Really interesting take Kyle Thorpe. It really got me thinking. I can identify two polar opposite views. I want to share them:
There may be a cultural bias towards overemphasizing the value of technical training. Churning out technical workers is not equivalent to training critical thinkers. Which is what university should ideally achieve (alas this is not always the case). I wonder what do companies value most.
In my country the idea that "you have to have a degree in X" is still sorely ingrained. I have a degree. Alas in psychology. There is no way in hell anyone will hire me to write software. Or at least will be extremely hard. Portfolio or actual skills be damned.
Philosophically-minded folks would try to reconcile the two poles by recognizing that both views carry some truth. They even have a term for that: dialectics.
Anyway. There's also a very US-flavored issue. Cost. College, I agree, is eye-wateringly expensive for many people around the world. And It really tilts the balance in favor of either bootcamps and self-learning.
I am a no-chance-in-hell-would-be-able-to-afford-college self-learner :D
By the way, congratulations on being featured!!!! :D