[swalsh]

I left college early to start my career. In this market it's pretty easy to "make it" without a degree. However there are things a degree gives you that most people don't think about. Part of this might be because i'm on the East coast where education is a big part of who you are, but I've experienced a huge social stigma. There's an extra burden on you when you don't have a degree. That stigma will impact you professionally, but also socially. You'll want to hang out with people who you view as your peers. The thing is that most of those people went the standard route. I've found the easiest way to cope is to just not bring it up. When it does come up, I've had good friends change the way they talk to you. I'm always straight up with my bosses, but with friends and coworkers it depends.

Secondly, more important then what you learn (though what you learn is important) is the network you build. There's a saying, A players hire A players, B players hire C players and so on. Have you ever wondered who hired the B players? Usually its B players who got lucky. A lot of those B players are like us. You probably want to work with other A players, but they all met in college, and when one goes to a new company the rest of their posse follows. So that recruiter who's getting you a job is probably going to get you into a B role if you're good, but you're not going to be working with people who are at the top of their game. If your goal is to be the best you can be, you need to work with the people who are the best.

4 years is a big part of your life, but trust me. I wish i would have made the full investment. It would have made life easier.