I would be interested to hear any responses as well. I've followed a similar path. I dropped out of college at 18 and played traveling ski bum for a few years.

I would be interested to hear any responses as well. I've followed a similar path. I dropped out of college at 18 and played traveling ski bum for a few years. Then I moved across two states and decided to get my life straight. I've since been working my way through college, but I feel like I'm in the exact same position. I have a rough idea of what I should be doing to become a better programmer and get into the industry, but after five years on this treadmill I feel like I'm missing something.