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should_i_stay_in_college
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need to win the lotto
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college sux, ppl are cool and parties are fun but i dont know what to major in and each semester i go 6,000 more in debt. I was top 10 in my high school class but ive alrdy failed 16 credits worth of college class. I dont think college is for me, does anyone know what else is there to do. It seems like ppl think college is the only secure way to go, im hoping their wrong.
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040228
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white_wave
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i won't tell you what to do, but i attended colleges here and there but never finished. a degree doesn't guarentee a job. unless it's something where a degree is required like doctor, lawyer, etc. people can earn high incomes without a degree. unfortunately i don't, but that's because i haven't put enough effort into it. college is expensive if your heart isn't in it. i have 2 parents who have degrees, but they worked most of their life in jobs where all you needed was a high school diploma. my sister has a degree, but she knew from day one she wanted to be teacher. i never knew what i wanted to be. i'm not wealthy but i love my job. decide what are your priorities in life. decide if you need to make money at what you might call your hobby. or are you doing this because everyone tells you that you'll never make enough money without a college education?
but if you do drop out, make sure you can write a kickass resume to fakeout your potential employers....
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040228
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expatriot
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my suggestion is that you if you feel stuck and don't know what to do, then get a passport and leave the country for a while. Go teach English in another country and get some life experience. If you're like most Americans, you've probably never been out of the country and experienced how the rest of the world lives and thinks. I moved to Europe over a year ago. I came here with a one-way airline ticket and I'm currently living in Barcelona. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. I'm 31 and I feel like my life is finally starting because I feel like I've found something real, and a place that's starting to really feel like home for me. Everyone is different, and it's all about finding the right place for you. I never felt truly at home in the states, because my thinking has always been a little different from the average American. I don't really care to live in the cycle of working, buying things I don't really need, getting into more debt, and watching TV. Most of the Europeans I've met would rather make less money and be happy.
My point is, go find out what's out there in the world (and that means traveling to other continents) and then you'll have a better idea about what you want from life.
Side note: Only about 2% of Americans own passports and the current president who is determining the fate of other countries and grew up in a life of money and privilege never had enough curiosity about the rest of the world to leave the U.S. until he had to when he "became" president.
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040229
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need to win the lotto
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thnx for the response. truth is im only in college for two reason: first coz my parents want me to, second is becoz im too scared to dropout. The problem is i dont know what i want to do and i dont know what makes me happy. Im scared to not have a degree and be unhappy w/ a low paying job and i dont know if europe will give me answers or just put me more in debt.
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040229
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minnesota_chris
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I so agree with that blathe. Go work in various places, find about jobs, and then train for one. You'll work harder at college, too, once you are working for something you want. Otherwise it's just grade 13.
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040229
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expatriot
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My point, in a nutshell, is: Go out into the world and find out what the options are, then you can make a choice about which direction you want to go. If all you know is your home town, high school, and college, then your choices look rather bleak.
And about getting yourself in debt by traveling to Europe. Didn't you say you're spending $6000 a semester that, at this point, is taking you nowhere? Take $1000 or $2000 and go educate yourself in the ways of the world. It also looks better on your resume if you can show you've actual had some life experience and not just keggers in college.
If you've only seen the world through blue tinted sunglasses and someone asked you what your favorite color is, what would your answer be?
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040229
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pobodys nerfect
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While I fully agree that "needs to win" should not continue with college for the time being,I don't think (s)he needs to necessarily leave the country to make up his/her mind. As "expatriot" put it,if only 2% of the people in the US have passports,are we to assume that all the other people who've struggled with this situation simply gave up on changing their lives because they didn't have a passport? ;) Of course not! I'm sure there are ways to make up your mind while staying in your own country. "Needs to win",needs to try a variety of jobs and maybe look at the things that interest them and ask him/herself some important questions. If you can talk to a school counsellor while you're still there, you should see if they can help you find any options that would be available to you, like on the job training things and stuff like that. If you can't speak with one,then you should ask yourself these types of questions: Do you like working for other people,or do you think you'd rather work for yourself? Could you make your hobby into a profitable business?
And lastly,don't feel bad because you're having trouble figuring out what you want to do. I think that decision is very much an individual process and not something you automatically know at a certain age. There are people who go through their whole lives to a job they hate because they hadn't made up their mind as to what they wanted to do by the self-imposed "decision deadline".
Find a job to give you some spending money in the meantime,and think about what will ultimately make you happy in the long run. Good luck. =) *hugs*
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040229
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white_wave_has_no_degree
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need to win lotto said: Im scared to not have a degree and be unhappy w/ a low paying job.
