| Finding | Figure |
|---|
| Non-degree hiring rise where requirement dropped | +3.5 points |
| Rise across all roles | under 1 point |
| New hires who benefited | fewer than 1 in 700 |
| Firms where real change happened | 37% |
| Retention edge for non-degree hires at leading firms | +10 points |
| Average pay rise for non-degree hires into formerly degree roles | 25% |
Two findings cut the other way. Nearly all measurable change sat at 37% of the firms studied. At firms leading on skills-based hiring, non-degree hires had a retention rate 10 points higher than colleagues with degrees. Non-degree workers who took formerly degree-required roles also saw an average 25% salary increase.
The employers that made the change stick rebuilt how they screened. Most of the rest changed the wording on the posting.
That matters when you read a job ad. A posting without a degree line tells you the employer removed the filter. It tells you very little about what happens next. The study says simply dropping stated requirements seldom opens jobs to people without a college degree.
One more detail from the same study gives the self-taught case its strongest argument. At the firms leading on skills-based hiring, non-degree hires had a retention rate 10 points higher than their colleagues with degrees. The study does not say what the 25% salary increase is measured against.
Which entry roles are most open to self-taught developers?
Role choice matters more than any credential you add later. The Bureau of Labor Statistics pages on software roles split this work into three pay bands. Each band carries a different entry note.
| Role | Median pay | Outlook 2025-35 | BLS education note |
|---|
| Software developers | $135,980 | +10% | Bachelor's typical |
| Software QA analysts and testers | $104,300 | +6% | Bachelor's typical |
| Web developers | $92,650 | +4% | High school to bachelor's; projects can substitute |
Web developer and digital designer work is the one the Bureau of Labor Statistics says can run on a high school diploma plus proof. Its median pay sat at $92,650 in May 2025. The occupation is projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035.
Software QA analysts and testers sit in the middle at $104,300. That role grows 6% over the same decade. Its typical education note still says bachelor's.
Software developers top the band at $135,980. The role grows 10% through 2035. Entry takes more work, and the screen falls on the credential.
Demand sits on the same side. CompTIA's September 2026 analysis counted 47,598 new openings for software developers and engineers. They ranked as the most sought tech role that month. Active tech postings reached 625,633.
What path works without a degree?
Plenty of people set out to become software engineer without computer degree. The steps are the same for everyone who tries them. Two routes get people in.
One route starts with a role that accepts projects in place of a diploma. Web and digital work sits there. The bootcamps that promise a job guarantee are one paid way in. Read the cost and outcomes of coding bootcamps before you pay one.
The other route builds proof first, then applies. The self-taught software engineer path lays out the stages. Our read on whether a software engineering degree pays off covers the other side of that choice. For roles that still ask, IT certifications that need no degree can fill a gap on a resume.
Either way, ship work that a stranger can run. The handbook's own test for web roles is prior work experience or projects.
Two habits help more than any certificate. Build in public so a recruiter can open the work without asking you for it. Then write about each project in plain terms: what it does, what broke, and what you changed. A job ad lists skills. A repository with a story answers the same question faster.
What should you do next?
Pick the role first. Pay between web developer work and software developer work runs from $92,650 to $135,980. One of those bands lets projects stand in for a diploma. Then build small projects that a stranger can open and run without asking you anything.
Nearly all measurable change in the study sat at 37% of the firms, so a missing degree line on a posting is not proof of a different screen. Apply where the salary band fits the role you want, and let the projects answer the education line.
Photo: Pexels, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/photos/laptop-notebook-cellphone-computer-1839876/)
Fazlur Rahman
