> There is no way to show people how much time you invested in your self study. It is not about what you know, it is about other people getting to know so they can hire you.

Your point still holds true in this industry when you get as much as 300+ candidates applying for 1 graduate job. As much as I hate it, unfortunately some companies would hire internal candidates than external ones even if they were highly qualified, because they are highly networked within the company.

Having just a CS degree in 2019 is not enough to market youself as a better candidate. It is meerly seen as a minimum expectation from larger companies.