Elon Musk Doesn’t Care If You Have a Degree

Musk has taken to Twitter to recruit for Tesla’s AI team. And as this article captures, he cares about one thing, ability. He does not care about qualifications. He even goes so far to say that he doesn’t care if a candidate has graduated high school. Musk is known for taking stands that are contrary to conventional wisdom. While this is a good example, I think his statements here reflect a growing trend in the CS industry.

What’s the Problem with Degrees?

The problem with degrees is that they come with two large downsides.

The first is financial. College tuitions have risen consistently and significantly over the last 20 years, and I think this has led to the much publicized issue surrounding student loans and student debt.

When I started attending the University of Illinois, tuition was $4,000 per year. Contrast that to the current, lowest-end tuition of $16,776. That is a 6.5% increase per year, which is about the same as the rate of return you would expect should you invest long-term in the stock market. On the high-end of tuition for 2020, the increase is 7.67% per year.

The second problem is time. A degree will take 4 years to earn. Those are 4 years that an individual could otherwise spend in the job market, earning valuable employment experience, and making money instead of making debt. Yes, there are less frat parties… But which one of these options is in the best long-term interests for your life?

Is It Only For the Exceptional?

Musk adds that he is looking for “evidence of exceptional ability.” This makes sense. He is building a team that is pushing the known bounds of what is possible with software. It is exciting, and being the best at it will take exceptional ability. He also points out that the leaders in the software industry did not earn college degrees: Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, or Steve Jobs. Those individuals changed the industry, and they changed the world.

But I’m going to assert that you don’t need to be exceptional to succeed in the software industry without a degree. Perhaps in the 90’s that was the case, but I believe that the trend is changing. Coding bootcamps are becoming more and more popular. Whatever you may think of them, it is a model that is finding market success. There are also many local organizations that work to get high school students direct employment experience through internships. Sometimes those internships turn into jobs.

There’s Still Room for Growth

Unfortunately, it seems that the idea of hiring software engineers without a formal degree hasn’t gained wide spread acceptance. That’s probably why Musk’s comments are worthy of an article. If it was an accepted, regularly practiced policy, then it wouldn’t be noteworthy. However, I’m excited to see the practice grow, as I think it can benefit employers and individuals looking to enter the industry.