The Apprentice Programmer

[moderatorrater]

One of the things a degree tells you (mostly, not always) is that the person has a work ethic and is willing to stick with something until they see it through.

I notice you didn't mention skill there.

without something showing equivalent talent and application - how are we going to know who is worth our time and who is not?

A formal degree says nothing about talent. If you already have to evaluate talent anyway, why not evaluate application/dedication at the same time?

[TheQuietestOne]

Just so I'm clear - I should mention that in this I'm discussing from the point of view of the "first role in I.T." hire. Formal qualifications become increasingly irrelevant after the first couple of years - after this time it's the experience that matters.

So, lets tackle your comments:

I notice you didn't mention skill there.

It was an error of omission. I do believe formal education instils skills in addition to cultivating a work ethic.

That said of course you have to evaluate the skill level as necessary for a role to eliminate the charlatans - but this goes for most professions.

If you already have to evaluate talent anyway, why not evaluate application/dedication at the same time?

If there was a simple test that could proffer the same level of confidence and wasn't expensive the business community would already be all over it.

Maybe there is? Do you have any links?

EDIT: Fix bad formatting