How hard will it be to land a programming internship someday by learning programming online rather than college?

Question

Beginer here. I've been spending time on Codecademy, FreeCodeCamp, and SoloLearn as I learn python to see if I like programming.

Can I build a programming career without a CS degree? I work as an electrician. I make enough money to be comfortable, but feel I'm capable of learning to do something more sophisticated than manual labor. I know computers are the future. I want to earn more, be around more educated people, and contribute to cool projects. I think it would increase my quality of life. I was considering going back to college, but I remember most of my previous college experience left me feeling like I could've learned just as much online/from books for much cheaper.

Answer 1

Getting a BS in CS is a standard however you could look for some local job opportunities, where I am, I have something called WorkDay and they post jobs that you can apply to in the IT field and there are occasionally internships available that you can apply for.

You can get jobs in software engineering without a degree but I belwive it may be a little more difficult and your employer might have to give you an aptitude test to gage your skill level.