Do realize, that even if it is harder, this is only initially. Once you have 3-4 years of experience in the field, the CS degree (or lack thereof) is irrelevant. I've had, on more than one occasion, bosses be surprised that I didn't have a degree when it came up, long after hiring me. No degree is mentioned on my resume and it never comes up in interviews-- in fact, it the last time anyone mentioned it was when I only had 2 years of experience, but I spent 2 years at my first job so it was no big deal.
The candidates I'm seeing with CS degrees are not really benefiting from that money. They still need a couple years in entry level positions to be useful. This will be the same for you... though you can start 4 years eariler than them.
Or put another way, if you just graduated from high school, if you go get a programming job-- any programmign job-- after 4 years you'll be a veteran and you'll be able to get higher level jobs than someone who goes to college and then, 4 years later, is getting entry level jobs.
The only situation this doesn't work is elitist institutions (like google) which have snobby hiring practices.
Alas, the lack of a CS degree doesn't stop google recruiters from constantly hounding me. (Each time I tell one I'm not interested, they wont' take "no" for an answer, but then when they go away a few months later a different one contacts me.)
Frankly, any company that won't hire you because you lack a degree, is a company not worth working for... because they have supplanted process and procedure for thinking.
Once you have enough confidence in your abilities to realize that, you'll stop worrying about it.
The candidates I'm seeing with CS degrees are not really benefiting from that money. They still need a couple years in entry level positions to be useful. This will be the same for you... though you can start 4 years eariler than them.
Or put another way, if you just graduated from high school, if you go get a programming job-- any programmign job-- after 4 years you'll be a veteran and you'll be able to get higher level jobs than someone who goes to college and then, 4 years later, is getting entry level jobs.
The only situation this doesn't work is elitist institutions (like google) which have snobby hiring practices.
Alas, the lack of a CS degree doesn't stop google recruiters from constantly hounding me. (Each time I tell one I'm not interested, they wont' take "no" for an answer, but then when they go away a few months later a different one contacts me.)
Frankly, any company that won't hire you because you lack a degree, is a company not worth working for... because they have supplanted process and procedure for thinking.
Once you have enough confidence in your abilities to realize that, you'll stop worrying about it.