> Students got a taste of programming, but when it came to getting hired, neither the training nor credentials held a candle to a college degree. Yet Lambda School regularly compared itself to college in its marketing, promising, "The depth of a 4-year degree, the practicality of a bootcamp."
I thought people in the US already knew that part of the value of a college is accreditation. Some people would fail in a rigorous 4-year program. Some courses are like grand filters: it does not mean much if one excels first-year calculus, but it is a strong signal that one's talent or discipline is in question if the person fails the first-year calculus. So, statistically, companies get a pretty good signal, at a relatively low cost, on how good a college graduate is.
Most introductory courses in a college curriculum are meant to be grand filters. The "Introduction to Computer Science" course is supposed to filter out students who don't have the grit or mental acuity to further their study of computer science. If a student fails at that course, it's a strong hint for the student to consider a different major. That's actually the beauty of college: it's possible to cram four years' worth of courses into a tighter timeline, but if you don't you leave enough room to explore the introductory courses of different fields and declare major on one that is truly interesting to you.
Interesting point to bring up accreditation. It’s not relevant for software engineering far as I know but for Professional Engineering licensure an individual must attend an accredited school.
I thought people in the US already knew that part of the value of a college is accreditation. Some people would fail in a rigorous 4-year program. Some courses are like grand filters: it does not mean much if one excels first-year calculus, but it is a strong signal that one's talent or discipline is in question if the person fails the first-year calculus. So, statistically, companies get a pretty good signal, at a relatively low cost, on how good a college graduate is.