For those who have a skill that cannot be honed at a traditional college, you need to consider rocking it out at a school tailored to your needs.
If you're into graphic arts or some other type of art, go to an art institute.
If you're into cooking, go to culinary school. The more well-known culinary schools are tough to get into, so you better have some great menu items up your sleeve.
If you're into video game design, recording arts, movie production, and the like you could attend a technical school like .Full Sail which has industry connections. You could also go to a film school at a traditional college, like at USC.
One of my favorite options coming out of high school that I considered was attending a bartending school for a few weeks, getting licensed, and bartending for a few years before opening up my own bar. If you work 3-4 nights a week (Wed. - Sat.) you should be pulling in $800+ easily a week if you work at a popular bar. Watch the laws in your desired state of employment, as you have to be 21 to work at bars in Indiana now (used to be 18).
There are other options out there if you don't see yourself working in a more traditional position. If you take any of the above routes, there's a good chance you won't be working in a cubicle. Very nice, I like!
