I started college in 1991, but have not, as of yet, finished (I am close). I started as a Mech Eng major, but switched to MIS, and that’s where I have stayed. A couple lucky breaks and some hard work later, I am a DBA for a fairly well-known company in the financial world, and make a pretty decent living…probably in the top 85 - 90% of wage earners.
How do you do that? In Spain it’s not possible… different college/mayor combinations require different previous degrees but there aren’t any that would accept a student who hadn’t finished HS (“regular” or “vocational”).
I went to school in '93, majoring in Mechanical/Aerospace engineering. By '97 I had “dropped out” without finishing, due to a variety of factors (finances, poor study skills, procrastination, etc.).
Not getting the degree didn’t change the fact that I have an aptitude for technical knowledge. I’ve always had a natural ability to explain things and a strong background in writing. Today, I’m a technical writer for a software company and doing doing quite well.
I still plan to finish my degree in engineering, hopefully starting next year.
I tried to go to college right out of high school. I did amazingly poorly. I then went into the USAF as a programmer, talked my way into training as a UNIX Admin. I work mostly as hired gun doing High-Availability implementations, work that is fun, challenging, and pays well.
I am going to school these days, but I am not pursuing any type of degree that I would use professionally. I find that it is much easier to learn for the sake of learning than it was when I felt that my education determined my destiny.
Nava - I don’t know how she got around it, except that the HS principal stated that she really needed more than they could give her and they let her in. It would be more difficult these days, I think, although even now I know HS kids who are taking college courses simultaneously. Those classes count toward their total credit hours.
StG
I’d like to think my SO and I are doing fairly well and neither of us have a degree. My career path was derailed for a while by illness but I’m getting back into it. I restarted my career about 3 years ago and am in insurance sales making good money with a nice career path opening up. My SO is 25 and makes more than I do. He has been in collections for 6 years and makes a very good living. He is starting to consider trying to move into management, even though it would probably mean a pay cut.
We’re far from a cover page worthy success story, but we rely on no one but ourselves, put away money for the future, are able to help our families when they need it and while we don’t live in luxury we have a very comfortable middle class life. All in all, life is pretty good.
Generally, you are doing “both” at the same time. In my case I’d had enough credits to graduate, but we didn’t do mid year graduations, so I started college before I “finished” high school, but I wasn’t going to high school anyway. More commonly, you go to college on top of going to high school - getting high school credits in addition to college credits for your coursework. Occationally, you do what I did - get accepted to college “provisionally” - but skip the other peice of what I did, which was actually get a high school diploma. Many colleges wouldn’t care, once you are in, if you are performing, they don’t care if you have a high school degree. Another option is to get a GED (Graduate Equivlency Degree) - take a test that says you have equivlent knowledge. They aren’t difficult. There are probably other ways to get into college without bothering to finish high school, but those are the ones I know about.
Finished high school - didn’t go to college. I did ok. I do adminstrative/secretarial/office manager kinds of things - I make a pretty decent buck but it’s still really tough - husband’s work has been s-l-o-w this year so we struggle. I’m going to college right now cause work is paying for it - t’s not like I’m trying to get a life or anything.
Let’s see… I got kicked out of high school during my senior year (due to family problems- the problem was that I was moving out of my uncle’s house, and he went to church with the principal of the high school). I’d never had great grades in school, anyway- I always aced the tests, but I never did the homework, seeing as how I was totally lazy.
I eventually got my GED several years later, when I attempted to go to college. I had to work fulltime while attending, however, so I had a hard time staying motivated to stay in school. I ended up dropping out a year later.
So… a GED, and no degree.
I’d always been artistically inclined, but had always been told, by my family, that “Art’s a good hobby, but you’ll never make a living at it”. After a a whileI started to believe them. So… I didn’t even try.
I delivered a lot of pizza. I eventually got into data entry, which I then parlayed into a system administrator/ database designer position. I then moved over into tech support… and then wheedled my way into producing art for video games.
Eventually I moved up into an Art Director position. Lately I’ve taken a step backwards, to specialize- now I do special effects for video games.
I’m making about $90k/year, plus bonuses. I love my job. Oh, and I make more than anyone else in my family, which is nice.
I had to leave town and high school in Grade 12, so I never finished it. At the time, I was still planning to be in the music business. So I did the starving artist scene for 20 years, give or take, and worked in radio, my second love. A degree isn’t required for playing music live or on the radio, so it hasn’t hindered me.
