In my opinion college degree is good to have but not required these days as you can quickly learn any new skill online by videos/mooc and become hireable. A degree will help you get your first job.
To further develop your career you will need to do:-
1) Need to build your reputation, It can be on Github, StackOverflow, blogs, or testimonial on LinkedIn, etc.
2) Good understanding of concepts like algorithm, design patterns, etc.
I believe continuous learning is a key success :)