YCombinator might well disappear in a few years. Universities tend to last much longer, some of them have been around for centuries. In 50 years something like YC might be a footnote in wikipedia, but I can assure you that most respectable universities will still be around to “guarantee” one’s worth.
I never graduated and I was an idiot. Stay in school, kids.
Y Combinator might not be around in five years but the professional network that comes of participating in it will remain. If you aren’t sure what you want to do and want to keep as many options as possible open get a degree, but for most purposes any degree will do.
If you still want a degree it’s entirely possible to get a regionally accredited degree in a year from Western Governor’s University or a number of others if you’re willing to work hard at it and are exceptionally organized. If you want to know more you can go to degreeforum.net Or if you want to get a Master’s Oxford has one in Software Engineering that will accept work experience in lieu of a degree though each module requires a week’s residency.
Yes, YC is amazing and I'll probably drop out when (if) I get in. At the moment I'm going to an Ok-ish UC (university of california) and hoping that I'll be able to prove to better colleges that I can bring in big donations later on :) and transfer there before I drop out so at least I'll be able to say "I went to X good college"
I never graduated and I was an idiot. Stay in school, kids.