Beez got serious there for a minute and gave some solid advice a smart reader will learn from.

I'm a Lk Stevens High Grad and Western Washington 1st Qtr dropout - now making over a quarter mill. I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time and have been able to ride the leading edge of technology and innovation - creating things later taught in school.

That IS NOT a recipe for career success - something I had to hammer home with my kids as they considered education. I've hired hundreds of people and a college degree has always been a requirement for the positions I've created and hired into. Not so much for the knowledge gained (To Beez's point) but to demonstrate the ability to learn, commitment, and to show the ability to apply knowledge in a meaningful way.

That does not mean, as an adult, you have to give up because you don't have the time to go to 4+ years of full-time college -- although many have done that. A trade cert, series of coding classes with meaningful application, etc. can greatly increase your odds of a good career and higher earnings.

And you're never too old to learn. In my career if I stop learning I'm toast and I'm 55.

Good luck and go West young men!!