[shellfisher]

And yet, had you not learned to program, a programming job right out of college would have been out of reach.

So it’s possible to learn something at college that makes you 10 times more valuable for a particular job.

[giantg2]

I learned how to program in HS. A bootcamp could also teach someone how to program. So could an associates degree. But employers just want the credentials of a BS or MS. For whatever reason, associate degrees are uncommon and looked down upon.

So sure, you could learn something useful in college, but there are more efficient/cheaper ways to do it. A lot of college is waste due to excessive employer demands for credentials and bureaucratic school requirements (liberal arts, foreign languages, etc).