I don't run one at home either. I scan for spyware and malware occassionaly, and I just pay attention. Computers don't make their own decisions, if they're acting strange there is always a reason. :)

One word: Apply Apply for junior level positions, internships, even help desk jobs. I'm not sure how it works where your from, but the following is my experience. I started school and quickly realized that what they were teaching was years behind what was actually being used. You don't learn technical skills in school. You learn theory. And "life skills", maybe. In my, admittedly biased, opinion a degree is VASTLY over-rated. Networking however, is not. Go to local tech meetings, talk to people in the book stores who are looking at the same language books you are, etc... I've been to three different "schools". Community college, a state 4 year university and a tech school. I've worked in the industry, in one form or another since I was 18. Yes, I started out as a help-desk grunt for a big corporation. I'm 33 years old now and I'm a senior developer at an international company. But wether you decide to go to uni, or to go it on your own remember one thing. You can never stop learning about the craft. Ever. Your education is your own responsibility. Take it upon yourself to learn at every opportunity. You can get free copies of almost every development tool your interested in. Learn how to use them, play with them, write programs with them and finish the programs. Never stop reading, but remember to practice what your reading. The internet is a wonderful place and sites like Code Project are fantastic. But you don't learn how to do something by reading about it. You just learn that it's possible. Read it, and then do it for yourself. It's been over 10 years since anyone asked me about the lack of degree on my resume and I have job opportunities presented to me all the time.

I think it's a myth. It's possible that folks read fewer books in some places. As the Internet has over-taken a lot of peoples lives. Personally, I'm often teased about how much I read. I read while I walk to/from my car, to get coffee at the office, during lunch, in the bathroom, in bed, etc... Basically, any time I have a spare moment and an unread book I read. If I have access to the books I can easily read 2-5 books a week depending on their length. I do read mostly fiction, but I read a lot of technical books as well. My wife likes to say that I'll read anything that doesn't move fast enough :P Anyone who uses a treadmill has the time to read. :) Not having time isn't an excuse, it's just that you haven't found something that interests you enough to read it yet. :)