Data science job postings now demand everything from deep learning to A/B testing, but I've noticed that many teams still struggle with basic data quality. Should we really require a four-year degree for these roles when bootcamp grads often bring more practical SQL and dashboarding experience? I've hired both, and the difference isn't formal education—it's how quickly someone can clean messy, real-world data and communicate findings to non-technical stakeholders. That makes me wonder if we're filtering out talented people based on credentials rather than actual skills.