I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. -Thomas A. Edison
I am not a preacher nor will I ever be. When someone makes the decision to drop out of college I can only sit down and talk with them but I am in no position to judge them or their decision. It’s not the end of the world when you drop out of college because many college dropouts have gone on to become gazillionaires (Bill Gates, Richard Branson to name a few). However, it will be a horrible decision if the person has no backup plan. Next time one of your friends or class mates tells you that they plan on dropping out of college, please ask them the following questions, and remember, no judging allowed!
What will you do with all of your free time now?
The amount of free time you have if you’re not in school is way too much for a young person to handle. The friend must be made aware of the fact that the 8 or so hours a day that school usually occupies makes time seem like it flies by. Without school one has anywhere from 6-8 hours of extra free time that needs to go by somehow. Six hours will go by fairly quickly when you are rushing from class to class while trying to finish up assignments last minute, but how will time go by when you are at home?
Do you have a great business idea?
You never know, the person may have an excellent idea for a new business or a new product. Some people are born true entrepreneur’s that simply can not spend their time on obtaining a formal education. I personally am the type of person that wants to obtain a college degree for the security so that I always have something to fall back on while I pursue my entrepreneurial dreams.
Do you think you need a break instead of fully dropping out?
Sometimes after a short break from school we realize that it’s not so bad after all. Maybe the person needs a simple break, anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to get their priorities straight. For me a week out of town of relaxation does the trick, others may need more time off or a lighter work load.
How will you earn an income?
You might be surprised by the plan this person has devised or you may find out that they are simply tired of college and have no plan for earning an income. Growing up we often dream about having tons of disposable income and not having to worry about life’s little problems. The sad reality is that if you drop out of college and accept any job that comes your way, you will never have enough disposable income to be financially secure. What most people need to realize is that the job opportunities available when you have a college degree will most likely greatly outweigh the work opportunities you receive after dropping out of college.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t think that the amount of free time is “too much for a young person to handle.” I think that’s really condescending, actually. It’s different at every college, but where I go, everyone has a job. Lots of students work full time. They have zero free time, and the decision to drop out of college is so they can work to earn more money to go back to college. They always think it’s “just a break.”
Second, I’d be careful saying that “many” college dropouts go on to be successful. The ones you see are successful, and there’s plenty of those who don’t. Every person thinks he’s special, he’s the Bill Gates, but statistically he’s not. I think you mean “many” as in “many in number” but people think “many in percentage.” By your usage, many people have won the lottery, too.
I’m not in favor of everyone going through college or everyone dropping out, I’m just in favor of everyone having a job.
@Kris Thanks for sharing your opinion. I just want to clarify that I meant that if a college student were to drop out they would have lots of free time. This is indeed true because college takes up at least 6 hours of a day.
By “many” I meant that life is not over if you drop out of college. Sure only a few college drop outs have been as successful as the names mentioned but “many” have prospered in the sense that they found work in another field that provided them with a decent income.
I would also like to take a moment to apologize for the post and kindly ask you guys to read it again. My girlfriend accidentally posted the wrong post and this post was not ready to go live. No problem and once again I would like to thank everyone for keeping Studenomics alive while I’m away.