HackerRank finds that bootcamps and other alternatives to four-year degrees are now seen as viable
Employers who once focused on finding software development talent from top universities are now hiring developers who learned the trade from coding bootcamps, junior colleges, and online resources, technical recruiter HackerRank says.
Citing an ongoing developer talent shortage that needs addressing, HackerRank sees technology democratizing how developers acquire skills. «It’s more important than ever to realize that CS (computer science) degrees are not the only way to become a great developer,» says Vivek Ravisankar, HackerRank co-founder & CEO. «That said, training is only one part of the equation. If companies don’t find new ways to find and evaluate candidates based on skill, versus pedigree, then they’ll continue to face a skills shortage. «
Someone driven to learn the fundamentals, be a self starter, and demonstrate strong computational thinking can absolutely become a great software engineer without a traditional CS degree, Ravisankar says, citing Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg as examples of prominent developers without these degrees.
