Hey Jeph_192 and welcome to the forums.
If you want to develop games, the biggest thing you'll need is a portfolio and maybe some people in the industry that can vouch for you (like any other kind of networking).
If you want to become a good games programmer then I'd recommend if you don't have programming experience already, to go to university and get a double degree in math and computer science.
You will need both and I don't say that lightly if you are going to get through a modern game design project.
The thing is that 3D is standard, and everything is getting super-complex with super big asset requirements, with larger development times, and you will need to know a lot about everything.
You also need to have good communication skills and it's a lot better to go to uni and get told your communication skills suck and then fix them than get out into the world and be told by your boss.
My advice is to do the university degree, keep up with the work, do a portfolio on the side while you do the degree and then start looking.
If you are doing a portfolio, work with an engine with some level of complexity (i.e. more complex than not) and then modify it to do something unique that stands out.
This is because this is what happens: you get an engine that has been developed over time for a wide range of things and you need to pick it up quickly and get developing ASAP.
If you haven't actually programmed, then I will say emphatically that you should program for a couple of years before making a decision: programming is a consuming job and if it consumes you before you consume it, then it's a good idea to know earlier than later.