[nikdaheratik]

It depends on what you want to do. The "technology world" is a big place. If you're going into biotech, for example, you can do just as well with a BS in Biology or Genetics and taking a few programming courses to give you an edge when it comes to areas that are using computers heavily (like Bioinformatics). The same goes for Physical Sciences, or Mathematics/Econ or even Geography.

Most CS Degrees cover:

1. Basic and Advanced Programming 2. Design of Computer Systems (both hardware and software) 3. Design of Operating Systems 4. Theory of Computing (so Algorithms and Data Structures) 5. Other special topics like Networking, AI, Expert Systems, Bioinformatics, etc.

These topics are important for some jobs, and people who excel in some of the advanced areas (and often go on for an MS) can make mega bucks. However, a programmer designing a corporate website or other CRUD system probably won't need/use half of the stuff they learned in their degree, and would likely earn less than someone who excelled in another engineering/science degree that also picked up some programming knowledge.