Wait, you're a CTO?<p>Please don't complain about CS degrees being useless and then state some technical rule-of-thumb which a proper theoretical background would help you to understand is poor advice.<p>Ever been SCUBA diving? It's completely impossible to see your own tank. Your peripheral vision sucks in a dive mask, and you can't turn your head that far. Funny thing is the valve with your primary regulator connected makes an excellent hook for things. Most divers carry knives or scissors just in case they get some fishing line, rope, or kelp wrapped around their tank. Divers also focus a lot on streamlining to maintain an efficient swimming profile. Efficiency underwater means that you breathe less, which means you can stay down longer, see more, and/or get more done. Very occasionally a diver will get something caught on their tank, but it won't trap them. It just slows them down. They wind up breathing through their air much quicker than the rest of the other divers <i>because they're completely unaware that something is giving them an uneven challenge.</i><p>Or let's talk about it in a more direct sense...<p>Let's say you have two candidates. One has 8 years of experience. The other has a BS in Computer Science and 8 years of experience. Otherwise they've rated identically in your interview process. Which one are you going to hire? Are you honestly saying that the guy or gal with 4 years of rigorous formal training in addition to the 8 years of on-the-job experience is only just equally qualified?<p>Regarding salaries, effort is in absolutely no way related to value. It's a sad fact, but it's a fact nonetheless. Saying it "should" or "shouldn't" be this way is a bit like passing moral judgement on the laws of physics. "This is wrong. If I flap my arms really hard, I should be able to fly."<p>Further, the idea that value and effort aren't strictly coupled is a key component of scaling a business. As someone with a C-level title, you should understand that intuitively.