| Go to college. I had the same thoughts as you in high school. Here's why: 1. You're most likely incompetent. Don't take this personally. In HS, I thought I was amazing and a genius too. It took college to make me realize that there were a lot of smart people out there. I was the top 1% of the top 1% of my HS. And I'm definitely not even in the top 1% of my university. 2. You think you're a quick learner and a hard worker. Most people think they're quick learners and nobody likes to think they're lazy. Guess what, most people are actually average. I thought I was a quick learner in HS. I got to college and I realized that I'm pretty average. And in terms of hard work, I don't sleep in the library and take the 8 hardest courses the university has to offer in the same semester. So no, I don't even compare in "hard work ethic" to some of my friends. 2. You have a lot of theory to learn that will make you a better programmer and school is the right place to learn it. Yes you can learn it on your own. The majority of people think they can and some claim they do. 99% of them are kidding themselves and actually don't. 3. If you're at a university that pushes you (my experience is with CMU) you'll work harder than you ever thought possible. This just isn't something you'd do on your own because normally you couldn't fathom that this much work was possible. 4. You'll meet friends and professors who are much smarter than you and will be valuable friends along the way. You'll learn from them and improve yourself. I don't mean to be mean, and take this with a grain of salt because maybe you are accomplished enough to not need college. Just take this as a warning to do a reality check, and then make sure your frame of reference is realistic. ;) |
College is hard for a reason. It'll make you better.