I dropped out of college.

[manic_depressive13]

Lots of people will tell you that you've made a mistake, but those people are smug turds. I know loads of people who got degrees they either can't or don't want to use and now work in retail. If you are content to live on a low wage, good for you. Better than wasting your time pursuing other people's goals just because you know you'll be judged and ridiculed if you don't.

 

[Ljs1121]

Hope all goes the best for you.

If I could ask, what were you studying?

 

[Flames66]

Congrats on making what will probably be the biggest mistake of your life.

Seriously, where is the drive in people? Who the fuck wants to earn minimum wage?

I dont get it.

Money isn't the most important thing in the world.

I know its a tired cliche, but it's true. If he hates college, why not drop out? For a better job later down the line? Meh. What use is a job with high pay if you hate the job and have no time to spend the money?

I dunno OP. It depends on a million things. I'd say this is something none of us can judge, it's a decision everyone has to make for themselves.

Its not about the money. Its about the pride. Money is a measure of success. A good and rewarding job is a measure of success. Doing something you love and being good at it is a measure of success. its not about the money. Its about being the best you you can be. Its about being able to think, act, perform at a higher level of thought and freedom.

Its about being able to say, Fuck it, I want to buy a boat and sail on the weekends. And then going out and having the ability to do that. Its about freedom.

Decisions can be wrong. This one is. Dont baby people

I agree with the other guy. I would much rather do a job I enjoy for low pay than do work I hate for tonnes of cash. Money is one measure of success, but it only shows how good you are at making money. I would rather succeed at being happy.

 

[DoPo]

Lots of people will tell you that you've made a mistake, but those people are smug turds. I know loads of people who got degrees they either can't or don't want to use and now work in retail.

Well, it depends on what degree OP did, doesn't it? Yes, it's better to not have a degree than a useless one, however throwing away a productive degree and career for minimum wage, doesn't seem as sound an idea.

What I'm trying to say is, that OP has provided us with very little information to work with. I will hold my judgement until I know more.

 

[Slayer_2]

Congrats on making what will probably be the biggest mistake of your life.

Seriously, where is the drive in people? Who the fuck wants to earn minimum wage?

I dont get it.

I'm hesitant to quote you, since a million people probably already jumped on this grenade. But what the heck, clearly college is the only way to be a success in life. Google Robert Himler. Or Bill Gates. Or Steve Jobs. Or Mark Zuckerburg.

Then there is the question of if you really want to label money as a huge factor in being considered a "success" for every human on the planet. I know a guy working nightshift at McDonalds that is way happier and more friendly than my rich cousin who works in the oil industry. As long as you expenses are covered, why do you really need more? Whats the point in having a billion sitting in the bank, but never enjoying life as you go? There isn't just one mold people need to be shoved into. Post-secondary is hardly the be all end all.

TL;DR: Just because you don't get it doesn't make it wrong, lacking ambition, stupid, or otherwise bad. People can have differing opinions and life goals, as shocking as that is.

On Topic: go for it man, I found college a huge waste of life, but I finished a year and got a certificate that has done two things for me: jack and shit. So I started up a business repairing computers for 40% of the going rate, undercutting the competition. It's starting to take off, and I'm hoping to quit my part time job at a gas station soon. People who act like school is necessary to succeed are outdated and close minded. This is the 21st century, school is quickly becoming obsolete. Not only can you live a decent life without spending tens of thousands and half a decade of life, you can possibly follow your own goals and branch out later on.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

Congrats on making what will probably be the biggest mistake of your life.

Seriously, where is the drive in people? Who the fuck wants to earn minimum wage?

I dont get it.

I'm hesitant to quote you, since a million people probably already jumped on this grenade. But what the heck, clearly college is the only way to be a success in life. Google Robert Himler. Or Bill Gates. Or Steve Jobs. Or Mark Zuckerburg.
.

Now Google the hundreds of thousands of college dropouts who never made anything of themselves vs the hundreds of thousands of college graduates who did. See who comes out on top in the long run in general.

I should probably say that that isn't my whole view on the subject, but I just hate that argument. It's like saying 'of course you should give up everything in your life, move to New Orleans and join a rock band, look at Muddy Waters!' For every one success story there are thousands of college dropouts every year who never amount to anything in their entire life. It was a different time, they are different people, and none of them were exactly hurting for cash or options when they left college. Bill Gates was funded by the family fortune remember? And Mark Zuckerburg left after his big idea, when it had been proved that it could make money. Do you think he still would have left when he did had he not had that safety net to fall on?

