My second job was at my local newspaper. Started, I think, when I was 19. I lasted five years. I had html, css, js, and php under my belt at that time too. I was and still am a generalist. I think the current term is Full-Stack Developer though.<p>You should get more experience with other backend languages. Try Python, Ruby, and something slightly exotic like Rust or Scala or Elixir. If you&#x27;ve been there for ten years you&#x27;ve probably gotten comfortable in your stack and your code. Start reading more code. Push yourself to learn something. Get your github up and churning. Contribute to some OSS projects.<p>You&#x27;ve got experience with highly dynamic websites. That puts you head and shoulders above people that only have experience building landing pages or small business sites. It&#x27;s a whole different beast to build something that has to respond to a random bit of content flowing into a page and all that entails. You&#x27;ve worked with some of the most set in their ways people on the planet, journalists at a local newspaper.<p>I&#x27;m 35 now and I&#x27;ve stayed, mostly, in the content space since I started at the paper. That&#x27;s my niche, rather than focusing on a language or front&#x2F;backend discipline I focused on content. I&#x27;ve had four jobs since working at the paper and I still remember those days as some of the longest days and most fun I&#x27;ve ever had. I&#x27;m now making over three times what I made at the paper when I left too.<p>You can do this but you&#x27;re going to have to work for it.<p>Edit: I don&#x27;t have a degree either.