[alawrence]

I have a similar background in that I was primarily self-taught before finding a paid apprenticeship that lasted almost a year and then being employed as a consultant by the company.

If you can afford it, I'd recommend pursuing a formal route. It exposes you to a lot of ideas and ways of thinking that are hard to get in practice. After having programmed for around 4 years now, I often wish I'd studied CS.

In lieu of that, I think Udacity's nanodegrees programs are probably a good way to end up in a paid position relatively soon.

(I'm assuming you're looking to break into web programming. I can't speak for other areas.)

[andy9775]

I eventually want to purse the formal route and do a part time BSc or perhaps get a MSc, for now I need something to pay off loans