I do, however, regret various choices made in regards to my living situation and classes. I would've never taken 3 years worth of classes in less than 2... it's killed my GPA and stressed me out massively.
I hear ya. I applied to MIT and didn't get in... and glad I didn't now. I have a friend who made it in. He said he wanted to be an economics major, and of course they never get people who want to go to MIT to study economics, so he gets in with a less impressive resume than I've got. Last I heard he had switched to computer science. I'm not willing to play that game.
But yeah, I did the same thing... took 3 years of classes in less than 2, and now my GPA slid under a 3.0 so I lost my scholarship and have to transfer to somewhere else. But I have to work for awhile first because I'm out of cash and don't want to take out college loans.
And no, I'm not looking for pity. I don't like school and am glad to be out for the time being. Plus, I know far too many graduates with my degree program who are struggling to get jobs because they don't have any work experience. At this point, I'm figuring it's more valuable to have work experience and a security clearance, maybe a few certifications, than it is to have a degree, although a degree is still important and I'm sure I'll complete mine eventually. Just don't have the stress of "oh no, let's get this done in four years" BS. Screw that.
My employer told me, though, that it didn't matter where I went to school. They look for a degree; they don't care whether it says MIT or Colorado Fan Club College. It's just a piece of paper that some people says will give you value as an employee. I'm just trying to figure out it it will give me enough extra value to justify the extra time jumping through hoops, because I never really learned anything of value in my classes that I couldn't have learned faster on my own.
I'm not saying college is worthless. It has a lot of value to people suited for it. If you're learning stuff in college, great... college is doing what it's supposed to. But if you're like me, the type who only takes classes because they're required for the degree, then you're just jumping through the hoops needed to get through the system. If you pick up a thing or two along the way, great, but ultimately you're just catering to a preset system's rules and regulations, and it probably won't amount to squat later on. I have that to say about most of my "formal" education after the sixth grade.
Oh, and by the way, Elemental, the financial burden is *not* the reason to skip MIT. If you get accepted and think you can make it, and you're the kind of person who actually learns in a formal education situation, and if you're not to prideful to ask for help, then by all means... go. Most employers who recruit from Ivy League schools expect to cover college loans. And, Elemental, if you go to MIT and are locked in your dorm room for 4 years, you won't make it. Getting through MIT -- just ask an MIT student this -- requires you to work with other people. You learn in your first month that you can't do it all on your own. The program is designed to do that.
But your point is well-taken. Your technical future is in no way dependent upon acceptance to an Ivy League university. Or any university at all, for that matter. To be honest, I'm darn near close to giving up on the whole system. I think it's flawed.
17.5% VAT! But we don't need *medical insurance* and stuff ont he NHS is alright so its all offset by that I guess.
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