[icelancer]

I am a college dropout and was recently a self-taught software developer in a mid-high position (earning in the six figures just four years after teaching myself my first line of PHP), but if you are looking for validation, you are committing the grave error of confirmation bias.

It is true that my professional life would be considered successful by many (I lead a very niche field of research now) and that I dropped out of undergraduate school (while on a full scholarship + stipend no less), but not a day goes by that I don't wish I had finished some of my classes and taken it a bit more seriously, even though I full well know I made the right decision to drop out for mental/psychological health reasons.

If you are having trouble in school due to life issues, find a professional who can help guide you. Doesn't have to be a psychiatrist; find a mentor. I wish I had done so earlier in my life.

Just because dropouts do succeed doesn't mean it's the right path for everyone. And this comes from someone who is very anti-academic.

[actsasbuffoon]

> if you are looking for validation, you are committing the grave error of confirmation bias.

That's an excellent point. Most of the people here are gainfully employed as developers, or in some tech-adjacent role. There probably aren't many people here who tried it, decided it wasn't working, and went back to school to become a doctor.

That doesn't mean those people don't exist, but you're not likely to find them on HN.