[voidlogic]

This is a false dichotomy. I worked summers and part-time during the school year, my entire time in college. I had graduated with no debt, 4 years of book learning and 4 years of XP. Most of my fellow C-S students had internships paying $15-20/hr by their sophomore year, and almost all that wanted them by their junior year.

This is not to mention that outside of the coasts, unless you are freelancing or starting a startup, people hiring developers often require a degree (at least in hires with less 10 years XP).