So write code! You don't need to work at Amazon or Google to be a software engineer. I've been independent my whole career and I'm working on multiple things that aren't mired in bureaucratic nonsense. The more code you write on your terms the more you can understand how long things take. You can identify opportunities and build or improve on them.

Edit, from another HN post about Tim Cook saying you don't need a degree: Cook also added that about half of Apple's US employment last year was made up of people who did not have a four-year degree.