[pnathan]

> If we destroy the ability of newbie programmers to come up outside the university-professional path, we've just irreparably damaged the whole field.

I don't believe that, to be honest. There's a profound difference between a highly qualified professional and a hobbyist, and I am perfectly happy demanding that the first have a credential.

[twic]

This could work as long as the award of the credential actually signified a capability to do the job. Most of our current university education about software ("computer science") is only distantly related to doing the job.

By analogy to another professional field, computer science is to the working software-maker as physiology is to the working doctor. It's the foundation of the field, and so it's something one has to study at the start of one's training, but it's of little relevance to the actual day-to-day work, and it certainly doesn't form the basis of qualification.

[pnathan]

> award of the credential actually signified a capability to do the job.

without a doubt.

[shakethemonkey]

Fortunately this is self-selecting. The highly qualified people (quite often these are the very best people) who don't have credentials would never, ever want to work for you.