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Being in a similar situation (before degree), I totally agree that I need a solid CS education.

BUT, given that resources like https://teachyourselfcs.com/ are available for free why should I waste money and time and energy on courses of a probable lesser quality, at least at my local university.

The way I see it the problem is not the education itself but your credentials or reputation in front of a possible employer.

So I noted down 3 ideas for myself:

   - build an Open Source reputation, by own projects and contributions - a stellar github account

   - get good at competitive programming - win kaggle competitions, hackerrank, top coder etc.

   - get a CS degree
To me either one of the first two seem better than a degree (given that I learn CS on my own).


That worked for me until I wanted a visa. Now I am getting a CS degree.


In the US, the skilled worker visa (the infamous h1b) requires a bachelor's or masters, or 12y relevant work experience, or a mix of the two.


Was it that you needed any degree or did you specifically need a CS degree for your visa? Which country was the visa for?


USA. I'm currently on an L1B (which is difficult to get and renew, and only renews once). To get an H1B I need that degree, and it helps if it's related to the field.


fair point, something to think about for me




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