Self Taught software engineering in 2025/2026

Hey guys, I've seen many people on Reddit discouraging many from anything other that a CS degree. My background is medical, so I have no idea if this is reliable. I'm about to graduate in august as an MLT. My goal with learning to program is to start a side hustle in programming and possibly replacing my career all together. Since I have a medical degree, I'll always have something to fall back on, but I really wanted to know if it was actually possible to get a software engineering job without a CS degree. I have no issues taking my time and starting low. This is something I would like to take my time with and build from the ground up. Thanks!