Hi David, awesome name you have there, LOL!

1) Luckily, in my field, folks who hire IT or recognize that they need IT are starting to look less at degrees and more at personal resumes that include projects, freelance or client-wise. It's pretty amazing - people in a position to hire know that lots of folks learn to code and learn "the internets" more from home than from any college, and so we're seeing a shift of how hiring is done (but only in this field, as far as I know, that wouldn't fly if you were applying for a job at a hospital, LOL!). With that said, I have that same mindset - I don't mind if someone applies without an degree, but I don't mind if someone does either. If I hypothetically had the same applicant, I would most likely choose the one with the degree.

2) I've been super disappointed in the innovation that Microsoft has been trying to implement - I agree that they should be working on streamlining the feel and environment across all of their devices and operating systems - that was a good idea, but what they did with 8 was a functional mess. I haven't spent much time looking at anything newer since then. I do remember walking into a Windows store about a year ago and seeing an almost outright copy of an Apple store, which led me to lose a little more respect for them, or at least, my fandom. That's a whole other story LOL.

3) Helped me the most? Supportive wife aside, I would say that my constant need to be a work-a-holic has led me on a good path, I have a knack for wanting to improve and create, and so work is far less boring for me than it should be. You'll usually find me behind a computer during holidays, weekends and family events, through that's probably not the best thing to strive for! From one developer to another, keep up the search, you'll find something - remain creative and don't be afraid to stand out when you apply for a job.

Hopefully I answered your questions well, thanks for asking them!

David.