You can get a job in times of plenty without a BS CS degree. I have many times. But, getting a job at a highly sought after company is quite difficult.
In lean times, every job is difficult to land and the coveted are ~impossible. Even getting to a phone screen.
Going back, I’d get the full BS degree. Even though they were teaching Fortran at the time.
I'm not terribly interested in sought after companies, especially now that they are doing massive layoffs, and branding these people as "low performers".
I just have an irrational fear of being unemployable, which I feel like at the moment even though I have 2 long term clients that see me as un-replaceable (not exactly true, but I'm fine with it).
It's not merely that they are popular or "cool." They are typically the ones with the best pay, benefits, and workplace environment, that boost your resume in the future.
Others with lower pay, but good benefits like JPL won't even consider you without a science degree.
In lean times, every job is difficult to land and the coveted are ~impossible. Even getting to a phone screen.
Going back, I’d get the full BS degree. Even though they were teaching Fortran at the time.