Thinking about dropping out of college...Kinda long rant, please read!

[Ken785]

Ever since i graduated high school back in 2001, ive been in and out of college. Everyone is always saying "GET YOUR DEGREE, GET YOUR DEGREE!"

In the last 6 years going to 4 different colleges (heald,community college, and 2 CSU's) switching majors back and forth...i went from a business major to criminal justice, to a communications major, and now to a theater major.

I want to go for theater because i love the arts...even though its a huge risk to take...I love acting but i don't want to be waiting tables all my life just hoping for a break that may never come no matter how good looking or good of an actor i am..

Thinking back these past 6 years i know i should have been graduated by now but i still haven't...

Right now im currently at 75/120 units needed to graduate. I just finished the Fall 07 semester completing 7 whopping units as a PT student (because all the classes were full and couldn't register for any more)

I see everyone around me making money and it makes me depressed im still in school at 24, i tell girls i meet that i am a student and it seems to turn them off.

I just have this thing in my head telling me that if i don't have a 4 year degree then ill be missing something in my life, that i haven't accomplished yet, i used to tell myself before that i was going to get a 2 year associates and that was it for me...but now that i started this 4 year degree i feel like id be ignorant if i don't finish it...even if i don't make a career out of theater.

Maybe its society that has brainwashing me to think that a 4 year college degree is a MUST HAVE to ensure a secure future...i don't know.

I see people without 4 year degrees and college dropouts start their own business and become highly successful...just look a P. Diddy...or Tom Hanks who dropped out of CSU Sacramento, or even Bill Gates...ill bet they aren't thinking that they regretted dropping out of college...

Why am i thinking it is such an importance?

My cousin didnt finish his 4 year degree and had no idea what he was doing till my uncle told him to go get certified in HVAC (Heating and Air Conditioning) and i was suppose to go get certified with him but i decided to go to a 4 year university and have been stuck on this route ever since..

Now he is making about $60,000 to $85,000 a year...(with the option of starting his own business after 4 years in the field and making tons more money as a contractor), ive always wanted my own business too... and the title contractor would be nice...

I also have this thing where i tell myself, if i stay in 4 year college...there are tons of girls around who have somewhat of a decent future...and statistics say something like 70% of all married people find their significant others in college so im thinking maybe ill eventually meet mine? who wants to meet a dumb attention wh0re with no future at the club right??? huh? even i confuse myself (AFC thinking, i know...but this has stayed in my head ever since i heard about it)

Comments??....

 

[The Forms]

I was in the same boat as you. I graduated high school in '01 and took longer than normal for graduate. I've always looked a little older than I really am anyway, which didn't help in some ways. For instance,I was at a bar once and this girl walked up and started showing me interest. We get to talking and she mentions that she's a teacher who was in town on vacation. I mention that I'm a student and says, "oh, you're a grad student?"
"no, undergrad."
"how old are you"
"how old do you think I am"
"about my age"
"which is. . . "
"about 29"
"I'm actually 24."
"really?"
"I kind of dig older girls anyway."

I had dropped out of college about halfway through, but the main reason I got back in was because I would have felt like an idiot spending that much time and money on an education but have not degree to show for it. However, in the year since I graduated all my diploma has done for me is roll around in its cardboard tube in my trunk.

And much like you getting a theatre degree, I also got one of those degrees where I said, "college sucks, so the only way I'm getting through it is to get a degree in something I like," hence, I now have a BA in Philosophy.

I've really learned that going and getting certified for HVAC and stuff like that is a pretty sweet deal. You can make some real cash and you don't have to waste four (or more) years of your life getting a degree and then dealing with the headache of trying to get a job with it.

And like you I'm just trying to make it in the arts (I'm a musician living in nashville though. I have zero interest in acting).

Yea, society has brainwashed us to think we need a degree. It's crap, but what the hell, it won't really hurt you in the long run to have it.

Also, when you mention people like Bill Gates not having a degree, in all fairness you should also look at yourself and decide if you could be a bill gates. I know I couldn't, so as an example for what I should do it's worthless.

Don't look at what you could have done different (like getting HVAC certified when you were younger). Instead, look at what you can reasonably see yourself doing now. I know given the chance to do it all over again I probably wouldn't have gotten my degree, but once you're 3/4 of the way in like you are, thinking like that doesn't help. Just decide what is the best course of action to get you the kind of life you want from here and go with that.

If you think that you'd be fine with cutting your losses and dropping out, go for it. If you figure you're already balls deep so you might as well finish, that makes sense too.

 

[hope7]

I know i'm being a douche when I say this, but it looks like you're going to fail no matter what.

A degree is great but if you're going to take 7-8 years to do it, thats going to look real bad. A college degree is supposed to give you access to a certain type of success, which seems that you have to interest and motivation of pursuing.

Just do your uncles contracting jig.

