Enroll in a dual enrollment or early admission program offered by your high school and a local college. Take these courses for both high school and college credit at the same time, so when you graduate high school, you can have several basic college courses out of the way. Check to see if you can have tuition or book fees waived for these courses while still in high school. Alternatively, while in high school, attend classes at a community college that lead to a technical certificate or associate's degree.
Take Advanced Placement (AP) courses in high school. Take one or more of the 30 official AP course tests offered - in everything from Music Theory to Computer Science - and receive college credit if you pass. Find out if your college of choice has its own minimum score that it will accept or a cap on the number of credit hours you can receive by taking AP exams.
Take College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests. Take one or more of the 33 exams in various subjects offered by CLEP. Get college credit for knowledge of subjects you learned in high school or through volunteer work or a job you may have had. Find out if your college has a limit on how many hours of credit you can receive by taking CLEP tests.