It sure is possible. When I got out of the army I had no degree, no professional experience, just what I had taught myself and learned in a few classes that I

It sure is possible. When I got out of the army I had no degree, no professional experience, just what I had taught myself and learned in a few classes that I had taken along the way. I went to work at a software sweatshop that had low pay and long hours but after about a year I was able to get another position just based on that experience... eventually I got a CS degree from an online school just to get the HR people to shut up, but you don't need it, and frankly if you can teach yourself effectively it is a waste of money. I would recommend trying to get some small freelance gigs that you can easily handle and do those in your off hours. I know you are working a lot already but it is only for a short time. If those jobs work out and you can replace some of your income, consider cutting back on the warehouse hours if you can, and focus on landing a full time job or being a full time freelancer. If you want a great learning experience, consider getting involved with an open source project ... find one you like, get on the dev mailing list, tell them what your skill level and goals are, and tell them that you want to be involved. Unless the project is run by a bunch of assholes they'll have something appropriate for you to contribute and will help you learn amazing things. Stay cool, stay humble, and you'll do great. And BTW read this if you haven't already: http://catb.org/~esr/writings/taoup/ http://catb.org/~esr/writings/taoup/ Good luck!