You should probably specify that you live in the UK since this kind of thing varies a lot from place to place
#How meritocratic is graphics programming?
dark ravine
Graphics is an intense discipline though so in the US anyways it's probably less likely than average to accept people without degrees
Especially in this job market
brittle gazelle
I'd recommend getting a degree, but if you have a solid work history you might not need it. Really depends on the company
dark ravine
Nothing is impossible especially if you're experienced
drifting kelp
If you can provide a portfolio then you can probably get an entry level role somewhere but possibly not actually in GP (coder roles at gamedevs often start you out a long way from GP).
From there, you can show talent and aim for what you want.
dark ravine
Idk if there's any one path to graphics as it's an uncommon job that doesn't really have a cohesive ecosystem apart from maybe in the games industry
drifting kelp
But the portfolio of work needs to show your independent skills, because the likes of MS, EA etc are going to need a reason to interview you.
dark ravine
Afaik there aren't really entry-level graphics jobs in general since it's a pretty intense discipline that requires a lot of domain knowledge so typically people work their way into it at first unless they have an extensive project or educational history in it
drifting kelp
It's not fast but if you do some years as an indie you'll get to do GP faster (but at very dubious pay often) and then can leverage that into mainstream industry applications.
Lots of people here working on passion projects in their spare time. That can go a long way (goes even further if you join an indie group and ship something commercially).