Definitely!  This prevailing sentiment that practical experience can replace a CS degree baffles me.  There&#x27;s a vast array of topics in CS that aren&#x27;t encountered in 95% of typical programming tasks.  Then you&#x27;ve got the greater efficiency of learning when you learn things directly and can interact mentors and other students.  No book or tutorial will have all the details down like a human that understands something.  Then there is the crafting of a holistic program that ensures students get exposed to the right topics in the right order, building a strong theoretical basis.  Also, more advanced or cutting edge topics are not going to be well documented so the academic world is a great place to get exposure.  Also, you don&#x27;t have career pressure to meet business goals so you can focus on learning.  Also, the time structure and social environment helps with people that aren&#x27;t completely self driven yet (the majority of young adults?). And then you&#x27;ve got the entire collegiate experience which gives you skills and learning and networking beyond your chosen field.  I could go on.<p>I think people who trash university education either never attended, went to a poor school, or were studying something they didn&#x27;t care about and thus never engaged properly.