For SWE’s, is this the Guy with 2.9 GPA now makes $300k as a SWE (Software Engineer) - YouTube the norm?
Why should people pay for college when they can practice coding interview questions and be hired?
No, that’s not the norm. As for why pay for and go to college?
It is incredibly unlikely you will be given the chance to even interview at those companies without a degree. They get hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, of applicants. Some companies may send an initial automated assessment to all applicants, but even then you might get weeded out later directly or indirectly from not having a degree. It is tough to get internship/co-op experience (a de facto requirement for well-paying full-time work) without a degree. Not saying you can’t do it, but the odds are stacked incredibly against you if you forego the degree path.