Yes, general problem-solving skills are emphasized in school, and the exposure you get is invaluable. For that alone, I would reccomend going to school full-time between the ages of 18 to 22.

However, I remember back to "Operating Systems", "File and Database", and similar courses. While the concepts were useful to come across, I don't use any of that as a programmer. Most of my practical OS knowledge comes from having my own Linux box, not what I learned in a classroom.

Language courses are even worse. I learned 3 languages while at school. I don't use a single one. In fact, I have only ever used C (learned at an internship), JAM (learned on the job), and Perl (learned while working during a year off). I don't use PASCAL, QBasic, or the ASM flavor I learned while taking Assembler. *shrugs*

Now, of course, learning all those languages helped me learn how to learn langauges.

I guess the best way to put it is this:

• If you're looking to school to teach you things you will use in the workforce, you'll be disappointed.
• If you're looking to school to teach you how to learn what you will use in the workforce, you'll be pleased.

I think dragonchild hit what I was getting at on the head. Going to college didn't necessarily teach me what I now do on my job (I learned a new language and a new architecture since I've gotten here), but it taught me how to learn these things. I think that's what most employers see in a college degree. Granted, you might be an awesome Perl programmer but what happens in 5 years if your company decides to change to a JSP architecture? Will you know how to learn that? IMO, many employers feel that they are buying that flexibility when they hire someone that has a degree over someone that doesn't.

- Sherlock

Skepticism is the source of knowledge as much as knowledge is the source of skepticism.