College is not the only path in life, and if you get lucky you might well become another success story, but dropping out with no idea of what to do next can be the death knell on the rest of your life. Soon enough you're forced to get a job to pay the rent, buy food etc, and since you're not college educated, you'll find it hard to find a job with meaningful development options and a decent starting salary (certainly this is true for the UK, not so sure about US but assume it's the same)

For example:

1. If you drop out knowing you want to work for one year, take a gap year and acquire useful skills and knowledge, then return either to employment or to take a course you actually like, that's a good solid plan that should result in success.

2. If you drop out because the work load was more than you expected, you're not too sure about your course and you don't really think college is for you, then suddenly you'll find yourself working a minimum wage job living in your parents house with absolutely no motivation or drive as to where to go next.

3. You have a big idea, something along the lines of a Gates or a Zuckerburg. You work really hard at it, you put all your effort in and eventually release it. Then you get promptly steam rollered by someone who already got their first. And even if your idea is somehow totally unique and not patented by someone else then what if the public just never likes it? The amount of luck inherent in all of the success stories you mentioned is astronomical, which is exactly why 1 and only 1 person had the story that they did.

 

[Woodsey]

Congrats on making what will probably be the biggest mistake of your life.

Seriously, where is the drive in people? Who the fuck wants to earn minimum wage?

I dont get it.

Whilst I can hardly label myself the most hard-working student in the world, I've got to agree with this. I don't see how "I could get a job paying minimum wage" wasn't enough to make you stick with it. I have a fairly casual part-time job and if it weren't for the people about I'd want to hang myself - and I only work a few hours every other week or so.

Fair play if you don't give the slightest shit about money, but still... it's a ballsy move if you have no plan at all, to say the least.

 

[NiPah]

http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/state/florida-is-worst-state-to-lose-a-job

Florida is worst state to lose a job

You can survive without a college degree, just know Florida is one of the hardest places to find work and has one of the highest rates of unemployment. Do you even know what you want to do? Construction in Florida is in the shitter too so unless you have a handy skill I'd suggest moving someone else.

 

[gyroscopeboy]

You need to find out what you want to do in life first, then work out the steps to get there. That will not always lead via college/university.

 

[Navvan]

Based on the very limited information you provided I'm going to go with it was not a good idea. While going to college is not a good idea for many people those people generally have some alternative career path in mind. Military and good job prospects being the two the come to mind. It seems like you don't have much of a plan (making minimum wage full time) and thus you will be worse off for it. Assuming of course you don't want to have to work for a larger chunk of your life for less.

I suggest you work on a plan to prevent this. Whether that means re-enrolling or not is up to you to figure out. It is still not as bad as paying for a worthless degree or a getting a degree that only leads to jobs you will hate. People who go through college and come out with that don't have much of a plan either.

 

[Gennadios]

Good on you. I wasted too much money on Uni and in the end I just ended up at the same place I was working at to pay my way through it. Technically it is a promotion, but I really can't honestly say whether the degree had a part in it or not.

All I can say is, who you know matters alot more than what you know and getting a degree just to have one will get you knowhere.

If you land a job that offers advancement with a specific degree, you can always go back and get one, as it is you'll just be casting your hard earned money into the winds.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

Was this a good idea on my part? I mean the fact is I'll be moving down to Florida, which is already a cheap state to live in, and I figure I could work full time for minimum wage somewhere to pay for what I need.

Take it from someone who's lived in Florida for 23 years.
It's only cheap in certain cities, others are ridiculously expensive.
Florida is a state that rich, old people like to retire to.

Also where did you get the idea that it's cheap to live here?
If you're just looking at the price of rent compared to where you live now, remember that the wages are also different.

Working full time on minimum wage is NOT enough to live on your own unless you're working insane hours.
I work full time, get paid higher than $10 an hour and I STILL can't afford my own place without a room mate.

 

[Slayer_2]

Now Google the hundreds of thousands of college dropouts who never made anything of themselves vs the hundreds of thousands of college graduates who did. See who comes out on top in the long run in general.

I should probably say that that isn't my whole view on the subject, but I just hate that argument. It's like saying 'of course you should give up everything in your life, move to New Orleans and join a rock band, look at Muddy Waters!' For every one success story there are thousands of college dropouts every year who never amount to anything in their entire life. It was a different time, they are different people, and none of them were exactly hurting for cash or options when they left college. Bill Gates was funded by the family fortune remember? And Mark Zuckerburg left after his big idea, when it had been proved that it could make money. Do you think he still would have left when he did had he not had that safety net to fall on?