 

[vagrant]

I work as a caregiver right now helping old people use the bathroom at night, getting dirty wiping as$. I see them everyday walking slow, getting up in bed then going back where they will sleep for another 2 hours. They'll wake up for breakfast and have a caregiver dress them up. They watch t.v. and lay on their bed 18 hours a day.

It doesn't matter to anyone what you've done with your life whether you had a degree or not.

Time is GOLD remember that. Everything you do in every second of everyday, your time is paying for it. You are trading time for everything that you do. You always have a choice what to do with your time. You can even kill yourself right now if you wanted to. That's called CHOICE! life is full of choices. I'm a caregiver right now and I chose that. I want to move on from here and I will. You chose to be where you are right now and you can always choose what to do next.

And remember what I told you about all the old people that i take care of? Yes you will be on the bed in your room lonely 24 hours a day! Don't sit down, don't sleep too much, don't be on the television or online too much save it for later. Anything you want to do you can do it now man! Every thing's been done. Boxer, Actor, Singer, Doctor, Teacher, Pilot, a certified HVAC and the list goes on. Every little thing that you thought was impossible is POSSIBLE you just need to change your beliefs about yourself. It's about what you want remember that. That's what happiness is all about! Try to do something that you don't want and compare that to doing something that you want. That's called FREEDOM. That's called DREAM! Your dream is something you WANT! Don't ever stop pursuing your dream! Always find a way. If you can't do it going up, try going down, try every last option and make one if you have to. Be a high achiever and have the mind of one. Aim higher than the stars! Have the power of will, the persistence, the discipline to work when you want to work and to work even if you don't want to work.

Forget the money you wasted and forget getting the degree if it's not something you really want to do and STOP comparing yourself to other people. STOP comparing yourself to other people! Am I richer than you? maybe not but am I richer to someone who sleeps under a bridge maybe so. The point is it's nothing unless you compare it to something. The more you compare yourself to other people the more you'll hurt yourself. Forget how much your cousin earns. Worry about yourself. He doesn't care about how much you make.

If there's one thing you should always remember is that you always have a choice. It's up to you what you want to eat, what you want to drink, what kind of job you want to have, what kind of car you want to drive, where you want to live, in a room or under a bridge, all in all what you want to do with your life is up to you. You can even do drugs like my brother if you wanted to. That's your choice. Now look at your life and where you are right now. Close your eyes and make a choice how you want to live your life!~

 

[Bible_Belt]

Great post, Vagrant!

I dropped out after three years, and it did suck having 'some college' but not a degree. Large employers especially dislike it.

But I'm glad I quit, because I was too sick of school to apply myself. I finished a couple of years later, and got all As after I went back.

fwiw, a 4-year degree is not that impressive these days. We live in a time of degree inflation. 50 years ago, a 4-yr degree was a big deal and you got a great career out of it. Today, you can get a customer service job making $25k/yr with your degree. Better jobs can be had with math, science, and some business degrees. But to get anywhere in life career-wise, you will in all likelihood need a graduate degree. There are obvious exceptions, some people are gifted entrepreneurs or salespeople. But most of us will make the most money over a lifetime if we had an mba, phd, md, or law degree.

Quit if you're not making As, and go back when you will make them. Quitting school is not great, but being unmotivated and making bad grades is even worse than quitting.

 

[Precursor]

Even if it does take 7-8 years to get a BA, you should just do it. Once you get the degree, it's a degree. They can't tell how long it took you to take it.

You might be a little late, but you should definately get a degree.

Although some people might "diss it" because they failed to get it themselves and complain rather than "try harder".

it is just one of those "must haves", kind of like a cell phone. You should get the degree. If you just drop out, your last 6 years and money spent was in vain.

 

[SmoothTalker]

Hey fuzzx, what kind of losers do you know? Yeah if you spent all of University getting wasted, guess what, that doesn't attract employees. If you actually learned a damn thing, you make good money. I have seen this for myself from friends that have already graduated, and actually learned something. One guy got a STARTING salary of $80k, another started at $67, and after a few years of experience I know many people making $100,000 and more. This is all just with no graduate school at that.

Further, this is in Canada, where average income is lower than in the States, and real estate costs about half as much, so, these amounts are definitely good money.

Now granted, these people don't have BA's, but saying that you can't make money with a degree is bull****. In my current program poeple are getting $20-$25/ hour INTERNSHIPS, we don't even have degrees yet. That's like 50k a year before graduationg (though work terms are only 4 months at a time).

And all those are working your basic 9-5, no overtime, in a comfortable office, not cleaning **** out of someone's clogged toilet as a plumber or something.

 

[spesmilitis]

Hey fuzzx, what kind of losers do you know? Yeah if you spent all of University getting wasted, guess what, that doesn't attract employees. If you actually learned a damn thing, you make good money. I have seen this for myself from friends that have already graduated, and actually learned something. One guy got a STARTING salary of $80k, another started at $67, and after a few years of experience I know many people making $100,000 and more. This is all just with no graduate school at that.

