[zacinbusiness]

Like so many others have said, first it depends on what you mean as successful. One thing you need to think about with college is student loan debt. Some can go through without loans but many can not. So you need to not only work hard, but also to network hard so that you can get a good enough job that will allow you to pay back the loans without destroying your standard of living.

Beyond that, college offers many opportunities such as making friendships, meeting people from other countries and having access to vast stores of information and industry professionals. This is something that is difficult to duplicate simply by striking out on your own. Possible, but difficult.

It's true that some people simply don't need to go to college. They are already emotionally and intellectually mature enough to enter the world of business. But you must realize that they are the minority. Not everyone can be Steve Jobs.

Personally, I didn't drop out. But I did take several years off between high school and college. I worked one awesome job until it went out of business. Then I tried freelancing but I just didn't have the technical ability nor the salesmanship to make any money. During undergrad I continued freelancing on and off but I got burned by more clients than I actually got paid by. During my master's though I worked for the university on several great projects and that allowed me to have an awesome resume. Then it pretty much started raining jobs. By the end of my coursework I was working 3 jobs and I ended up killing my 4.0 and graduated with a 3.9 (I may never get over the shame).

Now I am qualified, have a track record of success, and above all else have the confidence to sell myself and my abilities. And I didn't have any of that before college.