I taught myself digital editing, and it helped to get me this job. I’ve worked my way up to Broadcast Specialist here at the radio station. I’m a State employee for life now. I’ve never made more money than at this job, and I’ve never had job security before. I might be the only person in the building who doesn’t have a degree. It’s never come up at any time, so I don’t expect it to be a problem in the future.
I would have no problem with journalists going to get degrees in other fields such as politics, economics, or public health, but getting a degree in Journalism seems like quite the waste of time. My boss put it the best way - you get a rookie Journalism graduate on your newsstaff, you’re going to have to break them down and essentially re-train them. College education in a lot of “real-world” style jobs, such as Journalism (or stage technology, which is my other job) tend to screw you up more than help you out because they teach the theory and theory is rarely what is actually in practice in the real-world application of your degree. It’s quite a bit different with a job like that of a lawyer, a teacher, or a doctor; when it comes to journalism or stagework, a degree generally hinders you more than helps (this does not apply, IMO, to some of the trickier parts of the industry; if you’re an editor you should, in my opinion, at least have a degree in English or Journalism, or 20 years of practical journalism under your belt; if you’re the Sound Manager for a band, you should probably have a sound engineering degree, or 20 years of experience under your belt).
As for me, I want to report on technology. So I’d love the chance to go to school and take some tech classes. But hell, I’d love to go to school to learn to fly planes, too. I want to go to school to learn about things that I enjoy, not to persue a degree in journalism, which I’m already doing.
~Tasha
Dropped out of college and joined the army. After four years I left active duty (still in part time) got my associates degree and joined the cubicle world. A few years later I left that deadend when I got hired as a police officer. Within 5 years I was making more than 3 times what I was making as an office worker. I am doing quite well and I have not been shot at yet.
I graduated high school in 1992. Went to college for a year & promptly drank myself out of that. Education is wasted on the young…
Anyway, from there I joined the US Air Force. After 4 years of that I got out & have held a few jobs in the computer industry. I’ve been with the same company for the last 6 years, making six digits for the last 3 or 4 of them. I would like to go back & get a degree, I’ve opened a thread or two about it. But my kids are only young once & I’d have to sacrifice time with them to go to school. So, maybe when they’re older I’ll pursue a degree again.
After I graduated HS in 1991, I didn’t even really consider college as an option for me. I dove right into graphic arts immediately after. It was kind of serendipitous, because at the time, everything was moving over to desktop computers. I just naturally took to it, while all the old-schoolers floundered. I’m all self taught now, and I’m pretty damn good. 
I have a good, steady, fun job and I also moonlight as a freelancer, doing everything from higher-end print design, to full on CG character animation for movies and other visual effects. It’s pretty much what I wanted to do when i was a youngin’, but I always have new goals and challenges I’m trying to break through. And judging from the skill levels I see in new recruits fresh out of art school, I don’t feel in ANY way that going to college or art school would have helped me. In fact, it may have been an impediment and a waste of money.
I’ve never even applied to a college. I think I’ve done okay, regardless. I’ve held some great, supposedly degree-requiring positions (and no, I didn’t lie about having one), and now run my own business. Would a degree have paved the way a little more? Probably, but I don’t think it’s actually hindered me in my pursuit of doing what I want to do.
No degree here. I Dropped out of college after 2 years. Got hired by Pacific Bell as a file clerk, got promoted and trained over the course of 24 years. Ended up as a long-term anaylst in a Network Ops Center. So, I say I fared okay.
High school, two years of part-time university in the general direction of a journalism degree, part of a technical writing course some years later. I’ve never hidden my lack of a degree from anyone, and in the oilfield service line I’m involved in, performance matters more than credentials.
I’ve worked for the company since the early '80s, with a gap of a few years in between. Currently my job is split among training instructor (mainly engineering and safety topics), recruiter and local HSE co-ordinator. I’m being paid about 10% below the median for the sort of jobs I’m doing, but it appears that there will some adjustment in the coming year, and it’s a pretty good outift to work for overall.
I started college out of HS, but didn’t even make it through the 1st year. I joined the Air Force and they trained me in communications electronics. I spent 14 years in but got out when I got sick of being management.
I’ve been out 6 years now and am a high level tech in a Network Operations Center. I’m in line for an engineer position. I don’t think all that many people in telecom have degrees. It’s more of a practical experience kind of job.
I have degrees but none have helped me figure out what the thread linked to has to do with the education or intelligence of Dopers. Could somebody please explain?
Bizzare. Here’s the correct link: Things that dopers overstate - In My Humble Opinion - Straight Dope Message Board