Does A Degree Alter My Chances Of Freelancing Or A Career With Programming?

I don't think it does. It'm more about what you can actually do, not what a piece of paper says you can do.

I have a degree, and I do not think it's completely necessary.

Thank you for your response. I feel it's more about what you are able to do vs. a piece of paper.

If you're wanting to work for big corporate they will probably expect a degree. Most big companies place resumes without a degree at the bottom of the stack. I believe a degree shows you have the ability to dedicate the appropriate amount of time to work towards something, it doesn't necessarily mean that you know your craft.

That makes sense. I honestly would never want to work for a large company anyways. I would prefer to either freelance, work for a startup or use my skills for my own startup ideas. The main reason for me starting Treehouse was for my own startup ideas.

It's not a requirement to have a degree as an entrepreneur or freelancer, as long as you can show the quality of your work. However it is still very much a requirement in the corporate world to have a degree.

You say now that you plan to be an entrepreneur all of your life, but entrepreneurship is not the most stable way to provide an income. It might not matter much while you're young, but when you're older and have a family to support, stability will be much more attractive. The lack of a degree could hinder you later in life, particularly if you want to go into any sort of management role.

Our generation is approaching a point where the inflation of a college degree, if you will, is making it more plausible to succeed without one. For example, the influx of degrees from online programs that are partially accredited has decreased the value of a college degree in the eyes of employers. So, with that decreased value, the employers/clients are paying more attention to portfolios and resumes than they are degrees.

Further, with the networking opportunities that the internet provides, you can show off your work to countless individuals -- if they are impressed, it is unlikely that their first question will be "where is your degree from?" but "what are your rates?"

As a freelancer, a degree is really not all that important. Your personality and your portfolio are the necessities. If you are professional and personable, you can be a successful freelancer.

I'd be willing to bet that, as a freelancer, you'd have no problems as long as you had a good portfolio that shows what you can do, and can convey a sense of enthusiasm to the customer with regards to their proposed project. Most customers, in my experience, don't care about your pedigree, just whether you can do the job or not. Just my opinion.

EDIT: Hey, I just noticed that you live in Saint Augustine. So do I! Small world.

You say that you wouldn't want to work for a large corporation, but remember that freelancers often get contracted out by large companies, giving them the best of both worlds....self-employment, but potentially long-term and stable projects.

My recommendation would be to explore certifications rather than degrees. If the Adobe Creative Suite is an important part of your skill set, look into getting Adobe CS certified. If you have completed online learning curriculum, such as Treehouse, list that as well. This will show that you take learning/education seriously, and give you room to explain that a earning a college degree "just to say you have it" doesn't fit your personal ambition.

One other thing: In my experience as a staffing consultant, a lot of companies hire freelancers/consultants using a process that is the same or similar to their employee interview process. In other words, they will evaluate you as if they were hiring you - they'll just be 1099ing you rather than giving you a W2 - salary and benefits. (Plus as a freelancer you may get to work out of your own office etc...but you get what I'm saying.)

So a lot of times, if you look at a particular company's hiring/interview process and some of education requirements on their job board entries, you will learn a lot about whether they expect their average freelancer/consultant to have a degree, certificate, etc.

Obviously, the caveat here is that if you a some uber-famous web developer, then your college degree - or lack thereof - wont matter much.

http://blog.teamtreehouse.com/web-designers-dont-need-college-degrees Nick Pettit :)