Ask HN: Should I drop my CS major to pursue being a self-taught web dev?

I took two intro classes, one on Python and one on Java and data structures, and I found those to be great. My class on computer structure, and that was fascinating. But moving forward, I feel like I'm heading towards the wrong niche—when I look at course titles like "Automata theory" or "Design of programming languages," they're things that I would love to learn, but I just picture myself working my ass off on some proof wondering why I let myself get so off track from something that I enjoy and can already make money doing.

Am I being naïve, or am I just starting to figure out why so many people say that college is unnecessary? I'd appreciate hearing anything about your real-world experiences that can give me some insight on which direction I should head.

Thanks!

EDIT: I had to shorten my title and I left out an important detail: I'm NOT thinking of dropping out of my university, merely doing a Music major instead of a Music/CS double major. I would likely still take CS classes—there's one on databases that seems very interesting.

If you start working on your own ventures you will make money - probably/maybe - and that will be cool. More, you can just work on the stuff you want to - maybe - but to earn money you may end up having to do a lot of grunt work that's not really enjoyable, not creative, and certainly neither stretches nor teaches you.

Do you really think you can make it on your own? Then do it now while still working on your degree. Having a startup is incredibly hard work. If you work that hard then you can do your degree and learn all this weird, wild-ass stuff that you otherwise wouldn't, and at the same time build something cool.

No, I wouldn't drop out. If you really have the drive you can make the most of this chance. It won't come again.

Just my $0.02, YMWV.

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The thing about the big, gnarly programs thing is that I don't think that's what happens at our CS department. The older kids in the department always talk about how the teachers can't actually code too far beyond the level required to teach the intro classes because the focus in the higher level classes is not on programming but on abstraction and theory.

I once brought a web app to my CS advisor that I'd spent a great deal of time on, testing over and over again and polishing it so that anyone who saw it would recognize it not as some sketchy work in progress but something that could actually be a finished project. His response? "I don't know anything about this kind of programming." Not "what sorts of challenges did you face?" or "what are your next steps, what are you planning on doing from here?", just that comment, some disinterested staring, and "this looks nice." I was later told by a senior in the program that any other professor would only be less interested.

I want to build things that people actually use, and that really doesn't seem to be the focus of the program. At all.

Lately however, I have fallen in love with programming and software development, and I have been studying with a passion. This has led me to conclude that throughout the length of my career, I will be involved with different technologies and perhaps even disciplines. Technology is full of uncertainty, you do not know where you will be in 2 years (let alone 5), what if you get a referral for that dream job but it requires a degree? Or if you decide to build a startup and it tanks--you would have to consider employment to regain at least some of the money you have lost.

There are countless other scenarios in which you may regret not having completed your degree. However, the most important thing to consider is that once you quit, you would lose out on opportunities--what they exactly are, you will never find out.

EDIT: This is in response to your edit indicating that you are not dropping out of school. That is good. But if anything, you should drop the music major.