> I went to a 4-year college, but earned almost all of my money from self-taught programming and design skills.
College has other benefits like signalling and networking though.
College has other benefits like signalling and networking though.
Most fields are not so competitive that you need a degree from an A-list school simply to get your foot into the door.
But you will need to get your foot into the door. Several or perhaps many doors throughout your career. Your network, even if it is not a blue-chip list of Ivy League studs and studettes, can help greatly. Particularly with your first position.
I went to a rather unprestiguous school thousands of miles away from Silicon Valley and the network I established before graduation has directly and indirectly resulted in a lot of work for me over the years.
Anecdotal, sure, but I've heard enough similar stories to be sure that this is a commonplace experience. Not that I need to prove anything. The burden of proof rests with anybody who makes a statement like yours.
Even if the networking one does at $SOME_UNIMPRESSIVE_SCHOOL results in only a few thousand dollars per year over what one would have earned sans networking, over the course of one's working life that can easily equal the cost of a college education.
1 year of working in Silicon Valley got me dozens of quality connections that turned into meaningful long-term projects.