A university is not a programmers' boot camp.
(I can talk here only about Western Europe here, I don't know academia in other parts of the world.)
A university is for learning the ways of science. Of scientific thinking and methods. And to learn the foundational facts of your field.
Engineering is the application of the science. It is not the science itself. You don't need a scientific background to engineer. It helps, but it's overkill.
You don't need to study to do development work. But a structured education helps to become a good software developer. Why? Because on the job you teach yourself only the bare necessities to solve the next problem. You have never the time to dive deep into the background of the problem. And deep and broad background knowledge is fun and helps to train your brain in general.
A university is for learning the ways of science. Of scientific thinking and methods. And to learn the foundational facts of your field.
Engineering is the application of the science. It is not the science itself. You don't need a scientific background to engineer. It helps, but it's overkill.
You don't need to study to do development work. But a structured education helps to become a good software developer. Why? Because on the job you teach yourself only the bare necessities to solve the next problem. You have never the time to dive deep into the background of the problem. And deep and broad background knowledge is fun and helps to train your brain in general.