He forgot the third option! Learn to program, found a startup, get acquired by Google... I liked reading the nuances, though, it's fascinating that a HS degree has become almost completely worthless by itself.

It always seems, at least anecdotally, that for the tech industry degrees hardly matter at all, in the cases they do it's because it's a company policy to reject all non-degree-holding applicants. Any Bachelors, Masters, or Ph.Ds willing to share their incomes?