You Don’t Need a CS Degree to Succeed
The ONE Thing You Need to Succeed as a Software Engineer (NOT A DEGREE)
You read that right.
I firmly believe that you don’t need a degree to succeed in any IT-related career, and I’m living proof of that.
My journey with computers began when I was just 9 or 10 years old. My dad bought me my first computer with 256MB of RAM, a rarity among my peers at the time. In fact, I was the only person with a computer in my neighborhood.
Back then, there was no YouTube, no courses, and not many books to learn from. You were on your own with this big black box. I would stare at the screen and wonder what I could do with it. There was no Facebook or Instagram either—I relied on messaging tools like ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger, and later mIRC. Not that I had many people to chat with.
After some adaptation, I started exploring programming languages like C and eventually delved into 3D modeling using software like 3DS Max and Maya. I also tried making video effects with tools like Adobe After Effects—I was all over the place.
I even dabbled in hacking, which almost got me into serious trouble—but that's a story for another time.
Today, I’m a software engineer and solutions architect working with some of the largest companies in the world. When I landed my first developer job, I didn’t have any IT-related degree. My bachelor’s degree, which I’ve never actually used, is in Economics.
Since then, I’ve completed a 2-year bootcamp at Software University and earned several Azure certifications from Microsoft, which have been truly beneficial in my career.
So, If You Don’t Need a Degree to Succeed, What’s the Key to Success?
Reflecting on my journey, there's one thing that truly helped me become a successful software engineer. Many will try to sell you courses, and universities may attempt to empty your bank account or leave you in debt. However, even the best universities or the most prestigious courses won’t guarantee you a job or a successful career in IT.
Don't get me wrong—I’m not against professional education. In fact, I support it. What I want to emphasize is that these courses and universities often overlook the most crucial element for success in IT:
P E R S E V E R A N C E
The dictionary describes the word as follows:
Persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.
I have many friends who tried and failed at becoming software engineers. Friends who were way smarter than me. And yet they failed. Failed miserably. Why? They were smart in school and had better grades than I did. Let’s write it again:
P E R S E V E R A N C E
Look again at the picture generated by AI above. A picture is worth a thousand words. This is all you need. You DON’T need a degree or a bootcamp. You just need to be persistent—study every day, practice, learn, be curious, show up. Read books, watch conferences, practice what you learn. Create projects, try, fail, fail again, and again.
What set me apart from my smart friends is my dedication, persistence, and the hunger I have to learn. I am literally learning new things every day. Sometimes, while my wife is shopping, I’m reading a book or an article somewhere behind her, moving the shopping cart—that level of dedication. Every day I read books, practice by building projects, and watch tons of conferences because there are always new things to learn. And I really love that part of my job.
You don’t need to spend countless hours every day; even 30 minutes a day is enough, thanks to the power of compounding. If you study for 30 minutes a day, that's 182.5 hours a year. That’s like 20 books a year.
In my opinion, lack of perseverance is the single biggest threat to anyone wanting to succeed as a software engineer, architect—you name it. It’s not about the lack of brainpower or being ultra-smart. Consistency is all you need.
And again, I am not against bootcamps or universities—you can definitely learn a lot there, not just in terms of professional education, but also soft skills, making lifelong friends, and more. As I mentioned, this title is not clickbait. I am living proof that you don’t need a CS degree to succeed.
If you have the time and money, and if you want to experience the joy of being in university, finding new friends (possibly your future love), or maybe finding your future business partner for your start-up—by all means, you should do it! However, if you want to become a software engineer or pursue a similar career, what you truly need is...