[cwisecarver]

My second job was at my local newspaper. Started, I think, when I was 19. I lasted five years. I had html, css, js, and php under my belt at that time too. I was and still am a generalist. I think the current term is Full-Stack Developer though.

You should get more experience with other backend languages. Try Python, Ruby, and something slightly exotic like Rust or Scala or Elixir. If you've been there for ten years you've probably gotten comfortable in your stack and your code. Start reading more code. Push yourself to learn something. Get your github up and churning. Contribute to some OSS projects.

You've got experience with highly dynamic websites. That puts you head and shoulders above people that only have experience building landing pages or small business sites. It's a whole different beast to build something that has to respond to a random bit of content flowing into a page and all that entails. You've worked with some of the most set in their ways people on the planet, journalists at a local newspaper.

I'm 35 now and I've stayed, mostly, in the content space since I started at the paper. That's my niche, rather than focusing on a language or front/backend discipline I focused on content. I've had four jobs since working at the paper and I still remember those days as some of the longest days and most fun I've ever had. I'm now making over three times what I made at the paper when I left too.

You can do this but you're going to have to work for it.

Edit: I don't have a degree either.