Dropping out of university - trap?

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I haven't been diagnosed with Asperger's, though I'm fairly certain I'm on the spectrum, and I have been diagnosed with ADHD.

I've already more or less made the decision to drop out of my degree program (software engineering). I've been in school for four years now, and I'm only about half finished my degree. Even when medicated for my ADHD, I have an extremely difficult time learning in lecture settings. My school is very heavy on theory which I do poorly with, and our psych services are terrible which doesn't help (our psychiatrists like to blame as much as they can on depression caused by premarital sex, seems very Freudian...).

Because my field is fairly flexible in our ability to work without a degree, especially in web dev which is my preferred specialization, I feel like I should be alright, though I'm still not sure if I'm completely dooming myself. At this point I've been throwing thousands of dollars that isn't mine down the shitter from failing classes, so it seems like the most logical decision. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's made this decision though, so I'm interested in other people's thoughts.

Also, first post, hello community.

Hi Wintermutetower! Welcome to Wrong Planet! Check out the many interesting and helpful forums here. Sorry you've been having trouble in school. Have you considered a vocational school? They give more specific training in the courses students are interested in, and usually include hands on training as part of the curriculum.

You are among friends here at WP!

I've been working in industry long enough that I'm not sure whether it would be necessary to go through a college program at this point. I've had to pay for school myself through loans and part-time work, which definitely doesn't help my performance in school, but I have several years of web dev under my belt at this point. I've thought about maybe going back for some formal graphic design training at some point, but probably not immediately - I think I need some time off to reassess what I can and can't manage, etc. I wasn't diagnosed with ADHD until just this past winter, so for a long time I've been blaming my problems on laziness, depression, etc. I feel like it might help to stop for a while and take inventory of what I really can and can't do, and move forward from there?

Since this is your first post, I assume this must be one of your main issues. I can relate a lot to this as I spent 2 years doing a computer networking course and found the practical side to be enjoyable and tended to get on with it fine, but found the theory difficult to fully grasp. I think its because I have difficulty maintaining focus for a long period of time, and after a while just don't take in a lot of what is being told to me. Also, when it came to having to do an assignment at home, I would feel so worked up and stressed about the work, deadlines etc. I would more often than not avoid dealing with it until the last minute. At least you got offered help though, when I went to college and disclosed my condition I was offered nothing, same with uni (which I quit after 2 months).

Because your field is web development, I would say it is very much possible to do freelance work. A position within a company I'm not so sure, since degrees are increasingly common and expected nowadays. The only thing with freelance is it can be quite difficult to line up clients, unless you are fairly well connected as there are also many people that offer these services. in either case, I would advise that you continue to update your portfolio as much as you can as this can be as good as a CV when it comes to web development. Also, since it appears you are already comfortable with the work, there are different qualifications you can gain which can work out much cheaper than a whole uni course. Some may be in the form of a part time class, some might be completely online. Have a look online at your local universities and find out what qualifications they offer for web development.

Are there any certifications you can get in your field? In computers, certifications can be worth more than degrees at times.

I've looked into the programs at the college offered here for web dev and it doesn't cover anything I haven't already been doing for years in some cases, and I'm not desperate enough yet to even consider getting an A+ certification. At this point, all that's left to cover in my degree are really advanced topics like crypto, network security, etc, which get tied into our more practical skills so loosely that I likely wouldn't be comfortable taking on a lot of responsibility in those topics in the field right out of school anyways.

http://www.computer.org/portal/web/certification/home

I'm an IEEE member, I'm aware of their certifications. They aren't particularly in line with the type of work I typically do.

Since that's the case, it sounds like freelance would be more suited to you. While a degree does look good on paper, I don't think its worthwhile pursuing in your case if your not going to gain much new skills from the course, especially at the cost of tuition. I remember doing a class based on A+ during my first year, why did that come to mind out of curiosity, would IT support be a back up plan? Have you looked much into internships? If a full time position is the way you want to go then that could be a good way to get your foot in the door.

I've dropped out of three colleges and gone through nine majors. I've finally reached the point where I've "given up" on a four-year degree because they're either too broad in what they cover and I lose interest in the courses that I don't see as important, or not within my skill-level, just a passing interest at the time. I'm starting up at a vocational school in the fall to get a certificate in sound engineering, music being the only thing I have remained passionately and intensely interested in for almost two decades.

I'm of the personal opinion that with the economy being the way it is, and knowing people with bachelor's or even master's degrees working minimum wage jobs, a four-year degree is only worth it in certain fields and only if you are truly passionate about that area of study and can't even begin to comprehend doing anything else for the rest of your life.

Also I feel you, I'm currently a Computer Engineering major and am so bored in every single class because I'm self-taught on all the major programming languages, networking, and Unix systems (mainly because I hate paying for things that I can do myself or get for free). Then I get to calculus II and, having a terrible math background, fail hardcore. I'm also older than everyone in all my classes. Just by a few years, but I'm pretty self-conscious about it. Traditional school gives me too many feelings and I wish I'd followed my gut instinct four years ago when I graduated high school; I didn't want to go to college, I wanted to go to sound engineering school.

I changed my major multiple times and may eventually drop out of college. I fear for my future if I decide to do this. College makes life easier and without it your not going to get paid that much.
It's just too much for me. I don't think I have the mental stamina for cOllege. With being on 5 medicines se being sedative it's hard for me to focus memorize and be motivated.

The degree is what bumps you up above those who have the same or better work experience than you do when you're job hunting. Its the sad truth

Yep. Degrees are useful, up to a certain amount of money. If you're taking out $100,000 in loans to be a web developer or something, then obviously, no, it's unlikely worth that kind of cash.

How long have you been working in the industry? A few years isn't "long enough" if that's all. You're competing with people who have degrees, big name former clients, and an impressive portfolio.

What programming languages do you know, and how well?

What apps do you have in your portfolio?

Graphic design generally pays less than app development.

You don't need formal graphic design training to be a backend programmer. Backend programmers generally make more than user-interface, front-end designers anyway.

A degree might not be necessary (though preferable), but training is. How about a development certificate from some company? Dev classes at some non-traditional school?

Colleges can't always keep up with the times of coding languages. Sometimes training from companies and certificate programs are good enough in that field.