people told me nobody would give me a job without a degree
This is the main reason to get a degree, to get a foot in the door when you apply for a job. HR would simply filter you from the stack of resumes, even if you were an expert in the field.
The other thing you (should) learn from a degree is problem solving skills but also some academic principles. These are difficult to pick up when self-taught, as you would probably skip the materials which discuss these. I say "should" as these subjects do not always get the attention they need, especially not in the non-academic programs.
For me it was a different experience. I already had problem solving skills when learning programming. I also had technical training from the Navy that paid good money. So there wasn't much motivation to force me to get a degree.
I learned programming out of pure fun for years, and my current employer took a look at my github and other interesting things I've programmed without anyone asking me. And now been offered a job as Software QA. Surely it would have been easier with a degree, and I understand that. I still want to get my degree since I still have veteran benefits hopefully with this stable schedule I now can.
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This is the main reason to get a degree, to get a foot in the door when you apply for a job. HR would simply filter you from the stack of resumes, even if you were an expert in the field.
The other thing you (should) learn from a degree is problem solving skills but also some academic principles. These are difficult to pick up when self-taught, as you would probably skip the materials which discuss these. I say "should" as these subjects do not always get the attention they need, especially not in the non-academic programs.
For me it was a different experience. I already had problem solving skills when learning programming. I also had technical training from the Navy that paid good money. So there wasn't much motivation to force me to get a degree.
I learned programming out of pure fun for years, and my current employer took a look at my github and other interesting things I've programmed without anyone asking me. And now been offered a job as Software QA. Surely it would have been easier with a degree, and I understand that. I still want to get my degree since I still have veteran benefits hopefully with this stable schedule I now can.