[samuellb]

I learned to program myself and did some small-scale freelancing as a web developer while in high school. But after that I went to university because I felt it would be easier to get a job with an academic education, and also because it's free in my country.

If I had to pay I'd probably not have applied. IMHO you can learn pretty much everything by reading Wikipedia and other free sites, as long as you're able to stay focused. On the other hand, you'll get to know like-minded people in university, and many people find their first job through their fellow students. So there's definitely a social aspect to it as you say.