Dropping out of college because it was useless, and getting a job in the industry while continuing to teach myself.

That way I was paid to learn instead of the reverse — and I learned newer and actually useful things. I also saved time to boot.

I might not have a masters degree, but that doesn’t matter, either. Experience is always better than a comparable amount of education.

Honestly, none of the good devs I have worked with held masters degrees. To a one, they were all self-taught.