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Yes, you should go. I was in a similar position, although not particularly badass myself. After getting an associate's at a local community college (practically for free) I wasn't sure whether I should transfer to a university or spend more time building stuff.

Bottom line, as I'm now about to graduate with my BBA in Computer Information Systems, I'm quite glad I opted to continue. Like you, I wasn't sure how much tech stuff I'd learn. And it's true, most of my computer classes were way too easy and not really beneficial for me. But my program is also heavily focused on business, which I think is extremely important, especially for someone considering working independently. I also discovered an interest in Economics, in which I decided to minor. However well you can program, if you can't manage the business side of things, you're cooked.

You also shouldn't underestimate the benefits of developing more in the general education areas. Developing a firm grasp of English writing is absolutely vital. Developing the capacity to further understand and appreciate history and culture can also be very helpful. This kind of sampling can also help you realize other areas of interest and help build up a general pattern of understanding which can be useful in understanding all frameworks. You can, in theory, learn all this on your own. It's just that college can really help you get started if you're serious about it and are actually there to learn.

At the same time, though, I've now been considering whether to continue into a graduate program. I've excelled in classwork, and it seems like a no-brainer, but since I don't have a definite direction I'm opting not to pursue a graduate degree. At least not for now. That would be an additional large commitment, even just of time, and I think it's benefit, since I also don't want to work for a large, corp would not pay off.


I fell into one of these with one of my hobbies--nature photography.

A couple of years ago I setup JS Nature Photos (http://photos.jstechs.com) basically how it is now as a branch of another site at the time. Soon traffic to JS Nature Photos dwarfed traffic to the main site. The other site was fizzling anyway. Practically all of the revenue from JS Nature Photos is from ads (people don't buy photos online). It brought in some pretty good money through the first half of 2008, till the economy tanked.

I don't have time to do much with it with school, etc., posting a photo every week or two if I'm lucky, but it still pays the rent each month.


Microsoft PhotoStory + Windows Movie Maker might do the trick for you. If you need more power and can't find an online solution, ProShow Gold is great. Kind of pricey though.


How about an even awesomer game for free: http://www.phunland.com/


State of Fear is a very interesting read.

Certainly, Crichton is not always fair in his use of statistics or analogies, but an argument for or against global warming is not the point.

He does make some incredibly important points in the process.


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