It's not how old you are, it's how good you are (Score 1)

I am 54 and still writing code for a living. I know a guy who just retired at 75. He was still good because he never stopped learning. I doesn't matter how old you are, it's how good you are. Instead of thinking in terms of putting in 4 years for a degree consider spending the rest of your life educating yourself. That is what it takes to make it as a software engineer. The game never stops so you have to keep up. This is like surfing not swimming. If you tread water then you'll miss the wave.