I can't say I'm at all surprised or saddened that Best Buy's having to restructure it's "Home Design Specialist" division. We used to use Best Buy for appliance purchases, especially with their "2 Years No Interest" deals. It was quick and easy, and USED to be a pleasant experience. That's changed dramatically. First off it took a long time to get the attention of anyone, then when we did, turns out only 1 single person on shift that day could help us with our request, despite the several associates all walking around helping customers in the same department. Finally, once we did get to that person, who was very courteous and professional, we arranged to have a specialist come out to measure, confirm whether we could put in a 30" oven or if we really were stuck with just a 24" like we had. The second half of the visit was to go over the models we had picked out and confirm the order. When the guy arrived, he was extremely gruff, barely took a single measurement, then started asking/HEAVILY pushing me to go back in the store and place a deposit/order ASAP, never having addressed the reason why he was sent out in the first place. I promptly kicked him out, called the in-store rep back and left a message about it and cancelled the whole thing. Several of our friends have had very similar experiences, enough that collectively we all just stopped going. If they're not going to care enough to answer simple questions or do even just a little legwork to make the customer feel secure with the purchase, then they don't deserve the sale.

The entire reason I still had a TiVo was for the instant ad skip ability. Once the interface became slower and slower, and they started enforcing pre-show ads or not allowing me to skip ads, the TiVo lost any justification to keep and use over the free STB provided with my cable bundle. There is no justification/reason for me to use it when it provides literally the exact same experience I would get from the cable provider's own STB, recording and online/in-home streaming included.

Same here on my OnePlus 5T, and it still works.

I went down the same road you're considering, dropped out of school and did self-taught. While I can honestly say I've done well IMO, not having the degree has kept several doors closed for me.

I'm not trying to belittle you but the fact of the matter is there are more and more people popping up all over the place who have a knack for web design/programming/network security/etc. Employers aren't looking at the degree so much to determine what you know, but how you got to where you are currently. Were you part of a more formal structure? Did you learn how to communicate effectively? Are you able to cope with difficult clients/customers? How do you cope with high stress/short deadlines?

In a recent interview, the interviewing manager I was with quite literally said "I don't consider or look at the resumes/applications of people who don't have at least a BS. They typically have the talent but are severely lacking in formal structuring and communication skills." These are skills you get with a degree and with years of experience. It's not something you can spend 6 months studying on your own and learn. If you're doing well in your classes, stick with it. You may consider it a waist now but it will pay off down the road. Consider it an investment in yourself. Investments don't pay off right away (the ones that do tend to be crappy anyways) but always grow with time.