College is not the only path in life, and if you get lucky you might well become another success story, but dropping out with no idea of what to do next can be the death knell on the rest of your life. Soon enough you're forced to get a job to pay the rent, buy food etc, and since you're not college educated, you'll find it hard to find a job with meaningful development options and a decent starting salary (certainly this is true for the UK, not so sure about US but assume it's the same)

For example:

1. If you drop out knowing you want to work for one year, take a gap year and acquire useful skills and knowledge, then return either to employment or to take a course you actually like, that's a good solid plan that should result in success.

2. If you drop out because the work load was more than you expected, you're not too sure about your course and you don't really think college is for you, then suddenly you'll find yourself working a minimum wage job living in your parents house with absolutely no motivation or drive as to where to go next.

3. You have a big idea, something along the lines of a Gates or a Zuckerburg. You work really hard at it, you put all your effort in and eventually release it. Then you get promptly steam rollered by someone who already got their first. And even if your idea is somehow totally unique and not patented by someone else then what if the public just never likes it? The amount of luck inherent in all of the success stories you mentioned is astronomical, which is exactly why 1 and only 1 person had the story that they did.

Because every college graduate gets a great job and a guaranteed 6-figure income right out of school? Yeah right. In this economy, we had PhD's apply for a cashier job back when I worked retail, and a guy working there who had a Masters in Business (as a stock boy). There were a few other people with "real" degrees, but there were higher up (although still stuck working retail).

If you have a good idea you want to try for (and it doesn't need to be the next Facebook or whatever), drop school like a piece of hot iron. Even if you don't succeed, try again. It might take a few tries a few years of minimum wage, but you're likely to eventually make it, and for me, it is likely to be far quicker than 4 years. Or hell, if you just want to enjoy life and make a lower-than average salary, why the hell is the wrong? Not everybody needs to be obsessed with having a house and a fast car, especially at a young age. Although I admit to wanting a nice SRT8 Dodge Charger, it's gonna take a few years of saving, since I'd be loath to finance anything.

That's not to say school is wrong either, just that this old idea that "everyone should do it, regardless of goals" is stupid and close-minded. If you can't stand school, it's better to work minimum wage for a few years until you figure out what you want to do. Or don't. It's your life, who am I to preach?

 

[Syzygy23]

Congrats on making what will probably be the biggest mistake of your life.

Seriously, where is the drive in people? Who the fuck wants to earn minimum wage?

I dont get it.

Money isn't the most important thing in the world.

I know its a tired cliche, but it's true. If he hates college, why not drop out? For a better job later down the line? Meh. What use is a job with high pay if you hate the job and have no time to spend the money?

I dunno OP. It depends on a million things. I'd say this is something none of us can judge, it's a decision everyone has to make for themselves.

Its not about the money. Its about the pride. Money is a measure of success. A good and rewarding job is a measure of success. Doing something you love and being good at it is a measure of success. its not about the money. Its about being the best you you can be. Its about being able to think, act, perform at a higher level of thought and freedom.

Its about being able to say, Fuck it, I want to buy a boat and sail on the weekends. And then going out and having the ability to do that. Its about freedom.

Decisions can be wrong. This one is. Dont baby people

So... Wait, you're sending mixed messages here. I love what I do, but I only make 50-60k a year, depending on circumstances. I can't afford to just up and say "Fuck it, I want a boat!", yet I wouldn't trade the skills I've honed over the years for anything.

Would you say THAT'S success and worthy of pride, or do I not make enough money for that or...?

The guy you replied to was saying that if college wasn't teaching him skills he wanted to know, he shouldn't waste his time or money, I'm not sure what you're rebutting against.

 

[Risingblade]

We're you totally falling at it? How far away were you from getting a degree?

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I dropped out and have been working since 2007. I still haven't really struck out on my own though but for me it was the right thing to do. It really just depends upon what you want to do with your life in the long term.

 

[peruvianskys]

Its not about the money. Its about the pride. Money is a measure of success. A good and rewarding job is a measure of success. Doing something you love and being good at it is a measure of success. its not about the money. Its about being the best you you can be. Its about being able to think, act, perform at a higher level of thought and freedom.

Its about being able to say, Fuck it, I want to buy a boat and sail on the weekends. And then going out and having the ability to do that. Its about freedom.

Decisions can be wrong. This one is. Dont baby people

Thank you, most American poster of all time.

I think far too many people just assume they should head to college. It isn't right for everyone. Satisfaction, enrichment, and joy are the most important things to pursue, not a higher paycheck.

 

[Evil Smurf]

I am about to drop out because my campus is shutting down and has shit organisation. I am going to another Uni however