Do realize, that even if it is harder, this is only initially. Once you have 3-4 years of experience in the field, the CS degree (or lack thereof) is irrelevant. I've had, on more than one occasion, bosses be surprised that I didn't have a degree when it came up, long after hiring me. No degree is mentioned on my resume and it never comes up in interviews-- in fact, it the last time anyone mentioned it was when I only had 2 years of experience, but I spent 2 years at my first job so it was no big deal.

The candidates I'm seeing with CS degrees are not really benefiting from that money. They still need a couple years in entry level positions to be useful. This will be the same for you... though you can start 4 years eariler than them.

Or put another way, if you just graduated from high school, if you go get a programming job-- any programmign job-- after 4 years you'll be a veteran and you'll be able to get higher level jobs than someone who goes to college and then, 4 years later, is getting entry level jobs.

The only situation this doesn't work is elitist institutions (like google) which have snobby hiring practices.

Alas, the lack of a CS degree doesn't stop google recruiters from constantly hounding me. (Each time I tell one I'm not interested, they wont' take "no" for an answer, but then when they go away a few months later a different one contacts me.)

Frankly, any company that won't hire you because you lack a degree, is a company not worth working for... because they have supplanted process and procedure for thinking.

Once you have enough confidence in your abilities to realize that, you'll stop worrying about it.