Roy Tang

Someone on quora asked:

What jobs can one get as a very junior, self-taught programmer?

Since you don’t have the degree, try getting some experience first. Modern programmers have a lot of opportunity these days to earn experience without going through the traditional gatekeepers of HR and college degrees. Try working freelance (there are some websites that facilitate this, such as odesk or elance) or ask your friends if they have any small websites they need made. You can also try contributing to open-source projects, or create your own software project/tool that you can release online either for free or try to sell. You can try to develop an iOS or Android app too.

Once you have a reasonable amount of experience, say you have an app or software with moderate following, or are a recognized contributor to an open source project, there will be companies willing to look past the lack of degree. The best software companies will know better than to be strict about the requirement for a relevant degree (I should know, my degree is in Electronics and Communications Engineering yet I’ve always worked as a software developer)