I've been in the software industry for 20 years. To my knowledge, there has never been a time when there wasn't a significant number of professional programmers

I've been in the software industry for 20 years. To my knowledge, there has never been a time when there wasn't a significant number of professional programmers without degrees. It's a field that attracts people who love to do it - aka "amateurs". Many people love it enough to delve into CS of their own accord. I didn't go to college. I've never been asked about my education during any hiring process. I've worked on several phenomenally successful products, and I'm quite sure I've been considered a high performer at every job I've had. I've worked with a dozen people like this, often at big companies with highly technical developer cultures. I know a few no-college developers whose knowledge of our mutual specialization is so deep that I have a hard time following them. As long as demand for talented devs is like it has been so far, the industry as a whole can't afford to exclude any.