Why does everyone think you need a degree to get into tech?

I keep seeing people in Austin spend years and over $50,000 on a computer science degree when they could just do a focused bootcamp. My friend got a job at a startup after a 16-week coding course, and he's doing better than some grads I know. What's the best way you've seen someone break into tech without the traditional path?

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tylerw727mo ago

Degrees are just the old way of doing things, a safe bet for big companies. Bootcamps work for some people who can learn fast and build a portfolio. The best way I've seen is a mix of self-taught projects, networking, and maybe a short course for structure. It really comes down to proving you can do the work, not just having a paper. A lot of hiring managers now care more about your GitHub than your GPA.

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dylan_patel6mo ago

But does any of this actually matter for most normal jobs?

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wren_smith447mo ago

Maybe we should just mail our GitHub links instead of resumes.

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