Like many others here, I too have degree in computer science, and I will say this much. Not all degrees are created equally. Did I learn a lot? Absolutely. Could I have learned it all on my own? No. Could others learn it all on their own? Absolutely.

That being said, I didn't go to some fancy university -- just a small unheard-of state school of no notoriety. I think I benefited more from the learning environment and structure than from the actual instruction I received. Maybe I would have had better feeling about my degree had I attended a prestigious university, but honestly, most of what I learned was quite surface-level knowledge that came straight from the textbooks anyway.

I feel no superiority over those without a degree. In fact, quite the opposite. I feel a bit of shame that I do not know as much as I probably should despite having a degree.

Fundamentally, I agree with you. A piece of paper doesn't mean much. Based on the interview questions that are commonly asked, it seems like our industry doesn't find degrees that meaningful either.

It's funny, we've watched for two decades as the click-driven dynamics of the internet have degraded the meanings of words. At first, I was outraged on a daily basis. Then, as we all did, I learned, against my will, to forgive. "Can't blame them for chasing clicks! Who among us wouldn't cheapen a word if it meant a view?"

But - and this is the funny part - I feel like my teen-angsty self has been vindicated. I'm so burnt out on exaggeration, not a single news site has gotten regular clicks from me in over a decade, nor do I comment or read comments. I listen to a little history dork YouTube before bed, or for tutorials. I'm free.

> I learnt to program (in a very basic way) before doing the whole paper qualification thing.

This sort of take is disingenuous. No one needs to go to a university to learn the syntax of a programming language, or to build up from a "Hello, world" program. That's not what a university is for.

That's not software engineering either.

In the very least an engineering exposes students to a curriculum which covers the necessary topics which allow someone to be competent at an engineering discipline.

Now, being a salesman and an engineer are two separate skills,so I don't really see a problem in having a "self-taught" programmer pitching a service and a business plan. However, as a prospective customer,having an auth service rolled out by people who clearly are not auth experts... That sounds like multiple downsides bundled with barely no upside.