[KrisAndrew]

All of programming can be self-taught. The problem with finding people who have "skills" already is that they might only be able to use libraries and frameworks to build things, but they can't really solve problems. Can they figure out the solution to a memory management problem when throwing hardware at it isn't an option? Writing an application that doesn't fall down is par for the course these days. So knowing how to use some tools doesn't cut it. The companies hiring these candidates are digging themselves a hole, or they are just satisfied with having shallow technical requirements.

(I've rarely programmed outside of class/work since college. I've never had a problem getting a job. I just don't like sitting in front of a computer all the time.)