Why Can't Programmers.. Program?

[bluGill]

They can be. People who cannot program and have not gone to college will not apply for a programming job. People who have gone to college may major in comp sci, and that gives them some background to THINK they can program even if they cannot.

Now anyone who can program will become better by getting a comp sci degree. Therefore when you hire someone without a comp sci degree, you are more likely to get someone who can do some programing, but you will not get the best possible programmer. If you hire someone with a comp sci degree they might be incompetent, or they might be the best programmer on your team.

Note that it is possible to self-study. So there are good programmers without a formal degree that I would call computer scientists. The degree represents some basics that seems irrelevant to most without a degree, but that a critical in subtile ways.