Not all people are like your friend, not all colleges are like your girlfriends, and most importantly not all career trajectories benefit highly from a college degree. My wife for example, her degree gets her a poverty level salary in the states, whereas in Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, she makes near 6 figures. Going to school for CS, and having to take all the other dumb shit that will never, ever help you in any real world CS job, is why the alternatives are coming to a rise.