Can you really be a Software Engineer without a degree? Developer, yes, but the term "engineer" has a certain level of professionalism associated with it that an autodidact computer programmer wouldn't necessarily have.

For point of reference, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Ring#The_Ritual_of_the_Cal...

> It is a symbol that reflects the moral, ethical and professional commitment made by the engineer who wears the ring.

I'm not an engineer myself and I wouldn't presume to call myself one unless I'd gone through the engineering training.

Am I being too pedantic?