Should I drop out or not?
mahipal: Another great opportunity that's unique to the college experience is the chance to do research and work closely with a professor. You mentioned you have a lot of experience in computer vision. If that's something that interests you further, I'm sure you could pretty easily land a job in a research lab working on cutting-edge computer vision problems. Just talk to a professor who is doing work that interests you, and bring your resume and code samples. With your background, you're easily one of the most qualified undergrads on campus -- and you'd be hard pressed to find a day job that lets you work on something that interesting.And some universities will provide startup support if a research lab produces a marketable idea. Who knows -- in 4 years, you could have a stack of scientific publications under your belt, or you could be in business with a professor.The social environment of a university is unique too. Nowhere else will you find such a large group of people who don't yet have the stress of working a day job and are willing to discuss whatever academic issues interest you. The opportunity to make connections and meet like-minded people is biggest here. I've met the most brilliant people I know at my college, and I'll be going back over the coming months to hire some of them for my startup. It would be significantly harder to find programmers and thinkers like that in the free market.I think people like Gates and Dell are extreme outliers that greatly improve the drop-out image. Unless you have a lucrative idea that's already taken off and it's clear your time is much more profitably spent outside of college, it's silly to think you can easily follow in their footsteps. It would be different if you had a plan, and you may well reconsider if you launch a successful idea while you're still in school.For everyone else though -- whether you're trying to get a corporate job or pitching to VCs -- having the endorsement of a top school greatly helps your image. Even with your years of experience and great background, it's a sad but true fact that many people would automatically give you less consideration than college graduates.It's pretty clear you're not going to college for the education. Think of the classes you have to take as the 10-20 hr/week day job that you trudge through for the sake of the rest of the experience. If attendance isn't mandatory, you're probably better off skipping all the boring classes that cover the things you know. In the meantime... make connections. Talk to fellow students, your professors, everyone. Find like-minded people and brainstorm with them. Take the most advanced classes you possibly can -- surely there's something that will challenge you. There's a lot more to the college experience than just the classroom, though.Don't think that the only benefit of the college route is taking classes, getting a degree, and going to a corporate job. I fully intend to never, ever work a corporate job after I graduate. Exploit the possibilities and opportunities to further yourself, and do the things that truly interest you.