Besides a high school degree or a G.E.D., 4 year colleges, including engineering ones, don't require prerequisites. They are unlike graduate school programs in that gaining admission to an average engineering school requires nothing more than taking typical high school courses(Precalc, English, Physics, etc.) and landing decent grades in them.
You don't need to spend years at a community college - just jump right into engineering, if that's what you decide.
I did finish high school, but I hadn't even finished Alg2; I've shored up my math in recent years through self-education - through Algebra1-2 and some Trig, but I would have to take at least three semester's worth of mathematics classes in order to meet the prereqs for the community college's associates of engineering...
I've thought too, that economically it would make more sense for me to continue working on my startup and be able to pay for school later. Whilst maybe shoring up my math with one class per semester till I'm ready for the real deal.
The two ways I see a community college worth the effort are by 1.) saving money and 2.) only if all your credits can be applied to your 4 year degree. But, why even get an associates, when you can jump right into a 4 year degree, taking a few remedial classes(if available) to get you up to speed. Also, sometimes, by talking with a college directly, they can wave some high school pre-reqs for tests showing your competency.
Besides a high school degree or a G.E.D., 4 year colleges, including engineering ones, don't require prerequisites. They are unlike graduate school programs in that gaining admission to an average engineering school requires nothing more than taking typical high school courses(Precalc, English, Physics, etc.) and landing decent grades in them. You don't need to spend years at a community college - just jump right into engineering, if that's what you decide.