Do I Need a Degree to Become a Software Engineer or to Work in IT?
Published:January 20, 2026
Last Updated:January 21, 2026
3 min read
The answer is: it depends. It depends on whether you have the opportunity.
If you do, take it. If you don’t, you can still work in IT and become a software engineer.
Do you really need a title or a degree to work in IT or become a software engineer?
I’m writing this for those of you who are currently stuck in a dilemma: Should I go to college first, or should I just start working?
Before you make any decision, look honestly at your current situation. Do you have the opportunity to go to college?
For example:
Can your parents afford the tuition?
Can you afford it yourself?
Do you have access to scholarships, financial aid, or tuition discounts?
If the answer is yes, then my advice is simple: go to college.
Whether you choose to study full-time or study while working is up to you. If you want to work while studying, look for universities that offer night classes for employees. There are plenty of options out there. Just search for campuses that offer Informatics or Computer Science programs with evening schedules. What should you do during the day?
Grind!
Build soft skills. Learn independently. Use AI as a learning guide. Don’t wait for lecturers to spoon-feed you.
If You Choose to Go to College
One major advantage of college is the roadmap.
A roadmap helps you learn faster. You won’t waste too much time on random trial and error. The structure already exists—you just need to use it.
You can:
Use the campus roadmap as a guide for self-study on the internet
Or follow campus materials while learning deeper on your own
Honest advice? Follow campus lessons for the grades.
The real skills come from your own grinding.
If You Don’t Go to College and Decide to Work Instead
Then you must find a mentor. A mentor is extremely important.
Just like college provides a roadmap, a mentor is your roadmap. They’ve already walked the path before you. They know the mistakes, the shortcuts, and the realities.
Mentors can be:
Free
Paid
But here’s the truth most people ignore:
Mentors want people who are teachable and who can provide value.
So make sure you have something to offer:
Money
Time
Skills
Commitment
Or real contribution to their work
Either way, it has to be mutual.
The Real Answer
So, do you need a degree or not? It depends. But let’s be brutally honest:
Most companies in Indonesia still care about degrees. That’s the reality.
Overseas companies are more skill-based, but that’s not how the local market mostly works yet. You can hate this fact—but you can’t ignore it.
If you have the opportunity to go to college, take it.
If you don’t, find a mentor.
No matter which path you choose, keep investing in what’s above your neck:
Join communities
Join competitions
Learn constantly
Stay active
Discipline
To everyone who’s learning or already working: You’re both doing great. Keep going. And most importantly—enjoy the journey.
Enjoy the stress of fixing bugs at 2 a.m.
Enjoy the endless dark mode vs light mode war.
Enjoy the tireless testing, the broken builds, and your greatest enemy of all: errors.
Because one day, you’ll realize—
those frustrations were the moments that actually made you better.