The end result of college is to get a job.
Software development, if you develop software that people are willing to pay and use for, is a job.
If you can skip a college step and go directly to Go and collect your $200...
Programming is a rare field where this can be a viable option.
A degree can offer a faster understanding (having a teacher is often faster than being an autodidact) as well as job security (a degree has weight on a job resume).
There is a lot that can be said for work merit alone. If you have a portfolio full of successful projects that many people use - you're going to look better on a resume than someone with a degree and the only projects in their portfolio are school projects with limited or no real world success.
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The end result of college is to get a job. Software development, if you develop software that people are willing to pay and use for, is a job.
If you can skip a college step and go directly to Go and collect your $200...
Programming is a rare field where this can be a viable option. A degree can offer a faster understanding (having a teacher is often faster than being an autodidact) as well as job security (a degree has weight on a job resume).
There is a lot that can be said for work merit alone. If you have a portfolio full of successful projects that many people use - you're going to look better on a resume than someone with a degree and the only projects in their portfolio are school projects with limited or no real world success.