I have reached a point in the very middle of my undergraduate studies. I currently have 58 credit hours, and most of them are general education credits. I am wondering if it is necessary to have a bachelor's degree in computer science to become a software engineer and web developer. If it is not, then I plan on transferring to a community college and earning an Associate in Applied Science degree in computer science. After which, I want to earn certificates in web development and network administration, and eventually become A+ and Network+ certified. This will open up more job opportunities aside from software development, such as IT specialist, etc., and I could be a software engineer/web developer along with that.

One of the reasons I want to do this is because it will be cheaper in the long run, as I will owe a lot less in student loans. It will also be cheaper in the short run, since I won't be wasting as much gas driving 26 miles to Chicago when I can just drive 4 miles to the community college.

Some jobs may require a minimum of a B.S. degree for software engineering. But I know of many software engineers who didn't even finish college and have no degrees or certificates, but rather learned how to develop software on their own.