@davetapson: There is so much wrong with this post. Firstly, what's right: plenty of people have done very well without any qualifications, or just a programming course, or "just" a diploma or just an "undergrad", etc. - not having one does not preclude determined individuals from success.
What's wrong:
This entirely subjective, what may be fine to you, may not be fine for others. Also, even if you have met and exceeded most of other people's subjective expectations of success, you are still just one sample - there is no reason to believe that because it worked for you, that this is the best way for others to
maximumize their probability of success.
In terms of "taking 3 years out of life": A) Degrees and diplomas can be done via correspondence, B) it's not as though those 3 years are taken - where have they gone? Do you mean that you can't work? See (A) if you have to, but living like a poort student and studying 3 years in order to improve your lot over the next 40 years is a fairly smart thing to do.
The advantage of doing courses as opposed to university is that they should have you ready to work from the get go, not something you can necessarily say of your average student "
Firstly, the "get go" is approximately 1.25% of your career, don't optimize for it. Secondly, even then it depends enitrely on the type of work you will be doing, there are plenty of jobs (usually the better ones as the recruitment dev pointed out) that just aren't accessible without the expertise you've gained in your degree (or a hell of a lot of self study, but even then your CV can be tossed out of the pile without the degree certificate).
(yes, I have a degree, I can say this.)
You said that you had "just" done a course, and now you say you've got a degree? Is the degree in a non-CS/IS subject or something? If it is, then it is still way more than "just" a certificate from an employer's perspective. Also, no, having a degree does not mean that you can make generalized claims like this - programming courses and programming course students come in all sorts, as with university courses and university students - the latter is generally a lot more respected however.
To the OP: As suggested, your friend may want to get a programming book to see if he/she has an interest in it. To take it further, a CS/IS BSc degree is by far the best option (pref. to honours level or MSc (if can be done in 2 years)), followed shortly by a national diploma/BT.ech, and then the various short programming courses and certificates quite a way after that. Pair this will with a good deal of self study and pratice as well, and your friend should be set.
