Anyone else who didn't graduate at 22 ?

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failed all attempts at higher edumacation, ended up in uncle sam's army, the finishing school of "the school of hard knocks."

At 17, dad kicked me out for failing high school. I had general knowledge scores higher than college grad levels, but I wanted better courses than any I saw offered. Around age 30, I was studying specific engineering topics at the library. By 37 I had a proof-of-concept prototype I considered equal to a PhD thesis, and it won a world championship ten years later. In between, I had lectured to graduating engineers.
I think the papers are mostly to confirm that people can tolerate a lot of BS. I have not been impressed with very many "experts" and John Cleese confirmed that about 90% of them are faking it. Cheating at school is a fraud upon society.

I just graduated college a few months ago at 23. So, not 22.

I never went to a college or university, and I didn't finish high school. The consequences are obviously a difficulty in finding a job which pays well, and generally having to deal with the very commonly asked question by interviewers: - "what have you studied/what did you do at the university/college?".
When they ask, at a job interview, I tend to lie about it a little bit, but not too much. I generally say I finished high school, but didn't go to a college after that. However, I point out that I have good skills at the particular job I am being interviewed for, to provide a good impression. Not always it works out, but when it does, they never find out the truth.
If they were to ask for a certificate, or a proof of me finishing high school, I would be in a bigger problem then, but that is very rare.

In 1942, a rural area of BC Canada needed an engineer to approve their road plans, but none were available. All work had to stop. The man they hired lied about his degree, and they didn't dare check, but he studied the relevant texts and kept the job for his whole career.
I knew another guy who applied for a position as a hospital psychologist. The interview went well, so he flat out warned the interviewer not to check any of his references, and worked there for as long as he wanted - less than a year.
When my friend Don asked for a job at a sawmill, things were just low-key until he said he'd grown up on a farm. Instant employment. He was good at the job, and soon got promoted over long-time guys.

I started university at 19. Initially, I thought that I wanted to be a graphic designer so I spent two years on a foundation degree course with the option of staying on another year to gain a full honours degree. During my second year, I realised that I wasn’t very good at it and that I would struggle to build a career for myself. I then decided to drop out and study something else. By this time, I was 21 and I decided to study a history degree at another university. This was a much better experience than my previous attempt at studying for a degree and I really enjoyed my time on the course. It was while I was studying this degree that I became interested in archives as a career and began looking for opportunities to gain experience in that line of work.

I graduated in 2010 and spent the next few years trying to find work (which was a struggle) as well as internships at archives (where I was rather more successful). In 2014, I enrolled on a masters course in archives & records management taught via distance learning and I completed my studies last year aged 32. I’m now working as an archivist. It’s taken me 10 years to get to this point. It would have been nice if I had achieved it earlier but at least I managed it eventually.

chris1989, very few people have their lives all worked out by the time that they’re 22. Just because it hasn’t happened to you yet doesn’t mean that it never will. But you do have to put in some effort yourself to make it happen. Think about what it is that you want to do. Find out what opportunities there are in your area. Don’t be afraid to ask someone for help. Everyone has something that they’re good at. Try to find what your talent is and do whatever you can to succeed at it.

I got my Bachelors Degree at 23 years, 1 month, just over the normal 22 year mark.

Kraftie,

I majored in English as well. When I was younger, I wanted to help people with disabilities or go into counseling. I had so many bad ones that I wanted to be different from the counselors who told me I would be nothing. I would have given young people proper guidance on making their dreams come true.

I didn't even pass any of my high school exams, so university was always out of the question. People used to think I was really lazy or just plain dumb, which is why my mother would take me to pharmacies to find "IQ pills" for me. No one had any suspicions that I was autistic because I was so quiet and never spoke to anyone, even the teachers barely noticed me haha. I was given maths 1 on 1 tuition but it didn't help because it was the same learning techniques as my normal lessons but just more personal, which made it quite uncomfortable for me. I don't think I ever got anything higher than a D in British GCSE scores.

This topic sounds very Procrustean. The only real constant is change. If you changed your mind about your career between ages 12 and 18, odds are that you'll do it again before 30. Don't lock yourself in. Less than half of degrees get used as more than a stepping stone to something else, and many people wind up with several, even without schools overselling them. Even if you are constant, the job market is not, and the world is going into a period of chaos. Stay loose, people.

Those who look for IQ pills must really need them, IMHO.

I graduated high school at 30. I got sick at 17 and when I got better, I had aged out of the system. I was home-schooled but my mom wouldn't work with me anymore or help me find a GED course. Where I lived, you couldn't take it online anymore. I moved twice and when I was finally in the city, my tutor told me about a place that helps people over the age of 22 get their diploma. That's what I did.

Cool! well, it is still an achievement and good for you not to give up!
As some would.