I didn't get the impression that Miles is naive to these things or that he was soliciting this sort of advice from internet strangers. Far from it in fact.
It looks like he knows exactly what he's doing and is very passionate about creating things. I got the impression he is looking to branch out and create value, have a good time with other people. If I was in S.F. Bay, I'd meet up and see what he has to say.
I agree. Half of the best software developers I know have university or college degrees. The rest do not. One of the best ones I know is a high-school dropout. In fact, so is my business partner. I value what I learned in college but it's not for everyone and when I hire people, I hire them based on what they can do.
Good luck to you and if you're ever looking to have coffee with someone in the industry in southern Ontario near Toronto (Hamilton to be precise) feel free to drop me a line.
It looks like he knows exactly what he's doing and is very passionate about creating things. I got the impression he is looking to branch out and create value, have a good time with other people. If I was in S.F. Bay, I'd meet up and see what he has to say.