[mindcrime]

I would chose the person who convinced me they were most talented / qualified. How they got their education and what pieces of paper they have is mostly irrelevant.

Having a degree is a signal, of something, but I'd argue that it's a pretty weak signal of "is competent at programming". Likewise for industry certifications... they are a signal, but a weak signal.

Note also that this whole setup is a false dichotomy... plenty of programmers are a mix of college educated and self-taught, and may also have one or more industry certifications.

Looking at myself as an example... I have three college degrees (although I never finished my C.S. bachelors), but I consider myself more self-taught than formally educated. I also have 2 of the old Sun era Java certifications. And I have found that this sort of combination isn't uncommon. shrug