Ignore the requirements and apply anyway, especially if you're applying to smaller companies. If you're a good candidate they will break their own rules.

I've found this as well. I used to never apply to jobs if I didn't meet every criteria and then I just realised, well what do I have to lose by applying?

Agreed - I guess that was what I was kind of trying to say in my comment.

How much experience do you have? I have always assumed that when a job ad lists a CS degree as a requirement that there's an implicit 'or equivalent experience' clause that applies. I don't have a degree of any kind and I don't think I have ever been asked. Maybe it's different over here (in the UK), though.

~1 year of experience. I am also in the UK fwiw, probably should have put that in the OP.

I started out about 25 years ago and I suppose all I can do is to reiterate that nobody has ever asked if I have a degree. I don't really have a good handle on what the IT job market is like for people who are less experienced, TBH, so whether that information is actually useful or not I don't know. I still think it's worth applying anyway. I have worked in places where job ads have gone out for the same role I was already doing and after reading those ads I would have come to the conclusion that I was not qualified to apply. Basically my take is that people love to load those ads up so that they look impressive. When I interview what I want to know about a candidate is: are they smart and can they get stuff done? Anything else is secondary, really.

Location is probably a factor too. I am based near London and there are a lot of dev jobs around here. If you are regional then that may not be the case.

Fwiw, degrees were rarer in the software candidate pool 25 years ago, and become increasingly irrelevant as your career progresses. Once you hit about 5 years of experience, the amount of attention anyone pays to it nosedives.

These days, getting those first five years is harder, though. Because of a combination of a glut of juniors on the market plus a culture where it’s increasingly common for employees to stay only a year or so, which makes it less worthwhile for a company to invest in training juniors.

If you have ~1 year experience, and are currently working, I would recommend staying there another year, or even two. Hiring someone with no degree but 3 years of experience is a much less scary proposition for a company than hiring someone with no degree and 1 year. (Or so I think, but I am not a hiring manager.)

I am a hiring manager and I agree wholeheartedly.

If you're in the north east of the UK and you know PHP drop me an email (address in my profile). I know a company that's recruiting.

Midlands looking to relocate to London, unfortunately, but I appreciate the offer.

I don't have a degree, most of the jobs I've had have required one. Usually if I'm strong in one or two of the requirements, I'll apply and hope for the best. It's really a numbers game anyway.

Hey man, I'm working on a solution to this! It is annoying to go through a job description and the very last mine is 'Must Have CS Degree.'

You definitely don't need a degree these days. You can check out some folk that are doing great without one: https//www.nocsdegree.com

Most tech jobs don't require a degree, even if they say they want one. I'd apply anyway if you think you can do the job.