I thought about it, and I think I found the reason it makes me sad: an uncooperative attitude.

Yeah, the article is pretty scattered and whimsical, so I may be deciphering it wrong, but it is my guess that part of the author's disdain for CS degrees and most of his concern about making others rich rest on a lack of appreciation for division of labour.

Yes, there are still opportunities where one person can have an idea (shit or not) and make money by implementing it.

However, much more potent and myriad are opportunities requiring multiple collaborators each with their own domain of knowledge. Bioinformatics wouldn't get off the ground without a computer scientist and a biologist. Yes, as the article points out, the bioligist might just learn to code because it's hard to get a computer scientist to work with you. (This is the story of how tools like R and Mathematica came to be: statisticians and physicists dissatisfied with their computational tools set out to build their own.) But author is endorsing this problem!

As for the autodidact elitism and the importance of CS degrees, the article misses out on the fact that the ability to 1) study philosophy 2) learn to code and 3) make money with some cool idea, relies on computer scientists studying the deepest depths of computing to make step 2 possible. And like it or not, advancements in specialized CS areas mostly happen in academia thanks to people with CS degrees.

I'm glad you said that.

"College almost makes me sick, but I attend because it gets me out of my apartment."

I think that the author of the article should work on his interpersonal skills a little bit. It makes life more interesting, and leads to better prospects.

The whole piece gave me the impression of a rather isolated person.

Not just his interpersonal skills. His outlook on life too ;-)

First--I know the author of this post personally, and he's a good kid. Young, but ambitious, talented and smart, and he's got his head on straight.

Second--how important is a CS degree in the Valley? I lived there for 10 years, was extremely successful there by almost anyone's definition, and built, bootstrapped, and ran a tech company for 6 of those 10 years. Yet I don't have any college degree.

I think the OP sees people like me in his daily life (we work out of the same building, and chat a lot) and thinks a degree is probably not as worthwhile as society thinks it is.

There is a value in a CS degree, but there's also a lot of value in being forced to make a business work or you don't eat this week. That's where I was when I first started in business. Both paths have merit, but many CEOs and successful people don't have, or need, a degree to get there.

You definitely don't need a degree to start or run a business (and I'd argue that some, like MBAs, actively hurt you when you're running a tech startup). But if you're getting a job with an established company, you do. There's an irony there, but nonetheless, it's true.

(I'd still never tell anyone not to get a degree though. The skills and connections are undeniably useful.)

Honest question - how important is a CS degree in silicon valley? I ask because I'm halfway through majors in systems engineering and physics, and I'm now realizing how important CS is and how much I enjoy it, but I figure that my quantitative background with the ability to program is equally marketable as a CS degree.

It depends what you're doing and where you want to work, but it's competitive: you're going to need a technical degree with a very good grade average to get in the front door at a lot of companies. Systems engineering and physics will probably stand you in very good stead.

I'm not in silicon valley, but just a question for your question: If you want to do any kind of hot-shot software development as a career, why would you study systems engineering and physics? It seems like an oblique way to go, kind of like getting a statistics degree if you want to do pure math research. Within a CS degree there is also a lot of room for your own interests, many of which are highly quantitative.

More important if you're going through HR. Less important if you're networking.

Also, I know and know of gobs of people in CS who were educated in physics.

It's important if you want to get a job. Not so much if you want to start your own business (see my other comment in this thread for more details on that.)

Hey, just curious... did you buy one of those really expensive tech passes to go to SXSW? Because I'm currently going to school here but definitely can't afford one of those passes but still want to try and experience it (this is my last semester). Any tips?

Don't go to the convention center or any panels, but RSVP to the parties and go to the unofficial events. You should be fine.