How to waste a year in a 4 easy steps!

1. Month 1: Quit school. You already know what you're doing anyway and don't need some piece of paper to tell you that. Besides what you really want to do is X and X doesn't require a degree in Y, so its kind of a waste of money.
2. Month 2: Begin attempting to do X. This will be more challenging than you thought it would be, especially when the world economy comes crashing down around your ears at roughly the same time. But don't worry - it probably isn't as bad as the news is making it out to be, so you'll be good to go in a month or two.
3. Month 5: Hmm...its been a few months hasn't it; looks like the situation is worse than we had thought. Why don't you look into moving to a new city and getting a better job there? Shouldn't be too hard for a guy like you, all those skills and that ability to learn so quickly.
4. Month 12: Or not. Blame the economy if you want - everyone else is. Maybe you ought to think about going back to school and getting that piece of paper after all, huh?