Why not make money the way Larry & Sergey or Jobs & Woz did, by creating wealth?
Sadly, I can't disagree with the assessment about studying to become a quant. Odds would be higher if you simply picked up the books and tried to trade yourself. Otherwise you'll likely be sucked up into a big firm and get lost in that mess.
That said, I don't know what the relative odds are vs founding Google or Apple. It seems kind of like wondering which state's lotto to put your money in.
1) Read an overview of how the products and exchanges work like Hull or Wilmott.
2) Read every single post on elitetrader and nuclearphynance, and note links that may be interesting. This'll be confusing, boring, and frustrating because you'll be digging through nearly 100% crap. That's the point: almost all trading concepts and ideas touted are crap. Reading through this stuff will give you a feel for that, maybe give you some ideas, and serve as a helpful guide for your further learning.
3) Go follow-up on the links that still seem interesting.
4) If you make it to this point.. screw it. Email me. If you're good at programming, system administration, or statistical analysis, I'll probably give you a job. Otherwise I'll help you take the next step or get your foot in the door somewhere else.
Why not make money the way David Shaw or Jim Simon or Paul Wilmott did, by adding liquidity to global markets that have modernized economies and provided stable living conditions for communities that came from nothing.
Or you could make fun tech toys for the most privileged 1% of the world.
Of course neither side is that simple, but please don't mistake PG's preaching for the truth.
These people are rare exceptions. I am just not sure if I can invent something so great as they did.
I am also interested in computer security. I would love to create OpenBSD-like user-friendly system and sell only hardware like Apple. But it is so improbable. Masses are not interested in secure system. They want a pretty and easy to use system. So it is really hard to work on things in which you have passion, interest and make big money as well.
My main tendency is to donate research. There are smart people who are short on money. I could pay for their education etc. Creating another Google is hard task, but make money for honest poor student is not so hard. It is quite difficult to make a decision now.
If your smart, can do some programming and are able to think on your feet this is a multi billion dollar industry right in front of you :)