[marcinzm]

Top schools (MIT, Stanford, etc.) have generous financial aid packages if you can get in. They'll provide you a well rounded technical education which sometimes is hard to achieve/force one-self to do when self-teaching. Networking should also not be understated since it pays off hidden dividends down the line. In five years fewer will care you went to MIT but if it helped you get a Facebook internship that then helped you get a Google offer that then helped you get a great startup offer it's still helping you indirectly. Right now having no college degree also prevents you from getting certain jobs or makes it much harder.