Like you said , having credentials makes just about any pursuit easier . I would first try to evaluate if you are studying in the right place . I hated my first university . It was too big , lacked diversity , and I had never talked to any of my professors because of the TA barrier . I dropped out for a semester then transferred to a smaller university with a huge amount of international students and suddenly loved academia again . My professors were available to me and I felt like I had the department on my team . I loved it so much that when asked what I would do if I had a billion dollars I said I would study there for the rest of my life . It ' s my personal opinion that if you have the opportunity , college can be an extremely important experience . More so than getting a couple year jump on your career .