[veza]

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).

[zamalek]

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

[troebr]

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.

[eikenberry]

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

[zamalek]

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.

[veza]

fair point, something to think about for me