This is my first blog post for 2021 and I am excited because it has been one year since I started blogging and ten years working as a software engineer.

And since we mentioned it, and as the post title implies, I am about to describe how and why I became a software engineer without a degree.

How it started

Back in 2011, at the age of 19, amidst the Greek financial crisis and just when I had completed my first semester at the university, I had to find a job to stand on my own two feet and also support my family.

I was lucky enough to have a relative of mine that put all his efforts to help me get my first job as a junior software engineer. To be honest, my seniority level was way below junior since my only experience was what I had learned in one semester at the University at the Department of Digital Systems.

The early days

I still remember my first day at work, I wasn't sure whether I could last even a week in there. My probation period was 2 months so they could decide after that whether I had any potential and integrate with the rest of the team.

On my first meeting with my manager, he asked me to navigate to w3schools and start with the HTML tutorial. Then he gave me a pack of books to read, related to server-side coding, relational databases, and systems architecture. I am so grateful to him because he was my mentor and believed in me from the first moment. He led me to improve my skills, and supported me in every aspect.

Believe it or not, by the end of my first month at work, I knew I was in the right place and wanted to be a software engineer. I was fascinated by what I had achieved in such a limited period and from the hands-on experience in real projects.

What happened with my studies ?

For the first few years, I was able to find the right balance between my duties at work and the university. In fact, for the first two years I managed to complete some courses and some of them with good grades too.

But after that period, I was involved in a very demanding project for a client and had to be working 6 to 7 days per week, around 12 hours each day. It was a very rough six-month period during which unfortunately I didn't manage to attend or pass any course.

I felt I was left behind. Although I tried to approach some of my professors, they didn't seem to understand the situation or willing to help me. Then, more big projects like the previous one came and that was when a switch went off and I started failing with my courses during the semesters that followed.

Eventually, I lost track of time. Year by year, I was developing as a software engineer, learning new things, growing my network, and getting higher salaries. I wasn't motivated anymore to return to my studies.

To be brutally honest, even now, I would return to complete my studies if I wanted. I am not the person who finds excuses like "I don't have time to deal with" or anything like that. But after a decade in the industry, I don't see the value of getting the degree right now.

Everything I need is out there. The only thing I have to do is to find the appropriate resources, learn from the best, and always be up-to-date.

Was the absence of the degree an obstacle to my career ?

The answer is short and simple. No, it wasn't.

It never stood in my way to be a valuable member in large development teams, participate in technical discussions, solve demanding problems, contribute to big code repositories, create my own libraries, complete online tutorials, read programming books and articles, succeed in technical interviews, or meet my salary expectations.

In my latest resume versions, I decided not to even include an Education section. Instead, I wanted to emphasize my Work Experience and my Programming Skills because these should be the ones that describe my software engineering profile.

"Yes, but what if you need it in the future ?"

I have been needed to answer this particular question countless times after I decided to give up on my studies.

I am not a prophet, but I am pretty sure that it won't be needed.

Assuming that I find myself in a situation when a company would reject me or deny a promotion because I don't have a computer science degree, then not only I wouldn't be a good fit for them, but that would also mean that such a company would not be the right one for me as well.

Conclusion

Am I saying that software engineers do not need a degree ?

No, the answer is 100% negative.

Of course, it is better to have a degree rather than not to have, but it is not a prerequisite in order to be a successful software engineer and claim equal opportunities with those who have it. Let's say, it is the nature of this profession.

On the other hand, I wouldn't imagine someone being a lawyer or a doctor without having the proper education, just by having hands-on experience, because these are professions that require a strong academic background too.

But to succeed as a software engineer, all you have to do is to believe in your skills, focus on the target, be open to feedback, never stop learning new stuff and always look back, identify and improve what you've done wrong.

A successful software engineer should invest both in technical and soft skills.

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year !! 🎉