[maheroku]

I personally think it depends and here is why:

For me University was my biggest mistake ever and if I could turn the clock around, I would not go to university. It took my most energetic and creative years and put them into useless work. I spent 6 years in University because I started in a terrible one and had to leave and go to Canada to get better education and still I think the University that I went to was terrible and ended up eating all my money, energy and time for a completely useless degree that no one even cares about. My degree was in Software Engineering and I believe if it was something else, it would have been 10 times worse. Maybe I could have used University to build a great Network but due to my introvert nature, I don't think I have succeeded and besides the city where I was in had an ok network.

So all that to say that it depends in my opinion: If you are an introvert and your goal is to be a doctor, a lawyer, a physicist or a researcher or anything similar then University is a great choice. If you are however an introvert and only care about making cool stuffs then be prepared that school will take most of your time and energy and put it into something that has no value or meaning. If you are an extrovert and your goal is to be an entrepreneur then take a major that doesn’t require much work and spend your time building networks and making stuffs.

That’s the way I see it, I may be wrong but my personal life experience has led me to believe that.

[pcthrowaway]

University was a pretty big waste of 8 years for me as well.. Some people are just better at learning on their own, and with the number of online resources available, many of them from top-tier universities providing better instruction that you are likely to get at a lower-tier university, I don't think university is the right choice for many aspiring software developers.

[bdamm]

I just don't understand you guys - I'm an introvert, and University exposed me to concepts and ideas I NEVER would have sought out on my own. And through that process I was introduced to people I NEVER would have met otherwise. Would I have met people just as awesome as the people I did meet, if I didn't go to school? Maybe, but judging from my friends in high school who didn't take "The Path", I think the answer is no.

I never would have written an OS kernel, I never would have built an ALU (and gained the deeper understanding of computer architecture as a result.) I never would have learned anything about AI.

Can I do those things, without going to school? Yes, absolutely. But I wouldn't have done it, and that's the point. Would I have met awesome mentors without university? Maybe, but maybe not. And the best part is I didn't even have to go out of my way to try and force it to happen. Going to university, it just happened because of who I am (a geek, smart, and a person who cares about good results.) It didn't matter that I was socially awkward, my work spoke for itself and others came to me.

Graduate work is something I never continued on to; once having my bachelor's, I went ahead and charged into Industry. And I'm totally, 100% OK with that choice.

So it makes me wonder - what were you doing for 8 years?