Want to get a degree but can't get into school

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Can anybody give me sound advice on this? I am in a depressing situation with regards to education. I want to work in a field dealing with artificial intelligence and robotics and other interesting topics but because I look really bad on paper. I can't get back into college.
The last semester I was in college (2001, never graduated, you'll see why), I was doing fine in my classes, but when my final exam for a CS class rolled around I showed up for the exam (on time for the first time) and the room was totally empty. Later I found out that the prof had decided to do the final exam in a different building, and had indicated this on the syllabus he gave us at the beginning of the semester. (!) Of course, I had lost the syllabus within minutes probably of it being given to me. I frantically called up the professor and asked what was going on. He said, 'Oh, we're in building X, didn't you read the syllabus? There's 30 minutes of test time left (out of 2 hours), if you show up now you might still pass' Now, was I now going walk into a room full of kids writing in their blue books and have them all turn around and stare at me and snicker once again at the wierd kid who rocked in his chair? I couldn't do it. So I failed the class. I became depressed and dropped out of school. Nobody had ever heard of AS back then including me, I thought I was just the most useless and ret*d f**kup in the world.
Thing is, now it's several years later, and I really want to graduate and go on to grad school because I'd rather kill myself than spend my life writing microsoft great plains accounting reports which is what I've been doing. I'm considering just buying the books or studying online. I've heard that you can just go to classes free for no credit, -which is incredible since you'd think everyone would just go for free. But I guess the reason they don't is because of the social contract, the piece of paper that seems to mean more than what you actually know. So that would probably not help me. Anyhow I wouldn't know how to explain myself if someone asked why I was there.
So now I have a paper trail which makes me unemployable for anything other than really soul crushing accounting stuff which is not my 'special interest' and I can't do it for too long, I end up quitting after I've saved up enough money to last for a while. Also apparently employers routinely throw out applications that have many periods of unemployment on them. I'm smart, I'm capable of it but I'm completely stuck where I am. I applied to a few colleges but got rejected by all.
What should I do next? The money's not going to last forever.

Let's go back to the college class you *were* in. Are you still near that school? Once they accept you, you can continue to take classes there, even when some substantial time has passed.

Also, in just a few short years, many schools have become much more aware of autie/aspie students. You may be able to leverage that to get back in through the door you left from.

Finally, you're also seven years older and wiser, too. I'll bet you handle yourself somewhat better than you did just a few years ago.

I'll give you two examples from my own life: My mother (who is no dummy) got knocked off her stride while getting her Master's degree. She was two courses shy of her MA. Let it sit for 7 years. Then at my father's encouragement, gave it another try (she had given up.) She contacted the dean of her school and get pulled her right back in. They want to make graduates.

Same with my Uncle. Dropped out of Berklee College of Music in 1979. Went back last year. They took him, and now he has his MFA.

Remember: A diploma usually doesn't usually get you a job, it gets you an interview. It proves to the company that you're interviewing at that you can stick to something long enough to get a degree. In this age of instant gratification, sticking with ANYTHING for the 4-10 years that a degree takes is considered a good trait.

M

PS: Don't let your awful experience in the past cripple your future. If you went back to that college now, NO ONE would remember you, or that event.

If you really want to go to graduate school or just get a bachelor degree and your past grades and academic history look badly,
then you should begin at a community college, if one is available in your area, and improve your grades. Many four years colleges and universities will accept transfer credits of sixty credit hours towards a Bachelor Degree...and community colleges often provide "disadvantaged" students with the edge they need to get into a good college or university.

You need to show the college admission committee, of whatever school you are interested in, that you are serious about your academic, educational goal and a two year community college program in math and sciences (if you are interested in Robotics
and Artificial Intelligence) will indicated that you have worked hard over the two years to lay the foundation toward your higher
educational goal...and you will have a better chance of being accepted at the four year college or university.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step...and like the story of the tortoise and the hare, it's not the leap at the
start, but the steady pace that will get you there.

Good luck!

Many schools have a "course forgiveness" policy - you retake the class(s) you failed and are given the new grade(s) you earned. This may or may not erase the first grade from your transcript, and the failing grade may or may not be calculated into your GPA. Have you checked this out?

Are you able to re-enroll in the school from which you failed out? If you can re-enroll, you're going to have to absolutely shine. That means dotting every "i" and crossing every "t" that is required of you, and then some. It's definitely doable - I'm living proof. You will need to find a system to use to stay organized, and then stick to it as if your life depended on it.

My suggestion would be go back to the school and program you were in, and ask about readmittance. If you've since gotten a formal diagnosis as an Aspie or Autie, you can always play that card, but I'd hold it in reserve to see if you can get back on track the "normal" way.

Good luck!

Have you considered community college? Earn an associate's degree with decent grades, and you'll have no trouble getting into a four-year university.

I failed out of the same community college three times. Took a few years off, went back explained I had grown up and seen the error in my ways. They let me back in, of course its CC so they let just about anyone in.

I had a 3.8+ for my last two semesters. Wrote a great application essay to the university I wanted to attend and explained that I was now commited to my education (and proved it with 2 awesome semesters). They accepted me with no problem. By the way, I got into a top 40 computer science program (that may not sound great, but that's actually a pretty good ranking, after the top 5 it's a toss up). Not bad for a 3-time CC dropout. I can now say that I went to a reputable school that people have heard of (not that it really matters in the long run).

Good Luck. CC is the way to go if you had trouble in the past. A few good semesters will literally wipe the slate clean. At my uni, credits transfer but the GPA does not. Literally, a clean slate!! !