Same here. I think the idea of a BSc in Software Development is excellent, and I think some colleges are starting to think along those lines. For instance, the SaaS class from Berkeley on Coursera would have been far more useful to me than the circuit design and formal theory classes I had to take.
However. There is definitely something to be said for SOME kind of structured education for developers. The author's anecdotal evidence notwithstanding, I have met many aspiring self-taught programmers who just don't have it. There seems to me to be a strong correlation between a person's drive to learn something and their willingness to pursue a formal education... not surprising if you think about it.
I also know an absolute genius programmer who is 99% self-taught. But just because people like Wozniak exist doesn't mean they're the norm.
For what it's worth, Wozniak actually did EECS at Berkeley ;).
In regards to the SaaS class: I know a bunch of people who took it before it was offered online. Perhaps surprisingly, most of them did not find it useful. The issue is that they picked up everything taught there either on their own or in internships; they really didn't need to waste a whole course on it. That said, the particular people I talked to are some of the better EECS majors who tend to have significant projects of their own and good internships, so there is certainly some bias.
However. There is definitely something to be said for SOME kind of structured education for developers. The author's anecdotal evidence notwithstanding, I have met many aspiring self-taught programmers who just don't have it. There seems to me to be a strong correlation between a person's drive to learn something and their willingness to pursue a formal education... not surprising if you think about it.
I also know an absolute genius programmer who is 99% self-taught. But just because people like Wozniak exist doesn't mean they're the norm.