hey tec0, I understand completely where you're coming from, but I want to say this: think outside of the box!

My dad also only has Std.8, and he's 54 years now and has one of the highest paying positions in his industry. He basically taught himself and worked himself up in one of the largest mining groups in the world as on of the top mechanical managers in the group.

Bill Gates also didn't make varsity, and look where he is. Don't take this the wrong way, but a piece of paper isn't everything. And you shouldn't think of it as the only way to reach your goals, and become successful in what you want todo. In fact, with technology advancing so quickly, it's very difficult for many qualified IT people to stay on top of things, without having to study year after year.

Decide what you want to achieve, and get other resources to teach / train you in that. The internet has vasts amounts of resources to learn anything, and everything you can think of.