Colleges Online Courses of Distance Education Degree Programs

Hi. I am trying to obtain a first position as a programmer. I used C, mysql, linux shell scripting, etc in my graduate coursework, (computational chemistry) and I have been trying to obtain a programming position. I don’t want to go back to school to get a programming degree if I don’t have to do that. I previously held a CCNA and have taken a computer upgrading/repairing course (like A+), but I still can’t get a job in this field.

The question is; Does anyone think I would be able to obtain a position as a programmer if I took a series of continuing ed courses (available online) through our local community college. I was considering taking Java 1, Java 2, MySql 1, MySql 2, and maybe one more. What do you think’ Would it substitute for an associate’s degree since I already have some degrees in a similar field anyway’ I can’t get a job in my field and I can’t get a job in programming without actual programming experience.