I can't believe this thread is still going on. Here's my reaction to the last 30 pages of posts ...
To the guys who succeeded without a degree, what are the chances that some stranger on a messageboard you are giving advice to is as motivated/talented/smart and lucky as you are? I really think your advice only applies to a very small part of the population.
If you have found a path that does not require college or really know it is not for you, don't go, but I don't think that is the OPs situation. For MOST people who can go to college and have not figured out what they want to do at an unusually young age college is the best choice.
My take on college is that it is both a consumption good and an option. Most of us don't know if the option will ever come into the money for many years. The payoff might come from what you learned, who you met, or a just a line on your resume but you usually have no clue which until much later. The option premium is the time and effort you put in (the actual tuition should not matter for most). If you don't have anything great in the works then the cost of your time is low. The option vol is how uncertain you are about your future - high uncertainty makes college worth more. Price this option for your average 18 year old and it looks pretty good.
I definitely struggled with the corporate drone thing too, but college followed by a corporate job when you are young does not sentence you to that for life. You can learn a lot from the right corporate job that you can use for yourself later. And the corporate bs is a lot less painful when you are just providing a service in exchange for money and experience instead of trying to make it to the top.
And finally I would argue that college is a place you can pick up tools that will help your trading. Not the only place but if you are there anyway look around and you might be surprised.
To the guys who succeeded without a degree, what are the chances that some stranger on a messageboard you are giving advice to is as motivated/talented/smart and lucky as you are? I really think your advice only applies to a very small part of the population.
If you have found a path that does not require college or really know it is not for you, don't go, but I don't think that is the OPs situation. For MOST people who can go to college and have not figured out what they want to do at an unusually young age college is the best choice.
My take on college is that it is both a consumption good and an option. Most of us don't know if the option will ever come into the money for many years. The payoff might come from what you learned, who you met, or a just a line on your resume but you usually have no clue which until much later. The option premium is the time and effort you put in (the actual tuition should not matter for most). If you don't have anything great in the works then the cost of your time is low. The option vol is how uncertain you are about your future - high uncertainty makes college worth more. Price this option for your average 18 year old and it looks pretty good.
I definitely struggled with the corporate drone thing too, but college followed by a corporate job when you are young does not sentence you to that for life. You can learn a lot from the right corporate job that you can use for yourself later. And the corporate bs is a lot less painful when you are just providing a service in exchange for money and experience instead of trying to make it to the top.
And finally I would argue that college is a place you can pick up tools that will help your trading. Not the only place but if you are there anyway look around and you might be surprised.