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if you are young enough, you have time to try find out if you'll be happy with that low paying job. you might find out what you want to do with your life through earning money and not spending it (on college that is). Through working instead of schooling, I did find out in the real word what I DIDN'T like. Then by trial and error, I eventually found what were my natural interests and abilities. But in the mean time, I was earning money. Not alot, but I didn't have a family to support, so I could afford to live comfortably on what I made.
If you are in your late teens or twenty-something, you have time to figure all of this out. You can always go back to school, if you decide you need to. If you are already working in an entry-level job, you might see a position that interests you in another area. One that requires a degree, and then you can go back to school, and have a focus. Working teaches you alot.
Fortunately for me, my parents didn't force college upon me. If you are afraid that your parents would get upset with you for dropping out, that could be a difficult situation.
I'm not telling you what to do. your situation could be much different from mine. But if college isn't for you, you definately have options.
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040229
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pandora
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YES, stay in school, you'll regret it in the future if you don't and do you really want to be taking classes in your mid to late 20's or 30's?
However it isn't the end of the world and maybe you'll be happier quitting...but I doubt it.
Unless you become Donald Trump.
Okay, start your own business.
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040320
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noynat
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yo i say stay in college now. I know your situation because 2 years ago that was me. I am a senior now in college. I can't promise that this will happen to you, but i think you should follow this advice if your college offers the right things.
I came to college liking my guitar and liking skiing. 2 years ago i would cry a lot because i didnt know where i was going and i was amidst all these smart kids who were going premed or philosophy and i was scared and lost. I chose music and have spent ALL my time exploring music disguised as "study".
you can take things like this to a new level by applying for grants or fellowships, where you think of something really cool that interests you, and do your own thinng with it, and B.S. the advisors into thinking that its legit, which isnt hard because it turns out your ideas are actually very legit. Just do your own thing, and if you dont know what that is then relax, and maybe take the advice of others and take some time off.
much love
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040321
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sameolme
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In order to become more productive participants in Nazi Germany, many young people found higher education to be valuable. The same is true today.
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040321
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morganth
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I am struggling with some of the same kinds of issues, though I'm in a different situation. I'm going to a good college, getting good grades, majoring in Computer Science, but now I'm approaching the time when people start thinking about grad school, and I am completely convinced it isn't for me.
I'm the kind of person who wants to work a challenging job that keeps me interested, but doesn't want to be a programmer grunt. Ultimately, I'd like to start my own business, but I know that's not possible right out of college given my financial situation. I'm hoping I can graduate, and because I think I have a better resume/grades than most, get an exciting, well-paying job. But the research I've done recently coupled with the articles written about outsourcing and such seem to say if you don't have a master's or Ph.D., you're not getting an exciting, well-paying job.
I'm also not exactly the typical geek. I really love technology and love the idea of working in a field that can apply it, but I also, at times, reflect on all the time I've spent dabbling with computers and find it rather futile or useless, as if I'm wasting my life away. I really love studying the humanities, and I try to spend my free time reading and learning... I look at my computer science classes almost as "required," and really try to squeeze Philosophy or Creative Writing or any other "more interesting" courses into my schedule.
As for expatriot's advice, I'm now working on getting my Italian passport (to be a dual-citizen with the U.S. and Italy) and I'm hoping I can travel there and find some answers. As for your situation, I reccomend you try to lock down and shape up your grades, try to take classes you like, and stick it out for your undergrad degree. College shouldn't be (just) about partying--you are paying for it, after all.
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040322
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Aime
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Not if you're not ready for it. But remember, once you leave, it's harder to go back. At least, I found it to be so. I completely failed my first year of college, but you know, I wasn't ready for it. Mentally or emotionally. My roommate didn't really help... total basketcase who reminded me how fucked I myself am. I just remember feeling bad because I wasn't fitting in. All these other people having the time of their lives and me? I was just feeling more lost than ever. The teachers in my major were unsupportive assholes who said I was talented in the profession, but would probably never make it because one of their senior students was that much better.
Sorry, I didn't intend to turn this into something about me. This is about you, I was just hoping that my experience could help you decide. Don't stay there just cause mommy and daddy say you have to. You're an adult now, and yeah, the adult world is not only terrifying at times, but it's not easy in the slightest. I recommend getting out before your loans get too high and then going back when you're ready. You don't have to declare a major. Try everything on and see what fits YOU best. Just stay there until they MAKE you graduate.
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040323
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