This article reminds me so much of my DH! He taught himself programming in middle school and a bit of high, started volunteering his talents in high school, and in college called companies until he found one who would hire him to work remotely from his dorm room. At college while telecommuting from his dorm room he double majored in Religion and Philosophy earning both a BA and BS. When we started dating he had a 24hr course load (mostly independent studies where he taught himself under supervision of a professor in that area).
He still can't do just one thing and has both a fulltime job and his own business. He never did take any programming classes but rather figured out he could take professional certification exams with minimal effort by reading a manual or playing around with the technology. He is highly decorated and sought after in multiple technologies.
I do think the tech industry is different than most. My husband never needed college or even really high school. However he still sometimes feels he hasn't lived up to his potential because he never went further than a bachelor's degree. When he thinks of seeking further education, he ultimately feels that it would be a waste of his time and offer nothing professionally. Really just a fun diversion.
