I've been reading books on C/Perl, as I would like to get a job as a programmer when I get older. Lots of my dream jobs requires that you have a Degree in Computer science or something like that.

Since I plan on learning lots of this stuff myself, do I really have to take theses classes? Would they allow me just to write a test or send in some programs to get a Degree without actually going to theses classes?

I'm in highschool right now, and it'll be two years before I graduate, and by then I'm sure I will know enough about C/C++/Java as I'll be learning them in my spare time.

Unless you guys HIGHLY recommend I take theses classes for whatever reason, I don't really see a point (for me) in taking them.

Thanks.

its common sense. you really wanna dream job, you gotta go to school, son what bigname company is going to hire a guy who calls himself a pro that taught himself in his "spare time"? meh, prolly microsoft, but thats just another reason to get a real degree

trust the 14 yo, he brings wisdom with his power :P

I've not heard of a degree program that lets you test out of everything, but I'm sure there are situations where you can test out of introductory courses. If you have some programming knowledge, they may let you skip the first or second courses, but I doubt you could get a respectable degree just by sending in some programs and taking some tests. A university degree gives you a great deal more than just the degree--it provides experiences that can't be self-taught.

Nobody's going to make you go to university if you don't want to, but employers are probably less likely to hire someone without a degree. The way the job market in the U.S. is right at the moment, you'd have a pretty hard time finding work even with a Computer Science degree. If you want the knowledge and experience that a university, or even a community college, education provides, then I'd say go for it. If you are comfortable with the prospect of having a tough time finding work, and getting paid half of what you'd make with a bachelor's degree, then you may choose not to. Good luck, either way!

What school are you looking at for the degree? Computer Science is so much more than just learning how to program! In fact, learning how to program in a particular language makes up a very small part of a good CS curriculum. Some universities allow you to challenge a certain number of credits if you have experience in the course work, but they'll probably have you take a test on the material or show some sort of proof. They certainly won't let you do that for the entire degree though (unless maybe you show something like P == NP, at which point you'll probably get an honorary PhD!)

I have a B.S. Computer Science degree, and am about 25% done with my M.S. Computer Science degree. I'm a full-time professional Software Engineer for a large aerospace company. IMHO, the true value in a CS degree is not learning particular technologies (e.g. C or Perl). The value is in learning the underpinnings of technologies. Sticking with the programming language example, understanding how languages are designed (tradeoffs, techniques, etc...) and how compilers/interpreters are written will make you a better programmer in any language. You'll see how different languages solve many of the same problems, and can use that knowledge to choose the language best suited to the problem you're tackling. Or maybe you'll write your own language... remember that every programming language we use today exists because some programmer had an itch that couldn't be scratched with any of the languages that existed at the time. It'll also make it easier to learn new languages (you'll learn many, many languages in your career).

Of course, you'll invariably learn a lot about specific technologies in the process... which is good because most employers want people who already know the stuff the company uses. But, I'd rather hire someone who is well grounded in the underpinnings of computer science and who can solve problems than someone who knows specific technologies but doesn't know squat about computer science. The former can easily learn specific technologies whereas the latter may have a difficult time on *real* problems that require a deeper understanding. We have our share of the programmers who don't have a solid CS background, and for the most part they are just code monkeys that don't do much design and analysis.

So, I recommend you get the degree and make sure it's from a reputable school. You should have courses in algorithms, numerical analysis, math, the design of programming languages/compilers (I had to write a Lisp interpreter in my programming languages class), computer architecture, database theory, networking, data structures, software engineering (OO design, etc), logic, operating systems, and maybe some computer graphics, robotics, and what ever else interests you. A couple courses about specific technologies (C++, Win32 programming, Unix, etc) isn't a bad thing. It just shouldn't be the majority of what the degree is about.

The most important thing is to learn how to think, reason, and solve problems. For this reason I highly recommend a year of Physics. Surprisingly enough this was one of the best choices I made during my undergrad studies. A circuit analysis class has also been pretty useful when talking with the hardware weenies.

Thank you all for your replies, you all made very good points

I guess theres a lot more to being a professional programmer then you'd expect

And please, if any one else has anything to add, do it

the only other thing i can think of, is learn to love coffee. it's your friend.

i did my Bachelors in electronics engg, and i got my first job of a programmer, cos i lost interest in hardware. so, i kept programming, writing code, object-oriented stuff, new stuff ...and then reached a point wherei decided i would go back to school to learn computer science.
now im in my final semester, and the things i have learnt or come in contact with, are nothing i might have ever heard of if i didnt do this. when i first started programming, i used to think algorithms are just program-flow models. i didnt think bout programming language modelling and constructs. neither anything about the theoretical sides of CS, which i find very interesting. I dont think i would have been very happy to be in a field where i thought all we do is programming.
and hey, you meet anyone you know, and they ask you what you do, there is really a difference when u say CS, and when u say 'programming'.
my friends who have stuck to only programming may be ahead of me career-wise, butthey dont anything apart from what they are told to do. they cant really expand simply cos they dont have the basics of the field theyre in.
i wouldnt say that ive gotten everything figured out, but doing this course has given me a direction.

i made a mistake not doing the course sooner, and deciding to see how it goes at work. i wouldnt ever suggest it to anyone. do the advanced degree from a good college. learn the fundamentals of CS, and ull see stuff you never imagined sitting behind a monitor coding. also you get a chance to do research which i find much more interesting than coding assignments (and which is what actually has made me decide my final careerpath).

phew, this is long. have to get back to coding.

O.K. I will throw my 2c in. Learn all you can on your own in your spare time, then take the classes. It makes classes much easier when you have a fundemental understanding of the subject ahead of time. You would be surprised how much you will learn in the classroom even when you think you know the subject. College rules man, and it is the most important thing you can do to improve your life. Good luck. :-)

One thing to understand would be compilers and systems. I covered about 15 different languages on my Electronic Engineering and Computer Science degree, and each language had its own capability. I.e Small Talk ool, for library databases. And OCCAM for parrallel programming for running a company with many employees. C for writing my own programming language. It goes on and on. You do need a degree to open your eyes to the programming world. You're on the right tracks, and I wish you well for your future. Keep up the good work. :-)