Effectively a "hard" degree is an IQ test. General cognitive skills exist and th... | Hacker News

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		thanatropism on July 23, 2019 \| parent \| context \| favorite \| on: No CS Degree – Interviews with self-taught develop... Effectively a "hard" degree is an IQ test. General cognitive skills exist and they're especially useful in software development. ITT people are focusing too hard on the content of a CS program and too little on the more general goals of an undergraduate degree: - expose you to multiple fields of knowledge while focusing on a main thread - help you develop generic thinking skills that should translate to a variety of fields of application (there are many CEOs with art history degrees) - lead you through a first approximation of a scientific project, qualifying you for graduate-level research - signalling to the world that you have the chops and the work ethic to go through with a major project with many frustrating stepping stone - etc.

ColanR on July 23, 2019 [–]

> signalling to the world that you have the chops and the work ethic to go through with a major project with many frustrating stepping stone

i.e., hazing.

willhslade on July 24, 2019 | [–]

Or, less dismissively, commitment.

ColanR on July 25, 2019 | | [–]

Eh, both.

You demonstrate commitment by surviving the hazing ritual.

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