Sorry for any and all rambling. Hey OP, I'm a 19 year old software developer in NYC. I didn't go to college myself, and I was in your position not too long ag

Sorry for any and all rambling. Hey OP, I'm a 19 year old software developer in NYC. I didn't go to college myself, and I was in your position not too long ago, so I think I can offer some helpful advice. First of all, you don't need to go to college to get a job as a software developer, especially if you live in/near a tech hub (NYC, San Fran, Seattle, Austin, etc). However you'll probably be limited to smallish startups, at least until you build up some professional experience. If you're genuinely confident that you can handle a fulltime position now, then I'd suggest just applying to companies near you that you're interested in working for. On the other hand, you could try working for one or two companies as an intern over the next few months. This is what I did, and although it was difficult getting paid very little (or nothing) at times, it was worth it because I was able to leverage my experience for a fulltime position. Either way I'd suggest creating a nice resume for yourself and putting up some code on github. This will go a long way towards making you look 'professional'. It's true that not going to school will mean that you might miss out on some fundamental CS knowledge, but this doesn't have to be the case. With wikipedia, google, stack overflow, moocs, and online lecture notes/textbooks, you'll have access to the same knowledge as your average undergrad in a state school. With the added benefit of being able to place all this information within a real-life context. You're probably not going to learn as fast as someone immersed in a cs curriculum, but you'll be getting paid an absurd amount of money to learn this stuff, instead of spending the same amount of money. There are some disadvantages to entering the workforce at such a young age though, nothing major but I thought you should be aware: - All the girls our age are in college. Literally all of them. It makes dating very difficult. - You'll always be 'the young guy' at work. Prepare for endless jokes about your age. - A lot of people will probably look down on you for not going to college. Don't let it get to you, these people don't matter. - All the girls our age are in college. Think about what this really means and if you're willing to deal with it. You're probably not going to meet girls frequently until you're 21. I've repeated this twice for a reason. - You won't always be able to go to bars after work with coworkers. Nonetheless, being a fulltime developer is awesome. I've got zero debt, I get paid an absurd amount of money, and I love my job. Good luck dude. P.S: Learn Emacs. It's awesome.