| I do have an engineering degree in France, but even then I think the "software engineer" title is just wrong. There is little actual engineering going on in most development jobs (most. Some do have actual engineering). At least in France, the biggest difference between an engineering degree and someone who learned by themselves are going to be: * the engineer should have more general knowledge about databases, algorithms etc.. and generally how things work. Someone who didn't get that training might not have as deep an understanding in those fundamental concepts (that gap is sometime very very visible when working together). That's the most important part in the day-to-day. * the engineer will have at least a decent English level. Not an issue in English-speaking country obviously, but that's actually the number 1 reason some students don't get their degree in schools I know. * the engineer should be able to present well his ideas, and generally be at least good in communication. There is formal training to speak in public. If you are shy by nature, this may not come easy without formal training. That's about it. There is no special skill that someone determined cannot acquire by themselves with freely available training and experience, but when you are a teenager with little self-motivation, it helps to get all this drilled into you. On the other hand, I wouldn't hire most people coming out of my own school, so take it with a grain of salt. |