I am in a program that feels years behind the industry. I feel like I'm learning more on my own than in class. For those of you working, did your degree actually help or was it just a piece of paper to get the interview?
Portfolio: ahmershah.dev
GitHub: ahmershahdev
My degree felt like a four-year history lesson on technology. It didn't teach me React or Docker, but it taught me how to think like an engineer. Don't rely on the classes to make you a dev; use them to understand the "under the hood" concepts.
I found that the degree provided a solid foundation in theory—like data structures and algorithms—that I wouldn't have studied on my own. However, for actual day-to-day web development, 90% of my knowledge came from personal projects and documentation.
The degree gets you past the HR filters, but the self-learning gets you through the technical interview. Most curriculums are outdated by the time they are published, so being able to teach yourself is actually the more valuable skill in the long run.
Sagar Kumar
In 2026, the portfolio is becoming the real resume. If you have a solid GitHub and a live full-stack project, that speaks louder than a GPA. That said, don't drop out—finish the paper and keep grinding on your own terms.