You are entitled to go on Github, contribute to an open source project widely in use, and start gaining experience for free. Nobody is going to say "oh this guy

You are entitled to go on Github, contribute to an open source project widely in use, and start gaining experience for free. Nobody is going to say "oh this guy doesn't have a degree so we won't accept their contribution," although if it sucks you might get some good critique, and can add to the resume that way without a degree and looks impressive to prospective employers.