Computer Science vs Liberal Arts Degree? Experts Weigh In

Computer Science degree, Liberal Arts degree, or no degree at all? In Part One of this series, we explained there’s no one “magic degree” that will land you your dream job in tech. Some experts say not every programmer or developer needs to hold an engineering degree.

What do those who do the real-world hiring really think? In Part 2 of this series, we asked hiring managers, CEO’s and project managers for their on-the-job insight, to find out if a computer science degree is needed for a job in tech. Here’s what we found.

Do you need a formal education and degree in computer science in order to be a web developer or software engineer?

“Absolutely not. A degree accomplishes a few things: it gets you comfortable with the technology and gives you a foundation; it checks a box that gets you through HR recruiting filters (sadly, this may be the most important thing it does); and it helps you build a network of peers to get started growing with.

That being said, technology skills are very measurable. Either you can do the job, or you can’t, and it’s easy to test that. Therefore, if you can teach yourself and you’re capable of doing good work, the degree isn’t necessary. At the end of the day, the way I see it playing out today, being employable in technology isn’t the problem; checking all the right boxes to land the interview is the problem.”

James Green, Partner at ActualTech Media ("I’m a Comp Science dropout. I’ve always loved technology, but I was a horrible student. I’ve spent more than a decade working in IT and now own a successful IT marketing firm.")

“It depends on the person. Looking back over the past 20 years, the best coders I had the pleasure of working with were largely self-taught, versus being classroom-taught; Many of them had no formal education in programming at all, but simply had a natural ability to think logically and were excellent problem solvers. By the same token, I've known other developers, who even after having the benefit of a formal education in programming, are still nonetheless terrible coders.”

Bowie Poag, 20+ year IT veteran, Senior Systems Engineer / SAN Engineer / Programmer for a large healthcare company.

Can extra classes, bootcamps and public online coding projects provide enough background and experience to make someone a viable candidate?

“In the 13 years of having employees, I've never listed this as a pre-requisite to apply for a technical position. We've hired technical employees from a variety of college (and other) backgrounds, but I didn't really know everyone's specific degrees until I asked my current employees in Slack. Apparently, we've hired at least one liberal arts major – who just celebrated five years with our company as an excellent Front-End Developer.

We've had great success hiring developers out of local bootcamps who are looking to make a career change after previous work experience in another field. We help them continue their education through mentorship and access to tools like Treehouse, programming books, and workshops.”

Robby Russell, founder of Planet Argon a self-taught coder who has run a web development agency for 13 years.

Have you interviewed any “properly-educated” candidates that didn’t have the soft skills you’re looking for?

"As a small company, soft skills are especially critical for us. We frequently interview candidates who are technically capable but who lack the interpersonal and communication skills we require. In a larger company, positions might exist where a developer need only be a specialist in a narrow technical skill and other people within the company can handle all of the necessary communication regarding that developer's work. In a startup or in a small company, however, developers usually need to be solid communicators capable of interpreting feedback and instructions from non-technical people and explaining technical things in return.

Given the choice between a developer with superior technical skills but who lacks soft skills, and one who has only adequate technical skills but who excels at the soft skills—we'll choose the latter every time."

Brett Derricott, founder and CEO of Objective 

Does earning a college degree necessarily make someone a better programmer?

“In my experience, education is a bonus, but never an absolute selling point.  Who would you rather hire, someone who studies Computer Science but barely paid attention and is mediocre at best, or someone who put in hundreds of hours of their own time not mandated by a university to learn a skill they love? I'd take passion and dedication over formal education any day, given that the person is truly knowledgeable.”

Daniel Ali, Vice President, My Quick Startup 

Does a liberal arts degree give you more options in the long term?

“I have been hired by 2 tech companies after completing my liberal arts degree. The first was a software company offering cloud solutions for payroll and accounting.

I believe storytelling brings a sense of authenticity to your personal brand and the human connection is such a strong selling component…in my millennial opinion. The ability to market yourself surpasses the listing on your degree. My liberal arts degree has opened up MANY interesting conversations and can be a focal point in any interview, because it is unique compared to a lot of others.”

Brandon Forrest, Managed IT Specialist at the Gordon Flesch Company with specialization in cloud storage, vCIO services, business continuity, and the Internet of Things for B2B.

Have you hired someone with a liberal arts degree or no degree who became a great programmer?

“You don't need a formal education or degree in computer science in order to be a web developer or software engineer. The best developers I've ever hired did not have such a degree. I hired my VP of Mobile Engineering out of high school. Brilliant, self-taught and highly motivated. If there was anything he didn't know, he knew how to figure it out.”

Cody Swann, CEO of Gunner Technology ("I have a BS in Journalism, an MA in Mass Communication and an MBA, and made my career in web and app development.”)