[peterwwillis]

> No college life: you will be missing on the college experience. This one is a big one.

This is the biggest one.

After dropping out of high school, I never attended another school. The amount of socialization and long-lasting human connections that I missed out on is incalculable. Not to mention exposure to different subject matter. Macintosh had great fonts because Jobs took a calligraphy course on a whim. You might discover a hidden passion for entomological forensics. You might join a friend for a gap year trip, meet an amazing person, get married, move to Spain, get divorced 3 years later, become an accountant. Or experience the rush of unity and purpose from joining your classmates at a protest march. Or attend your dorm mate's band in some dinky basement and fall in love with beatboxing to electro swing. Screw education; go to college to wade hip deep into new experiences.

$40K to be totally immersed in innumerabile possibilities that will effect the next 80 years of your life? Compared to ~$15K for an economy car, or ~$250K for a house? Sounds worth it to me.

...that said, if you have economic hardships, self-study is completely feasible, and you can have a great career with no degree. It will still take you years to really get going, but it can work.