First, the irony of me replying with a specific counter to Maken's generalized statement as compared to my earlier
just as general comment on using credit is
not lost on me!
Second, that is a tough question to answer. While I earned a foot in the door due to knowing a bit about 3dsmax, flash, photoshop, etc., I do not believe I would have ever ventured into those applications had it not been for the curriculum of my degree, nor would I have had the curiosity and understanding to dig into something so foreign to me at the time (I can only speak for myself).
As a fine art student we shared the same two-year fundamental courses as students in graphic design, illustration, and to a lesser degree architecture. That's six quarters of color theory, 2d/3d drawing, perspective drawing, figure drawing, 2d-design, histories, and related electives that all laid a foundation of design principles that really apply to most anything. For me, learning to observe something, recognize my assumptions of that observed something, then work to change my perspective of that something to see things differently to hopefully find a better way of seeing/doing a
new something was a game changer for me. Granted personality plays a role, but they both feed each other.
Those fundamental courses opened doors to software applications I never knew existed. No, they did not teach these applications, but we did use Photoshop. Quark, PageMill (lol?) and FreeHand. I'm talking Photoshop 4:
Big Electric Cat days, and that was enough to get the ball rolling. The perspective that my fine art courses taught me helped to really dig into new things to learn
new ways of learning. So I taught myself various multimedia programs along the way mostly because I had never seen anything like it before. This was literally my first experience with the internet back in the late 90s. There were no online videos to learn from. It was all just trial and error really. That and books. Anyway, my point is that while my software skills got me in, it was my ability to change my perspective on matters that really helped me troubleshoot problems well before they became problems. That's a universal application if done right. I'm not sure I would have had that without the degree. Not to
that level at least.
We have programmers that come and go. They are excellent technically, but lack any sort of empathy towards the end user to really consider what might be most efficient or aesthetically pleasing when developing some online app or whatever. I believe that's a result of their chosen curriculum and attitudes fostered there. Maybe that's a regional thing, but it's what I've noticed. They have the "degree" in a field that should be good choice relative to say mine. They come and go. The guy that was working here when I started could write code and played with Flash Actionscript (as1) and 3dmax. The problem was he never saw the projects as anything but something to get done. Appearance, efficiency, and design were never really part of the effort for him. It was all very sterile and by the numbers. When I came on board I started making things he either couldn't do or wouldn't. This is anecdotal and I'm rambling.
I've been here going on my 16th year. I no longer use Flash or 3dsmax (unfortunately), but I've outlasted literally every other employee except the owner. I can't help but think that the skills learned in my degree program had a strong influence in my survival. It's not for everyone, of course. I think students need to be really smart with how they handle electives regardless of their chosen degree.
Generally, Maken is probably right about his statement and I can reluctantly agree with that. But then we should be considerate to what actually defines success and happiness for the individual. That's not really the point of all this so I'll just shup' here!
It's 2:30am and I've been on the road for about 6 hours. I hope my typing is at least partially on point to what you asked.
g'nite!