One of the first steps in evaluating a developer for an open role is taking a deep dive into their resume. Whether it's a traditional resume, their Developer Story, or even their GitHub profile, one of the first things you'll look into is their education. Did they go a good school? Did they complete a Computer Science program? 

But that's the old way of thinking. The number of developers who are learning to code through traditional education (aka obtaining a college degree) are shrinking. Instead, developers are learning to code by teaching themselves, receiving on-the-job training, and participating in coding bootcamps. 

So what does this mean for you, as a recruiter? If you still insist on demanding extensive academic qualifications from those technical candidates, you're missing out on an incredible pool of talent. Insisting that a developer attended an Ivy League school or completed a PhD in Computer Science cuts your applicant pool in half. Instead, look for candidates that are hard-working, show that they have taken initiative (a great example of this is asking them about side projects they’ve done outside of work), and technical skills needed to get the job done.

The infographic below shows all the different ways today's developers are learning to code (based on a survey of over 56,000 developers).