[spinlock_]

I think apart of what has been already said, it depends on the kind of person you are. I see people with and without a degree in CS that thrive and some that do the opposite. Personally, I have been working as a software developer for the last five years. And during that time I have had a couple of phases were I suffered from some kind of imposter syndrome. I have a master degree in International Business and hence lacked some fundamental CS skills (e.g. Algos, Compilers, Operating Systems). So during the last few years I worked my ass off to learn all this stuff, because every time I read something about software engineering and it mentioned any of these things I felt less value because I knew I don't have a CS degree. I also felt intimidated by some of these topics. So, I sat down and learnt all the stuff I thought I needed to know in order to feel better. Now, after going through this period of studying in order to get rid of this stupid imposter syndrome, I feel kind of burnt out. It's funny, because I finally have the self-confidence I was looking for during the last five years, yet I kind of lost the creativity and motivation that I need in order to enjoy what I'm doing.

So, I can only recommend to find out what kind of person you are. But tbh, even though I got a degree that is unrelated to CS, I'm glad I went to university. I would had been a very different person without that experience. And in the end of the day, you will have to work for a veeeery long time (well, at least that is the reality for the most of us). So, what are 3-5 years spent doing something that gives you the opportunity to experience stuff you won't be able to find at work (well, except for the sunk cost, but I reject to think about education in this way)?