The year is 2008: Apple bottom jeans and boots with fur were all the rage, thanks to a certain popular song that had come out. Very few people had iPhones, and those of us that did listened to the soundtrack from that year's big movie, Juno. Another major event that year, well major for me anyways, was I was graduating high school.
I was one of those kids who never had to study. I skated by in every class, rarely paying attention. I was a slacker, a class clown, and a huge emo kid (hey, it was a different time). I also had no idea what I wanted to do for college. After graduating, I was accepted into my local community college, where, for the next several years I would take as few classes as possible. Ultimately, after two and a half years slogging through college, I dropped out.
I actually sold all my textbooks after dropping out. They didn't go into a comically over-stuffed trashcan like in this photo, but you get the idea.stream.org
I'm here to tell you that dropping out of college was the best thing that ever happened to me. For seven years, I struggled on my own. I had a part-time job working minimum wage (which at the time in my state was $6.75) and I worked as many hours as I could take on. I lived paycheck to paycheck on a tight budget. Working for money to me was way more rewarding than working for grades. Sure, my future maybe was not as clearly defined, but being lost in college seemed like more of a dead-end than making it on my own.
My major in college, much like my mindset then, was "Undecided". How could you ask someone 18 years old to pick something they wanted to do for the rest of their lives? I have always found college to be too much of a jump after high school. You finally have a taste for freedom and, BAM, you are right back into school. It is no wonder why dropping out was such an easy move for me to make.
My major in college, much like my mindset then, was "Undecided". How could you ask someone 18 years old to pick something they wanted to do for the rest of their lives?
Seven years after deciding to drop out and discontinue my time at my local community college, I was offered a promotion at the company I was working in. I had job hopped for years, moving on to the next low-paying job, before I got lucky and found something with some real opportunity. One of those opportunities was a company education reimbursement plan.
The plan worked like this: if you and your manager are on good terms, you do not have any outstanding behavioral issues with the company, and you get a B or better in your class, you could get reimbursed for going to school. I was in a position I never thought I would be in: should I go back and get my degree?
Who I was in college versus who I was then might as well have been two completely different people. I knew what it was like to scrape by, I knew what the value of a dollar was, and I knew I wanted to make a better life for myself than just continuing working for peanuts. I jumped on the offer and returned to school. I have been back in school for the past three years, and I do not regret the choice one bit.
Being one of the older students in class isn't EXACTLY like Billy Madison, but sometimes I definitely feel my age when talking to other students.www.washingtonpost.com
Everyone's college experience is different. Some go to party, some go to meet friends, and some go to set the tone for the rest of their lives. Me, I went just to drop out. I was doomed to fail from the start, so why even bother? Looking back on it, I would not change a thing. My short time in college the first time around gave me the opportunity to live a life without direction. A sort of ghost-of-Christmas-future experience.
My advice to those of you starting college, continuing college, or looking at dropping out of college is to think about what you want. Going to school for something you are not passionate about will make you hate it. I went to college for no reason, and I hated every minute. I returned with a real sense of purpose, and I have enjoyed every second of it since. Take some time to do some soul searching and figure out the path that works for you.
