A simple question for those companies: how much are they going to pay for a programmer that completed his/her own university course?
I guess it will be as low as what they are inclined to pay a junior, not experienced, self-taught programmer..
So, when asked about a specific algorithm, you could begin your reply with something like "given a monthly pay of at least.. "
It's time to make them understand that if they want higher level professionalities they have to spend accordingly.