I have a BS in computer science, and I think the _only_ good it did me was give me that magical piece of paper that commands a higher salary. (At least at my company).

Everything I learned about programming is self-taught or answers to questions asked in places like this. (Or at AppDev) Out of 6 years of school, the _only_ class that I think helped me one iota is a database class. That introduced me to SQL. But, again, being able to use SQL has been a matter of practice and questions asked here.

I personally think they should do away with "4-year" schools. At least for technical degrees. I learned so much at one week of VFP school from AppDev. That's all the schooling I needed. The rest was a waste of time.

I mean, what in the H*** am I going to use Zoology for as a programmer?

I'd better stop now. This is a hot spot for me. :)

-Michelle


> I have been programming in various versions of FoxPro since 1994. I’m employed by a contract company that has me develop software for the Navy in Visual FoxPro 3 & 5. I also maintain and add too existing software written in Version 2.6. I like what I do very much. However, the point at hand is this, I was hired for a lesser salary based purely on my lack of a college degree.
> Recently, I wanted to test the waters and see what was available in my area for Visual FoxPro developers. An agency contacted me about an opportunity and I sent out my resume which included my last performance evaluation (which I’m proud to say was classified outstanding). At some point my agent contacted me and it was the same story all over again. I wanted to ask her if she would like to work for less money than a male counterpart and perform the same responsibilities. There is a parallel in discrimination here. I would be providing the same service for a company that would offer a higher salary to someone with a degree.
>I resent that my abilities are undermined because some employers like to use the educational system as a measuring stick to determine an employees worth over that of the verifiable prove of a hard earned and acquired skill.
>Does anyone agree with me?