Save/invest 15% is not helpful advice to somebody with no job, or somebody who is struggling to make rent cheques.
"[Doing all the reading] may take you up to a year, but you’re in no hurry, since you are just beginning to think about your retirement and you likely have little in the way of assets; you may even be in hock up to your ears with debts from school and car loans. So there’s plenty of time, and the months you take to complete the course laid out in the booklet will be the most profitable reading you will ever do; it may not be too much of an exaggeration to suggest, in fact, that your financial life depends on it. "
and
"eliminate your credit card debt, followed by your car loan. What about your educational loans? Since your long-term investment return on your retirement savings will be around 5%, which is likely lower than your loan interest rate, you should make paying off those your next priority. When, and only when, you’ve gotten rid of all your debt are you truly saving for retirement. "
If you take the easiest/least time consuming classes you will likely end up with a useless college degree. Go to a state university that has a solid co-op or intern program and major in something difficult. Take hard classes and focus on those (EE, CompSci) because they will open up high paying internships during school and an entry job after graduation.
Don't burn yourself trying to balance school and work concurrently, don't waste your time taking easy classes that will leave you struggling after graduation!
> For most jobs/careers, You just need the certificate ~ at least in the long term.
That may be true, but your courses/GPA will matter for the first job... or to get the MS degree required for many jobs in engineering today.