if it's
only like 1982 or 2008-2009, and there aren't enough rich kids to fill the
programming positions and they don't import hordes of H1-B's, then yeah, self taught
will be more of a thing. By the way, it's already doable: I've seen folks do it here
in Orlando.

Incidentally, I've seen a formula used, time and time again, for self-taught
programmers to succeed hugely:

1) Learn the technology to a level of plausible expertise.

2) Network, network, network.

3) Get yourself installed as a presenter at multiple shows/clubs/groups.

4) Network, network, network.

5) Lowball your way into getting your first client.

6) Network, network, network.

7) Whipsaw multiple clients to raise your rates.

8) Network, network, network.

9) Rinse, lather, repeat.


SteveT

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