I'm a self-taught senior developer that has worked successfully without a diploma for decades. Is bypassing college a viable path in tech? Yes, definitely. Is

I'm a self-taught senior developer that has worked successfully without a diploma for decades. Is bypassing college a viable path in tech? Yes, definitely. Is college worth it? Hard to say. If you are going strictly to have a piece of paper and learn "job skills", no. If you are going for a wider education, connecting with other people and a world of ideas, absolutely. Those are experiences that I regret doing without. However, there is one directly career-related reason to get an undergraduate degree: While many tech jobs don't require one (especially in the first few years of your career), many of the jobs you may want mid-career will increasingly require a _graduate_ degree. For example, you can get pretty far doing User Experience work without a degree but I've noticed that more and more senior UX positions or UX architect positions strongly recommend, if not require, a Master's Degree. Likewise, you could be doing everything required of a Data Analyst at your current job but when you go to apply to other companies for a DA job you will likely be competing with and interviewing with people with graduate degrees. So, my best "old timer's" advice is: Skipping college could very well be the best strategy for some, at first. After you've settled into a few years of work, though, go to night school and get the degree. That way, a graduate degree will be within reach a few years later when you want to pivot into a different or higher career.