I got my first coding job merely by being in a CS degree program. There was a job board, people posted jobs, I answered a post, here's what I can code, I got a job. Degree not needed.

The degree was not the key. There were no gatekeepers.

Do I want that? It's sort of crazy. I'm getting old, I will need doctors at some point to keep me alive. "Don't worry, I answered a post on a job board, I totally know what I'm doing", the doctor said.

Don't want that. But it worked out for me.