The biggest reason to get a college degree might not be that it's a signal to companies. It might be that it's a signal to you: how do you know you are capable

The biggest reason to get a college degree might not be that it's a signal to companies. It might be that it's a signal to you: how do you know you are capable of going into any kind of research, when you don't have signs you can endure seemingly mundane work? Compared to the kind of work you do in companies, college is a vacation. It's also a way to see if you are capable of beating the system. If you can't finish college while hacking on the side on things you like, plus come out without debt, you should be alarmed.