Let me start off by saying this discussion: “How important are diplomas after high school?”‘ comes up in my house at least once a month because we are currently Unschooling our kids.  I have a BFA from Savannah College of Art and Design, and my husband has a high school diploma.  He tried college, but it just wasn’t for him, and he dropped out after one semester.  I constantly worry that my kids are not getting the education they need, will not be able to get a job after high school, or will not be able to carry on intelligent conservation with their peers.

I guess this honestly depends on what kind of job you are trying to get. So let’s say your goal is to become a doctor, lawyer, or (like my daughter) an FBI agent, then college is the only way to go. What if you want to be an artist, graphic designer, computer animator (like me), or game designer? If so, then skipping college may be unnecessary. Do you need one to be a business owner, work as a manager, or be a chef? Believe it or not, you really don’t, but there is a catch.

What is the catch?

What is the catch you ask? Where is this easy road to becoming the next Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg?  No, this is actually the hard road, and there are no guarantees. It is the scariest road for your parents and relatives because they want more than anything for you to succeed. Truth be told: they don’t want you ending up in their basement with no job, no money, and dependent on them.

Lifehacker wrote a great article explaining how to get a job without a diploma.

Another very funny video is the one on TedxSFU – Why we should shred our diplomas / Dr. Charles Bigham