That's probably the way to go, yeah. But that was never an option for me economically. But absolutely, if anyone reading this is a Norwegian teenager in a similar situation to mine, the above is excellent advice if you have the means.

I am however lucky in that I taught myself programming since I was 14, so by the time they kicked me out of HS, I was capable of doing it professionally. But it took me years of networking to get to the point of even getting interviews for such jobs without having a HS degree. I did eventually get to where I can find somewhat intellectually rewarding work for a few months a year, when I'm healthy enough to do so. Whenever I try to do more I always crash and burn, so now I just try to work little as possible to stay sane.

Education seems a bit more flexible in Sweden, i.e. I failed my third modern language but still managed to get in to uni by taking other courses. Over all I think you describe the tribulations of us all even if we manage to do all the hoops through uni. I worked during high school and military service, but looking back I was not really ready for it.