[Raizu]

EDIT: This was in reply to Coda. Not sure how formatting on here works x.x;;

At least where I live in Southern California I can tell you I've seen it many times where someone with any college degree has gotten hired over another person without one. In my experience it's always been the deciding factor in whether or not someone gets a job. No one really cares anymore what you went to college for as long as you have it. Again this might just be in Southern California, but it's very prevalent everywhere I've looked.

As for saving money I really don't know about that. Again this one is most likely restricted to my area but here where I live you'll never be able to make a living without a degree. Simply no one hires around here for a well paying job without one. Cosmetology is another route to go down though as that allows you to work in many fields here in LA. I would just advise against a vocational or trade school because they tend to cost a lot of money and offer little to no opportunity for a job afterward.

Again this is just from the Southern California area and things are much different here then when I lived in Washington. I agree with you though that teaching yourself is very important. Lots of introspective work when you're in the work force is a good thing, and of course lots of extra studying outside of work is even better. Finding personal drive is probably one of the most valuable skills in life and something I've been constantly working on lately.