Dont forget that new grads of 4yr Big10 CS programs are not the only source of fresh talent. Many CS related degreed students from directional state schools will get in the door for code testing and interviews at least for Level 1 jobs.
But more significantly are the career changers either early or mid career that use the more than 2 dozens "Bootcamp" schools.
https://bootcampadvisor.com/location...camps-chicago/
These programs usually run 20 weeks and boast an incredible 80-98% employment rate.
These are not shit run Betsy Devoss/TrumpU diploma fraud mills.
They are highly structured training grounds that produce employable associate level programmers and data science grads every 20 weeks. Many of the enrollees are 2-10 years in the workforce and looking to change careers.
Irl there is not one linear path to fulfill the dev/ops/data/IT jobs.