| Hey. I was in a similar boat. I am US-based, so I'm not sure how much relevance my story has to you. I turn 19 in two months. I've been programming for leisure for years. I got my first job programming in 10th grade, and loved it. When I graduated a year later, I went to a semester of college. It's not that college was easy-- it was difficult for me. I just didn't care as much for the subjects I was being tought, and didn't try to succeed. It was time for me to pay for the second semester. I managed to pay for the first one with liquid, but that wasn't going to happen again. My parents strongly discouraged not going to college, although they are biased in that matter; my mother has dual masters degrees, and my father has a Ph.D, and their degrees are very important to their career pathes. The job I was at wasn't enough to sustain myself. I was underpaid, the commute was long, and upper management didn't agree on the value that I was adding to the company, despite direct management having a conflicting opinion. Anecdote: one of my friends that worked at a nearby grocery store who's job consisted of literally putting fruit on shelves was making more than me, which made me a bit bitter. I couldn't find anything locally, since I lived in a remote, rural US town, so I started applying to various surrounding cities. The first job I applied to, I got an offer, and I took it. It was fun, a great learning experience, and I even got a promotion to mid-level developer. I've since left for a job at a similar position at a startup, mostly for fun. It has turned out to be much harder than I expected, but that's OK- challenges are fun. I have felt incredibly valued by my coworkers and management. I feel successful, and I have no reason to regret my career choices. My advice to you is to keep pushing forward. I feel like there isn't a HN consensus on this topic, but it is my opinion that there are few programming jobs that require a college education and do not provide an "or similar experience" clause, particularly within US-based startups. The majority of my employers haven't cared for a degree; they just want their employees to be good.[1] Also, check out online freelancing sites such as oDesk and Elance. It's easy to get started, and I only saw one or two listings that required a degree in the three months I spent on oDesk. One of my contracts turned into the full time position that I have now. [1] I may be susceptible to survivorship bias, as any employer that would agree to hire someone without a degree obviously wouldn't care for the degree. |