[hydroxideOH-]

Linus Torvalds given as an example of self-taught engineers yet he has a masters degree in CS.

Higher education isn’t just about what you learn, it’s about learning how to study and learn.

[9rx]

> Linus Torvalds given as an example of self-taught engineers yet he has a masters degree in CS.

The example was Torvalds building Linux. Linux was written before he attained a CS degree.

> Higher education isn’t just about what you learn, it’s about learning how to study and learn.

You'd have to have screwed up your life pretty bad to not have already learned to study and learn before reaching the point of going to a place of higher learning. But that wasn't a problem for Torvalds anyway. It is well known that he was writing software since he was around 11 years old. He is unquestionably self-taught, as the term is normally used.

Higher education is about gaining access to machinery that mere mortals can't afford on their own. Linus' university story is significant because that was where he was first able to use Unix. It is unlikely that Linux would have come to be without that experience.

But that is also the contention around a modern CS degree. What is the "Unix" of our time that you can't reasonably access without going to university?

[hydroxideOH-]

Sure, but with that argument I think you could say most people in software engineering are self taught. If you want to get a job as a SWE you probably need to learn a lot outside of the classes for a typical CS degree.

But I don’t think that’s as much of a black mark on formal higher education as the article suggests. Since the reality is, the vast majority of people aren’t organized, driven, and bright enough to learn all of the fundamentals taught in a CS degree on their own. That’s why I don’t think it’s smart advice to recommend spurning a CS degree in favor of being wholly self-taught.

To your last point, what can access at a university that you can’t get elsewhere? People. Namely, a community of like-minded peers, and personal relationships to experts in the field. Those relationships and mentorship opportunities are far more valuable than the content of the syllabus. For that, I agree it’s all available online.