On 08/08/2017 at 4:33 AM, cyberpnk said:

So, I'm in my mid-30s and have been programming since I was a teenager (both as a hobby and professionally). However, I don't have a programming degree (though I do have a bachelors in something unrelated). Was big into the Flash 2D gaming scene while it was hot, but Flash is dead now and most of the experience wouldn't apply to 3D programming jobs today. I'm most interested in working on AAA 3D games. I do have skills in C++ (among other things) but I really feel like the lack of a Computer Science degree is holding me back. Do you think it's a good idea to go back to school and get the CompSci degree even though I'm in my mid-30s? I realize I could release an indie game or make some demos to get noticed (which I could do while in school), but it seems all the job listings I look at ask for Computer Science experience. I found some affordable programs, and the money is not a problem, but I don't want to be wasting my time. Any thoughts?

I went back to school at 27. It was not easy. But I was like you: I did not have any relevant degree and companies love degrees in Europe... I was also wanting to enter the game industry. I had contacts with one in Paris during my studies where they liked my profile a lot. (For personal reasons I moved to something else).

I then made a master degree internship in the french national research institute for computer sciences.

Then I was looking for my first job with that degree. It wasn't that easy. I made a lot of job interviews which ended 6 months after my degree to some job opportunities. I then worked for a digital planetarium company. The next job was in an optical simulation company. These two jobs were nice but when the working days were over, I had no will to work on my personal projects anymore (since I was doing similar things all the day).

Now, for personal reasons, I'm far from the graphics programming. But I have a decent job. This job however allows me to work again on my projects and I'm happy with this.

At the end, my original plan to work in the game industry had been forgotten. But I don't regret it. And maybe one day I'll have that opportunity

As long as you have evidence proving that you have programmed since your teens you don't need a cs degree. Show them a portfolio and a good cv with clients and work history. Though, i am sure many employees would pay you less since somehow a degree warrants a higher pay, but just push back on them.

Mine is one more vote for saying you don't need to go back to school. For someone in their 30s their experience can tell me a lot more than their qualifications. I'd recommend focusing on a portfolio of work that you're happy to show to potential employers, and maybe take some online courses in your spare time to brush up on any theory that you may have missed through not getting a programming degree.

Thanks for all your comments. Since I have some previous college experience, I think I could transfer a bunch of the credits. I may only be looking at doing 2 years (or so) to get the CompSci degree. While I agree that a degree is not strictly needed, and many people are successful without it, it's something I think will be worthwhile for myself. I'm not sure I'd want a complete accelerated course as I still want to learn something. Since mostly all my programming has been self-taught, I feel like I'm somewhat at a disadvantage to people with the formal training, so part of it is learning the academic way (even if in some ways I'm already more advanced). Thanks for all the advice, I will still think about this for a bit but it's been helpful.