Experience can definitely overtake a degree if you can prove you know your stuff. I have a friend who spent a semester at college and hated it, eventually drop

Experience can definitely overtake a degree if you can prove you know your stuff. I have a friend who spent a semester at college and hated it, eventually dropping out. But he's very tech-savvy, taught himself almost every language, and has been programming for over 10 years. He's making $90k a year up in Canada. No degree. So its possible, but you have to know how to market yourself.