Further, this is in Canada, where average income is lower than in the States, and real estate costs about half as much, so, these amounts are definitely good money.

Now granted, these people don't have BA's, but saying that you can't make money with a degree is bull****. In my current program poeple are getting $20-$25/ hour INTERNSHIPS, we don't even have degrees yet. That's like 50k a year before graduationg (though work terms are only 4 months at a time).

And all those are working your basic 9-5, no overtime, in a comfortable office, not cleaning **** out of someone's clogged toilet as a plumber or something.

Start work and leave work whenever you want (although everyone gets 7-8 hours in). Half the time do you what you need to do, other half you get to work on your own projects/experiments.

Thanks to college, work is awesome and fun.

Btw, what degrees did you friends major in? I have a feeling its engineering

 

[SmoothTalker]

Yeah, not to mention that in a couple of years, they actually have pretty good chances at getting promoted to management, which is close to impossible in bigger companies without some sort of degree.

Yeah they mostly did technical fields. One is a chemical engineer, which with the Alberta oil boom going on right now, is very in demand in Canada. Most of the others are in some sort of math field, like computer science, actuarial science (amazing careers if you are good at and enjoy that sort of thing), and some finance/accounting people.

It just always annoys me when people badmouth education because they couldn't or more likely didn't want to put in the effort to actually get something out of it. I think without any argument, a good degree (and actually learning something about the subject the degree is in instead of learning how to drink beer from a funnel) is the closest thing to guaranteed success you can get. Anyone that brings up how Bill Gates doesn't have a degree is missing the point - you aren't Bill Gates.

And while you're out getting an education, take some stats/probability courses. This will help you understand the fact that just because a handful of brilliant and lucky people ( out of 6 billion) achieved great success without an education, doesn't mean that an education is worthless.

 

[spesmilitis]

^^^
Nice, I'm a Chemical Engineer myself.

The people who also bad mouth education are ones who majored in the arts/social sciences, but didn't really gain any internship/work experience while in college.

Those majors are easy for a reason.

 

[Ken785]

im interested in business...ive always pictured myself in a suit. but i svck at math (dont even know algebra) and business major requires at least statistics and calculus.

 

[Microphone Fiend]

^^^
Nice, I'm a Chemical Engineer myself.

The people who also bad mouth education are ones who majored in the arts/social sciences, but didn't really gain any internship/work experience while in college.

Those majors are easy for a reason.

Touche.

I have the same thought process as those who dropped out or are contemplating dropping out and I am a Arts/Social Science major, but with me (and likely others) it is not the experience I didn't get in school that makes me want to drop out, but what the experiences and knowledge have taught me. Through the Literature and Philosophy I have started to question the importance of paying money to get educated enough to make money. To me, what my program has taught me is akin to finding out you can get a chick to sleep with you without buying flowers, dinner, movie tickets and a Christmas present. It's like I've unplugged myself from the matrix and now I realize how convoluted the whole "College degree---> money ----> happiness" idea is?


It's not that I have nothing left to learn, but I feel that I can learn on my own after 3 years of university. In my undergraduate program, English, everything seemed irrelevant to my future job (whatever that may be) but extremely pertinent to how I want to live my life. While others studied how the stock market fluctuates over the seasons, I see how humanity changes over the centuries, while others look to studied looking for target audiences I studied why that target audience is the way they are and how to change it. Perhaps that is why I feel like Art students are ready for the real world with its 'glamour to gutter to glamour' cycles while business oriented students are only ready for the business world and consequently place a higher emphasis on degrees and resumes.

Look, maybe I'm way out in left field here, Im just saying all I need is a job where I'm happy to live my own life seperate, and when the time is right be able to create and support a family. To me, in this day and age, College Degrees are to Education what Marriage is to True Love....

 

[Analytic]

Ken, damn man I can feel you going through some tough time with this and family but you're still 24! still plenty of time to do whatever you want. But still time is money, don't waste another 4 year in school for some BS reason like that. If you want college girls then just live near a big college and approach em there.

If your first love is business, have you considered internet business? people are making millions and they are even younger then you, there is litterly no overhead to start with on Internet business. Go look it up, if you have questions just PM me.

 

[Effington]

Vagrant's post read more like a motivational speech than advice.

What you need is to grow up. I apologize for not sugar-coating it for you, but it's come that time. Do you remember when people used to ask you, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Well, it looks like you've declined to answer that question. That is the first thing you need to do. Once you have that answer, then you can decide what to do next.

If you want to go into the world of business, you'll need a degree (a business degree if you want to work for a decent company), and suck it up and learn math. Take computer courses; learn Excel right away, and Access, and see if you can learn any MRP systems like SAP or JDEdwards. Corporations eat up computer experience like it's gold. Browse careerbuilder or monster under entry level jobs and see what good companies look for, and make sure to get that knowledge.

