There’s allot of free or affordable online and classes use can use to learn computer languages and programming. Check out CodeAcademy.com. You don’t have to go the traditional Computer Science undergrad route if you don’t want to but you’re going to have to build up your skills to be considered a serious candidate at one of these tech firms. If you want to get a job as a programmer and you are self-taught, then you will need to work extra hard and have great examples to showcase your skills. Build up your skills by developing apps or find people that are looking for help. Consider donating your time to nonprofits that have senior members willing to teach you. Search for organizations that have in-house mentoring programs and talk to them. Reach out to people you admire and ask them to mentor you. Call up some tech recruiters and tell them what you want to do and keep in touch with them. I would hold off on quitting your day job until you get the proper training and experience.

Hi Katerine, I'm doing the same thing, I'm already just about in my Junior year of school for my BS in IT with a concentration in Software Development. I am also hoping to break in to coding and such but I do understand that it may require starting out doing something smaller like a Help Desk job or something until I build up the experience. Even though I have had years of "unofficial" experience in IT, I know looking at my resume all they will see is that I have been in the Legal field for 20 or so years so I need to build up that IT experience through maybe an Internship or entry level job.... so my suggestion to you is try for an Internship or entry level job to start or if you have the time and money go for the degree because just about every job I have seen say you have to have a Bachelor's Degree....