I'm sick of college, any recommendation?
SwellJoe: How important are the grades in getting those "doors" open, or getting into a Ph.D program?I don't know what doors you refer to.  I've never had a problem getting a job, and I never attended a university (I went to a handful of community colleges for various fun topics, but never got a degree...but having a degree from a good university would certainly help me if I wanted to work at Google or Microsoft or similar).  A Ph.D program?  Why would you want to go the Ph.D route if you hate academia?  This doesn't even make a little bit of sense to me.Can't I get into a Ph.D program just by demonstrating my competence, and not having to comply with the "system"(and subsequently wasting my time)?I'm still not getting this.  It's sounding like your dream in life is to be a Ph.D working in academia for all of your days.  And, yet, you've stated that you hate college.  This doesn't make sense.Why do you want to get into a Ph.D program?  I'm not saying you shouldn't do a Ph.D, I'm just having a real hard time wrapping my head around the idea of someone who hates college seemingly dreaming of being in college for 6 to 8 years to obtain a Ph.D.I think you've gotta do some soul-searching here.  What is it you want out of life?  If a life of research and academia and publishing is what you want, then yes, you need to go to college.  You need to go to college for many more years.  That is the price of admission to that life.  But, given that that life is kinda just continuing the college experience (only you answer to deans and the board of directors and students rather than answering to professors), I don't see how that could possibly be your real goal.So, what is your real goal?  You tell us that, and we (being a pretty diverse set of hackers and nerds) can probably lend you reasonably good advice on how to get there.