> People could even get a programming job with no experience or education, as I did.
...well, they still can you know, and this is part of the beauty of the field, you get to work with people with all sorts of backgrounds. Now, yes, you need a github with some cool projects, some contributions to interesting projects and/or a mini-portfolio of projects that you did for free for schools/charities (and yeah, "cool" and "interesting" are in the eyes of the employer), but compared to most other technical field, it's much easier to make it without a degree or ample experience!
...well, they still can you know, and this is part of the beauty of the field, you get to work with people with all sorts of backgrounds. Now, yes, you need a github with some cool projects, some contributions to interesting projects and/or a mini-portfolio of projects that you did for free for schools/charities (and yeah, "cool" and "interesting" are in the eyes of the employer), but compared to most other technical field, it's much easier to make it without a degree or ample experience!