[kien]

Personally I don't think that everyone needs to go to University. In my opinion, what is most important is finding something that you really want to do. Once you've figured out what that is, then figure out how you're going to get there. You may be surprised to find that you don't in fact need to go to University at all.

I am in an industry surrounded by highfalutin science and engineering degrees, but I work with and am very good friends with one colleague who does not have a University degree. He does the exact same thing that I do and gets paid exactly what I get paid. I went through 4 years of University, he did not. In the end, the hiring manager deemed his experience was more important than his lack of a formal degree. As for him, well, he figured out some where along the way what he really wanted to do with this life, figured out how to get there (in his own way), stuck with it and it worked out for him.

On the other side of the fence, I know quite a few people who have degrees in various disciplines, worked at it for a few years only to discover that they hated it. Some of them changed careers into something completely different from their "formal" training/education/degree. They are MUCH happier now that they have found what it is that they want to do with their lives, degree or no degree. So then, what was the point in spending all that money and time to get a degree?

Now, I realize that it takes some time to figure out the whole what it is you want to be when you grow up bit, but in theory this should be an advantage that "mature" individuals have over less mature/experienced individuals.

edit: This isn't meant to dissuade anyone from going to University. If you find that this is the best path to achieving your goal, then great! Get to it! But do really spend the time to figure out if it is the right path. Talk to friends, councel, read & research, heck go on a walkabout if you have to. University is a HUGE investment in time and money, both of which could potentially be better spent elsewhere to help you get where you want to be.

</2cents>