> I've always thought that a degree was essential to get past HR at large, established companies, but it's not essential that the degree relates directly to the job you're doing.

Not necessarily. Many large companies, including even some of the FAANGs, phrase the requirement as "BS in Computer Science or equivalent experience". That being said, though, applicants who want to make use of the "or equivalent experience clause" should expect to be challenged to demonstrate that they do indeed have equivalent experience.

I have an economics degree myself but I've worked alongside excellent software engineers at midsize companies that were dropouts or didn't even start college at all. I've found little correlation in ability between a college degree and their ability to do their job. Hell, my cousin is 2 years into his CS degree and had no experience using git or worked on a group project till I drilled the importance of these soft skills into him.