In my area of study, it's all about how you apply yourself. Currently, I'm going to the Savannah College of Art and Design, and trust me there are times that I wonder if it's worth it. I sit here dropping $30k a year (roughly) on school, and I know full and well that I could get a job right now doing bodykit design (which is what I'm planning on doing right out of school, then moving up to factory performance design... aka designing the wheels/factory aero kits/any aesthetic upgrades available from the factory). I guess the thing that keeps me in school is the knowledge that with a degree in Industrial Design (my major), if for some reason I lose interest in doing auto design, I have a LOT of other things to choose from, and I will be highly qualified to move to another aspect of ID (like tool design, product design, etc). The way my dad says it is that you can do one of two things when you graduate high school.

1. You can choose a field that you know you want to do and you won't mind spending the next 10 years or so doing, and go do it.

2. You can go to college/tech school with an idea of what you want to do and recieve the guidance and training to pursue, and you also chance upon finding your true calling as far as a career goes. (This is what happened to me... I originally went to UGA and was intending to major in International Business, minoring in Spanish, and going on to law school).

Of the two, it's kind of six of one and a half dozen of another depending on the field. Example being: I could have started working in bodykit design as a peon, and four years later I would be competitive with most college graduates, or I can go to school, graduate in four years, and be competitive with the HS grad who has been in the company for four years.

College is an investment. What you put in is what you get out. And if I even get out half of what I put in, I will be a happy happy girl for the rest of my life. ^_^