It was a few years ago, and I was discussing an open position for a software developer with our HR director (OK, her official title was “Director of People and Culture”, but we all know that equates to HR.) Did I want to require a degree in software development for the position? No, I replied. What majors did I want to screen for? None whatsoever.
I still stand by this. My current lead developer on the team I manage has a degree in philosophy. I myself have two degrees, both in theology. And I’ve known people with CS degrees that couldn’t code their way out of a paper bag.
If your interview process is any good, you’ll find out soon enough if they have the coding and problem solving skills to do the job. I care more about your eagerness to learn and your ability to get things done and whether you’re a decent human being than the major you chose in college.
Besides, if you learned to write software on your own, that means you like writing software. I can work with that. Tell me about that side project you’re building, and what you’ve learned during that process. (A former boss used to ask prospective developers about their side projects – not because he was afraid of divided focus, but because he wanted to see what interested them. I shameless stole this question to use in my own interview process. Sorry, Bob.)
Finishing a college degree – any college degree – shows your ability to see something through to the end. So it’s useful to require a degree. (But I’m not dogmatic about it. One of my best hires was a kid right out of high school – he was a lead coder of the high school robotics team I mentored, and I had seen enough of his code to know he was good.)
If you filter your applicants based on course of study, you’re robbing yourself of some great hires. Think – and hire – outside the box. You may be pleasantly surprised.