I would take the road less traveled and get a degree. You have a much better chance of getting hired for part-time or summer work while in school because you are making a commitment to the field you want to be in. When you invest your own time and money in a career it says a lot about your character and drive. I agree there are plenty of exceptional developers with no formal education but having a degree proves that you started a 3 or 4 year project and saw it through to completion. How is that for real life experience!