I have to admit that this is one of my favorite subjects. I am by no means smarter than the average person out there but I've done fairly well without traditional schooling. It's been part luck and tenacity on my part. I make a decent salary and am confident that I will have my own company in the near future. I'm hopeful that YC will help me with that. I can't tell you how impatient I am to hear back!

I have a lot of respect for people who get college degrees. I think it says a lot about their intelligence and their ability to focus. What I can't stand however are companies that won't even look at a candidate if they don't have a degree. They miss out on truly great people. Having a degree means something, yes, but it doesn't preclude the candidate being great.

I have to rely on persistence and connections to get work. In a way, it sucks but it's also a satisfying challenge.

When the day comes that I have to interview and hire people I will not take their degree into consideration. I'll use YC's approach and hire them for who they are, what kind of ideas they have and my instincts about what kind of work they can do.