Should your CTO have an Engineering Degree?

Teacher in Classroom

Someone recently asked me if technical decisions should be made by a technical person, where a technical person means someone who was trained in an engineering discipline (with a Engineering Degree). They were looking for a CTO-type or at least a product lead. I was troubled a bit by this question because there seemed to be a quick answer and while simplicity is desired in engineering it is rarely sufficient  in building an effective team.  The question itself seemed wrong based on my own experience. To me it did not seem to be properly phrased to solicit the information they were seeking for the following reasons:

• A degree is no guarantee that someone is qualified
• A degree is no guarantee that a person can make decisions based on company success versus personal needs

With all of this in mind, I quickly built a list (in my head) of the most technically savvy people I know in the world. When it was complete I knew the answer to the question immediately. However, being me I could not answer the question directly because there really is no correct answer. The real world people that I thought of had degrees in Engineering, English, Arts and some had no degree at all but they were all brilliant and any one of them could fill a CTO role for me. Why? This was the question I had to answer, why was the answer not what was expected and how could I rephrase the question back to the person who had inquired? My reply was simple, ‘Did you mean to ask, if a person is making technical decisions should they be qualified to do so?” and if the response was ‘yes’ then my answer was “Yes” to the new question.

While a degree helps us learn the basic tricks and tools of the trade there is no guaranteeing that this information will transfer to the real world. There is a certain type of dedication required to be successful in any field and that is precisely what one should look for in hiring rather than the piece of paper. Every time I look at degree or certificate requirements I think of the movie “Tommy Boy” and the guarantee skit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVm1K_emzIA(Careful Language-I think it uses the S*** word once) with Chris Farleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Farley

In closing, what you need in a CTO is not a degree,  as that is not a quality which indicates the person can do the job. Instead to compete in today's market, what you need is a track record, experience, and someone who has a "can do” versus "it cannot be done" attitude.  My final answer to the question was: ‘As an executive that is qualified to do the position you are hiring for simply hire someone qualified and someone better than yourself possible, the degree is just noise’

Cheers,

Rob Yonaitis