Apple CEO Tim Cook: 'I Don't Think a Four-Year Degree is Necessary to Be Proficient at Coding'

[MacRumors]

Earlier this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook visited an Apple Store in Orlando, Florida to meet with 16-year-old Liam Rosenfeld, one of 350 scholarship winners who will be attending Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference next month.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, left, and WWDC 2019 scholar Liam Rosenfeld via TechCrunch​

Echoing comments he shared with the Orlando Sentinel, Cook told TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino that it is "pretty impressive" what Rosenfeld is accomplishing with code at such a young age, serving as a perfect example of why he believes coding education should begin in the early grades of school.

"I don't think a four year degree is necessary to be proficient at coding" says Cook. "I think that's an old, traditional view. What we found out is that if we can get coding in in the early grades and have a progression of difficulty over the tenure of somebody's high school years, by the time you graduate kids like Liam, as an example of this, they're already writing apps that could be put on the App Store."

Cook made similar comments during an American Workforce Policy Advisory Board meeting at the White House earlier this year.

While in Florida, Cook attended a conference that saw SAP and Apple announce an expanded partnership focused on new enterprise apps taking advantage of technologies like machine learning and augmented reality.

Despite all of the technological advancements in recent years, Cook told Panzarino that many businesses have not "changed a whole lot" and are "still using very old technology." With more solutions like those from SAP and Apple, and tech-savvy employees of the future like Rosenfeld, that could change.

"I think what it is is they haven't embraced mobility. They haven't embraced machine learning. They haven't embraced AR. All of this stuff is a bit foreign in some way. They're still fixing employees to a desk. That's not the modern workplace," Cook says. "People that graduate from high school and get a little experience under their belt can do quite well in this job."

The full interview can be read on TechCrunch with an Extra Crunch subscription or in the Apple News app with an Apple News+ subscription.

WWDC 2019 begins June 3 in San Jose.

Article Link: Apple CEO Tim Cook: 'I Don't Think a Four-Year Degree is Necessary to Be Proficient at Coding'

 

[topgunn]

You don't get better at coding by going to school. You get better at coding by coding.

Now, if you ever want to be more than a developer, a 4 year degree would likely come in handy.

 

[joueboy]

One day these programmers will be like factory workers with the same salary. This is exactly what Tim and the rest of the tech industry are trying to do getting into cheap labor to increase profit.

 

[Unity451]

Well obviously!

 

[CJM]

The problem is, so many companies see the bottom line and aren't willing to invest in their infrastructure. I work for a large multi-national and one of our subsidiaries clearly really does care about their IT. Working with them and on their equipment is a whole different ballgame.

 

[Stella]

In a 4 year degree course, you learn more about software development than just cranking out code.

 

[smaffei]

Of course he doesn't. That's because Tim wants a cheaper labor pool. And, if the requirement is changed from a 4 year degree, the employers can eventually pay less.

That 4 years of Computer Science gave me the proper foundation to design / implement software (not just code).

 

[rpat701]

No, but by most companies HR standards it's required to advance past middle management.

 

[TMRJIJ]

I agree. Having just graduated with a BS Degree, I felt the first two years of programming courses were just review for me and most of my classmates. After Data Structures, it was just correcting misconceptions and incorrect techniques while learning to collaborative in projects and actually putting knowledge into application. I still need experience working in the field especially since the program was brand new at my University.
Still, I'm glad I have this piece of paper for when I'm looking for work.

 

[nburwell]

So Tim is saying that I wasted four years of my life going to college?!?

/s

 

[gplusplus]

While a four year degree may not be necessary for coding, or really most jobs for that matter, Apple and most companies insist on making sure to hire those who are burdened by crippling debt, mainly in the form of student loans. It’s a fantastic strategy for hiring people who desperately need to make their payments, allowing companies to exploit and underpay them.

Careful, Tim. If the industry figures out this big secret that everyone already knows, people might have to start getting paid enough to live a prosperous life *and* educational institutions might have less demand for Apple products!

 

[cletus-cassidy]

So Tim is saying that I wasted four years of my life going to college?!?

/s

What does Tim Apple know about coding? He's a supply chain expert.

 

[SoN1NjA]

You don't get better at coding by going to school. You get better at coding by coding.

Now, if you ever want to be more than a developer, a 4 year degree would likely come in handy.

I guess you could think of being a music artist in the same way

Anyone can learn to play the guitar and sing with practice, but to write lyrics and compose music takes more knowledge

 

[Metatron]

I for one appreciate his statement. Degrees for most technical, high paying jobs are worthless. I’ll hire experience over education any day, when it comes to IT positions.

I do wish the American society would take more interest into educating trades vs degrees.

 

[now i see it]

Universities are now unnecessary. Everyone should screw their future employment prospects and potential livelihood by instead making yet another app (of the millions that already exist) for the App Store. Great advice.

Looks great on a resume- College Attended: None (but I made some apps for the iPhone)

 

[imageWIS]

'We want coders to work for us just like small children do making overpriced iPhones: as economic slave laborers'

There, I fixed it for him.

 

[edgonzalez32]

I've worked with so many developers that never went to school. And they are all brilliant. Most of them started at design agencies and start to get a sense of the process, what design is and it's rules and they learn quick.

Definitely don't need a 4 year degree to advance in this field.

 

[BootsWalking]

Corollary: Being proficient at supply-chain management doesn't qualify you to leader a visionary company.

 

[imageWIS]

I've worked with so many developers that never went to school. And they are all brilliant. Most of them started at design agencies and start to get a sense of the process, what design is and it's rules and they learn quick.

Definitely don't need a 4 year degree to advance in this field.

NO ONE is saying you can't be great at your job and / or brilliant and never go to college. However, a 4-year or more degree is like certification: it's another way to open a door, or for them to use against you to keep the door locked.

 

[mi7chy]

Tim Cook is just desperate to steal your idea and boot your app from App Store.

 

[Crowbot]

So Tim is saying that I wasted four years of my life going to college?!?

/s

I'm sure not. Education is always good but these days kids need to be encouraged to find something lucrative. I spent 4+ years as an undergrad in Biology before I switched to a 2 year Associates degree in biomedical engineering. Best move I ever made. The undergrad courses helped so it was good all around. But a good technical education can get an inspired person on a solid road.

 

[Lyoha]

I'm a senior software engineer who dropped out of college after two semesters. Everything I know, I learned on the job and learned practically nothing from said college (albeit their program was worse than most). I dropped out because I was working overtime and my experience by then was more than enough to get employers' attention without a degree.

 

[MaxGravy]

What does Tim Apple know about coding? He's a services expert.

fyp

 

[badatusernames]

Then why does Apple still require a 4-year degree from all their software engineering jobs?

EDIT: They don't necessarily.

 

[Gorms]

You don't get better at coding by going to school. You get better at coding by coding.

^^^THIS^^^, 100x this.