“I am beginning to think that a few “Dummies” books and on line tests will be a satisfatory replacememnt for college for him. He’s a unique person”
Career wise he’ll do far better with a degree if at all possible. Even a 2 year degree. People who sell IT training and certifications often grossly overstate the earning power of their certification/training. Get him some training and then a entry level job. Build a lab at home that he can experiment and develop skills.
I work in IT support, with a 4 year degree in engineering. Trends I’ve noticed:
1. Credentialed educations go out of date quickly. You then have to keep taking classes to keep up to date. College degrees have a stronger, staying power.
2. The on-line training/credentials are easily available all over the world, including India. Programmers can be outsourced. However, those who gather system requirements from customers, do data mapping, work in IT management - those jobs stay here. And IT security - always, always American and often in house. You don’t outsource your body guard to India, and may not even trust a foreign national.
3. A college degree - 2 or 4 - gives you more options. If you are a certified web master or certified software installer or a certified unix server person, you’re niched. Like an electrician, highly skilled but VERY limited in career variety.
College degrees by their nature include a broader skill set. Like IT AND project management. IT AND security protocols, whether with people or data. IT AND forensics, whether recovering wiped data or working for the FBI.