I read a statistic from my college (I went to Northern Illinois) that somewhere around 95% of journalism and art majors end up working outside of their major after college. I had two close friends that were journalism majors there, graduated with a solid GPA in 4 years, pretty smart people. Four years later, one is a bank teller, and the other is a secretary (same job she had in high school), but writes free-lance on the side for almost no money. I'm not saying their degrees are completely worthless (the bank teller got a promotion faster than everyone else due to his degree, I don't know why that happened) but I would look at what you want to do first, and then decide if the degree is necessary. It's a lot of money to spend, you better get return on your investment!

I know there are companies out there that specialize in helping people decide what they want their career to be; my brother was a sophomore in college and clueless, he went there, and their test recommend a teacher. His GPA went from 2.0 to 4.0 overnight and has been a teacher for about 10 years, got his MBA, and about to become a principal, so I would say it works for some.

People like Bill Gates, etc., are one in a billion people who either are extremely intelligent, or lucky. My brother was in the same high school class as some guy named Vince Vaughn; everyone laughed at him when he said F college, I'm moving to LA and going to be an actor. I think that worked out for him; guy knows how to network and gets along with anyone. Also, note that it took him 10+ years to get decent gigs, he was a starving artist for a long time.

 

[persiangino]

Look friend, if you're not going to actually focus on a particualr major then i would highly advise you not to go to college and waste money. Insted use your time and honestly reflect what you want out of life, maybe take a year off and travel. Employers want good grades and credentials and if you're just going graduate with ****ty grades this well only land you a ****ty job and nothing more. I personally know a few people who graduated from ivies (one was even a princeton grad) who are waiting tables!

 

[ready123]

a lot of good advice in this thread

I'd say, get a BS degree in whatever you have a passion for - if it's theatre get theater. if you can't finish that degree, you have a discipline problem. parents are not always gonna be around and if worst comes to worst you need a way to pay bills and have some leftover to save. yeah it's true degrees don't get you as far as they used to, but it's still the difference between being STUCK in a working class income and being able to pull yourself out of it

and all those guys who made bank despite not having the degree are the exception, not the rule. put the odds on your side

the other thing is acting is one of the most competitive jobs there are out there. two of my friends are full-time actors with pretty decent resumes. their financial security is always dependent on the next audition. they both have Cal-State BS degrees as a safety net, just in case

 

[squirrels]

Listen...dropping out of college doesn't result in making millions, as many Bill-Gates-o-philes would have you believe. Bill Gates dropped out of college because he and his buddies already had a business idea and needed more time to make it work right. Einstein flunked high school math because it was so simple for him he saw no point in doing the busywork.

You want to drop out and go blue-collar, there's a lot of money to be made there...but you have to WORK for it. If it's taking you 7 years to get a theater degree...well...you'd better just sit down and figure out WHAT you're willing to put effort toward. Money just doesn't come once you get in the right place (college, trade, business)...you have to EARN it by working to create value. If you're not willing to do that, then you're not going to find some magic solution for success.

I think the reason everyone's making more than you and girls are turned off by you is that they can sense that you're not motivated to achieve anything at this point in time. 120 credits is 4 years for the average students. Don't tell me the classes have been SO FULL that you haven't been able to finish your degree in 7.

 

[Ken785]

Listen...dropping out of college doesn't result in making millions, as many Bill-Gates-o-philes would have you believe. Bill Gates dropped out of college because he and his buddies already had a business idea and needed more time to make it work right. Einstein flunked high school math because it was so simple for him he saw no point in doing the busywork.

You want to drop out and go blue-collar, there's a lot of money to be made there...but you have to WORK for it. If it's taking you 7 years to get a theater degree...well...you'd better just sit down and figure out WHAT you're willing to put effort toward. Money just doesn't come once you get in the right place (college, trade, business)...you have to EARN it by working to create value. If you're not willing to do that, then you're not going to find some magic solution for success.

I think the reason everyone's making more than you and girls are turned off by you is that they can sense that you're not motivated to achieve anything at this point in time. 120 credits is 4 years for the average students. Don't tell me the classes have been SO FULL that you haven't been able to finish your degree in 7.

the reason why its been so long is that ive been in and out of college...and when i was in, sometimes it was just part time...youre right, 7 years is a ridiculous amount of time to spend in college, thats why im finishing head on. I want to use the degree to travel abroad to teach English for a little bit, maybe that will help me figure out what i want.

 

[SmoothTalker]

Very true squirrels, and on top of that I'll add that Einstein actually didn't fail high school math, that's a motivational urban legend. He always did good in math and mastered it insanely early, like calculus at age 7 or something.

 

[Ken785]

bump