I am seriously questioning the ineptitude and ignorance of the instructors for this class.
I've just read this thread and I must say, the hair at the back of my neck is standing up and my toes are
curled into position in a way that I wonder how long it'll take to uncurl! I'm not surprised, though, I hear things like this quite often. Education isn't what it used to be!
I must say you're quite courageous to enter into a CS "education" (edutainment?) when you're already
far ahead of the pack that the curriculum is aimed at. I've seen it over the past 20 years with some other folks and it usually ends up being somewhat frustrating to jump through hoops that you could've designed yourself. The whole "we require a degree" sounds like a brainless robo-parrot policy and indicates that too many companies are no longer interested in
real experience and
skill but rather want worthless pieces of paper that in the real world mean nothing. Being a rebel at heart I spent much of the 90's hiring and contracting folks that only had proven experience and actively ignored anyone with "papers". If more companies did that and knew how to properly assess and judge someone's abilities they'd be so much better off.
The one thing that keeps coming to mind here is a question, though. Have you ever considered going into business for yourself? It may be easier to contract for those many companies than it is to get a job there and while there are certain risks that always come up when being self employed there's also a lot of benefits. Just a thought...
Cheers,
Stefan.