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But if you find yourself in a situation where traditional schooling isn't working for you. Or if it takes longer than you were planning on to get admission, investigate your online education options. Depending on your field of study, you may be able to learn everything you need for your career without going through the expense of formal education.

Places like Coursera.com offer college level instruction (up through graduate lvl courses) at zero cost, w/ minimal cost for certified classes. Most schools also have online degree programs, and many of those have slightly less strict admissions criteria than attending the school as a regular student.

If you end up going the self study route, especially if its something that's a non-degree program, you may have to work harder to prove to employers that you know your stuff. You might have to take a pay cut on an entry level position to establish your credibility. But you're basically betting on yourself that you can learn enough to make yourself an asset to the company and grow your skillset from there.