> Being able to get work in this field without a fancy background is still possible, but only if you have the right connections. Like I said: it's no longer sufficient to be able to do the job
This sentiment regularly comes up on HN, and I find it a little exasperating. Human interaction has always been an important part of career.
There's a subtle (or not so subtle) contempt for soft skills in these laments. You can write code and have fun, but if you want to get paid for it that's a career. As part of this career, you will produce software as a byproduct. However, the primary purpose of this career is solving problems.
You work in the sales department of your own career. Sell your ability to solve problems. Do not sell bits.
There has been a huge shift with the number of jobs someone has in there lifetime. If you work as say 3 jobs for 15 years each then taking 6 months to find a jobs is not the end of the world. But if you work for 3 years and then spend 6 months finding a job that's a huge issue.
So, while the value while looking may not have changed the number times people look for a new job has.
In most cases we need to sort CVs somehow. If we sort by degree there is a high chance that someone in the top 10 fits the position. Interviewing dozens of candidates is very resource consuming. I can emphasise with his story, but is all game of numbers in the end.
Personally, I am always wary of this rationalization (and I say that generally being on the winning side of it). It's not "all numbers", it's people, and the second one loses sight of that one starts to let in the door all sorts of evil crap.
This sentiment regularly comes up on HN, and I find it a little exasperating. Human interaction has always been an important part of career.
There's a subtle (or not so subtle) contempt for soft skills in these laments. You can write code and have fun, but if you want to get paid for it that's a career. As part of this career, you will produce software as a byproduct. However, the primary purpose of this career is solving problems.
You work in the sales department of your own career. Sell your ability to solve problems. Do not sell bits.