Getting started in Computer Science is easier than ever. Expert information on anything you can imagine is just a click away. Huge numbers of online courses from specialists are released every day to let you swimmingly comprehend and adopt insights that were painstakingly figured out over years. 

Knowledge is everywhere, memes are everywhere

Since the access to information is more widespread than ever before in human history, if you want to get started in computer science today, is a degree really necessary?

Fifteen years ago, the answer was definitively yes.
Ten years ago, maybe yes?
Now, I think the answer is still not clear, but is trending towards the value of a Computer Science degree rapidly decreasing and being worth less and less year over year.

Startups vs Large Companies

Whether a degree is necessary or not depends on whether Employers in industry are looking for one.  Some companies will be hard set on only interviewing candidates who have a Bachelor's, or a Postgrad qualification for more specialized roles. However, if you are interested in applying to Startups or innovative arms of large companies, they are probably willing to overlook a lack of a degree, or may not place much importance on it. 

The reason for this is probably two-fold. Startups move faster and are in touch with innovation. They attract non-conformists and iconoclasts who are empassioned by the specific problem the startup is working on and have already worked on related projects in their own time. And since the role of a person in a startup with a small team is less well-defined, with each person having a myriad of tasks and skills, a formal degree from a University usually doesn't translate over very well.

Large companies usually hire based on CV's. They sift through piles of them (I've seen some huge piles), and then sift through them some more. If you're lucky, your CV will have made it to the end without becoming tissue paper for one of the HR people.

If this sounds hard, it's because it is. If you have another way of standing out, like you've won a competition that grants you an internship, or you've got a friend in a company who's willing to refer you, try it out. That might work, and you will be able to skip the line.

Specialist roles

A degree is indispensable in esoteric roles where there are only a few hundred thousand experts in the world (or less). Machine Learning Engineers, Advanced Penetration Testers. These roles usually require postgraduate degrees which prove to the Employer that you have the necessary skillset in order to quickly get started with tasks without requiring months (or years) of training.  

A degree is compulsory in roles involving heavily regulated jobs, either internally within the company, or externally by a third party because the nature of the work is highly sensitive. This could be financial, medical, or in other high risk industries where a the cost of a mistake is severe and implications are far reaching. A degree instills a sense of prudence and conscientiousness in an Employer that the person they are about to hire really will be able to be accountable for the weighty duties they will soon be responsible for. Yes, technically a degree is just a piece of paper, but so is money, and cryptocurrency isn't even a piece of paper. Having that piece of paper usually comes with some threshold of conscientiousness. Given years of training and writing essays, you're probably able to commit and see a task it to its end (as well as other commendable attributes that come out of going through the education system).

If you don't have a degree, or don't mesh well in the standardized formal education system, but are passionate technology; you just need to show it. As long as you're passionate, you're probably making or building things. These can be super technical hobbies, like making robots, coding software, answering questions on StackOverflow, or placing in your local science competitions. Or, they can be non-technical: Blog posts educating people on a subject you're interested in, Organizing Meetups around technology, or marketing and selling software. Whatever it is you enjoy doing, just make sure it's visible.

How to be visible

Make sure you have a LinkedIn page, and update it regularly with what you've done. If it's interesting to others, you can also share it with others. Another source is Github, wherever possible, have publicly visible repositories that evidence your interest in building. And Stack Overflow is a great place to show potential Employers your involvement in the community. These are just three examples, but they should give you an idea of how to stand out, and more importantly, proactively demonstrate your learning. 

Just be passionate

A lot of the time, Employers are looking for candidates who demonstrate this passion for IT. If you're lucky enough to be passionate about it, make sure people know about it. Many graduates have a degree and not much else. Their projects are ones that did in University that are the same as everyone else. So, if you do have something to show, you're already miles ahead of the competition. And frankly, you probably should be in the industry already. 

Passion is hard to fake. Saying 'just be passionate' isn't helpful. If you're not passionate about something, think about why you're tyring to pursue it. Really sit down with an ice cream, or something else, and think introspectively about why you're going along this path. Is it because of an external metric or source of validation? If you can figure this out, maybe you can find another way to go into IT that you would enjoy and excel at.

What if I'm not passionate about anything?

Everyone has a passion. Maybe it's something non-obvious, like sleep. Or maybe it's just not a passion that society has approved of yet, like a ten hour work-week. A good way to think about this is trying and recall what you have spent a lot of time doing, or researching, or reading about, not because someone asked you to. What do you find yourself doing a lot? This is a good indicator of a passion you have.

Maybe you're attracted to this industry because of the songs of high pay, or a comfortable remote lifestyle, or a playful office environment. Technical roles need people who have a certain proclivity for problem solving and concentration. If you're not cut of this cloth and still want to work in IT, maybe a non-technical role will suit you better. Still it will treat you well to understand your inner passions and interests regardless of external factors.

In the future, every job will be a tech job

Currently, the IT sector is its own category. Social media, B2B, B2B2C, even industry specific products are all classed as IT. However, in the near future, as IT proliferates across more even of our everyday lives, every company will be a technology one. 

IT is ill-defined. There is no benchmark for what constitutes an IT job and what doesn't. It's a moving target, complicated by the fast pace of the industry. As businesses adopt new digital processes trading their physical systems for bits and bytes, we see more and more technology professionals being embedded in industries that were traditionally deemed to be strictly brick and mortar.

Agriculture, Construction, and Manufacturing are increasingly calling out for knowledge workers skilled in their use of computers.

Here's the good news. Whatever your passion is, the likelihood of it being infiltrated by the technology industry and becoming part of a technology company are explicably high.

Okay, so at the end of the day

Overall, it really depends on what type of career you're interested in pursuing. Have a look to see whether those jobs require a degree. Or, if you can apply somehow just by showing stellar project work and initiative in some way.

Please don't take this advice at face value. Everyone's situation and skillsets and proclivities differ, so you are best to aask your family, friends, teachers, and counsellors for advice. And if possible, try to find someone in the industry to ask them what their job is like and what their suggestions are to tread in their footsteps.