Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, has opined that mastering coding does not require a four-year degree in programming.
Generally speaking, some jobs require a degree that is relevant to the position. For instance, a degree in the relevant discipline is required for employment in the legal and medical fields.
Should IT occupations follow the same rules? Or should hiring managers take abilities into account rather than a programming degree?
Why is it justified?
Even if we don’t have a degree in that field, we can still learn and master any talent. Programming is also not an exception.
Even if a person gets a degree in IT, they still need to learn a tonne of new skills to land a job in the field because there is a discrepancy between what is required in the workplace and what is taught in engineering schools.
Additionally, since technology is always developing, even someone who has educated themselves for industry standards during their education must continue to acquire new technologies to be competitive in the employment market. Students from non-IT backgrounds can therefore master these skills and enter the workforce because the learning curve exists even for IT students.
Moreover, the tech revolution is causing a dramatic rise in the number of IT positions. So, the IT sector will have additional employment opportunities. Additionally, if recruiters are overly rigid about a candidate’s degree, they risk passing on a sizable talent pool with non-IT experience.
What can go wrong?
Excellence in anything requires time to achieve. Students acquire a vast amount of knowledge by the time they graduate. Therefore, it is simpler for businesses to prepare these pupils for the demands of the industry.
Although new programming languages are replacing older ones, practically all of them share the same fundamental ideas. Therefore, a student from a non-IT background will not be able to compete with someone who has a degree in coding.
Moreover, students from non-IT backgrounds would be wasting their time and effort if they choose to pursue careers in IT.