[mayank]

I don't think it's sad at all. People seem to forget that college can be about more than career advancement.

In this case, he clearly doesn't need a degree to be gainfully employed. Chances are that he's a pretty intelligent kid with other interests. If he puts 3-4 years into startups, not only will he probably be able to pay his own way through college, but will be at a point in life to appreciate the learning options a lot more (I can attest to this having taught many "older" undergraduates).

Maybe he'll develop an interest in advanced algorithms, or number theory, or neuroscience, or literature. At 19, there are a lot of possibilities in life, and college is a great way to be exposed to them, as well as people with passions in other fields.

[ryanwaggoner]

Sorry, but it's definitely sad if your parents are more hung up on some external arbitrary stamp of approval than on your own true achievements and passion for how you spend your time. Especially if it's to the point that they won't speak to you? That's pathetic.

How ridiculous would it be if Bill Gates or Steve Jobs parents still refused to speak to them because they had dropped out of school, despite creating two of the world's most powerful companies, employing hundreds of thousands of professionals, and making hundreds of millions of lives better every single day?

[mayank]

That was my point--why do you assume it's an arbitrary stamp of approval to his parents, and not the reason I mentioned? Anyway, the author's comment above seems to support my point.