Comments on: Taking The Semester Off From College

By: Studenomist

Studenomist — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:01:43 +0000

@Stephanie PTY I didn’t exactly take a semester off from College but what I did was I took a full course load one summer so that the next winter I would have the semester off. This was very beneficial for me because a. There were not many young people working that semester so I was able to earn some decent money. b. It was a chance to save some money and increase my savings before I went back in September.

By: Carnival of Money Stories No. 94

Carnival of Money Stories No. 94 — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:23:26 +0000

[...] presents Taking The Semester Off From College | Financial Independence in Your 20s posted at Financial Independence in Your [...]

By: Stephanie PTY

Stephanie PTY — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 21:53:09 +0000

This is exactly what happened to me, and now that I’m nearing graduation, I think that it was the exact right thing for me to do. Thanks for writing about this!

By: Studenomist

Studenomist — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 05:41:50 +0000

I got to admit that I sometimes find myself in the category of wanting to rush through school. I’m always thinking about how much money I could be earning by working and the money I will earn when I do graduate. Lately I have been working on improving this. I have come to realize that I may only have one shot at education so I might as well try to extract as much value out of it as possible. I have joined more groups, gotten more involved, attended more meetings, and networked more.

It’s easy to try to force someone to stay in school or judge someone for dropping out of a program when you don’t know what they’re going through. Do what’s best for you and your career, do not let anyone judge you.

By: MoneyGrubbingLawyer

MoneyGrubbingLawyer — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:35:06 +0000

I’m a big proponent of taking a semester or a year off if there’s a reason for doing so, although I suspect I’m in the minority. Higher education isn’t something to rush through or just a hurdle you need to pass before “real” life begins. If your goal is to get it over with asap, you’re probably missing out on a lot.

My cousin recently asked me about taking a year off- her parent’s almost flipped when she suggested it, saying “If you stop, you might never go back!”. My response was “So what?” There’s no point in pushing forward if you’re burnt out or unsure about your chosen field. If you want to return, you’ll return. If not, you’re better off for it.

By: Studenomist

Studenomist — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:58:43 +0000

That’s some great advice Philip. I’m sure you will agree that there is no greater feeling than obtaining a degree in a field that actually has you motivated to work. It’s good to hear it worked out for you and that you did what was best for your life and career.

When you lose interest you should really take a moment to re-evaluate the situation like you have mentioned. You should think whether this field is really for you and if you could picture yourself doing the work every single day for the rest of your life. If that thought scares you then clearly the field is not for you.

By: Philip

Philip — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:46:27 +0000

I think there are a lot of people like me that took off a semester or two, whether they wanted to or not. For me I changed my major and school during that time off and came back wanting the degree I was working towards as opposed to before just going after a peice of paper. Now it has paid off greatly and worked out well for me.

Really I would classify myself in the last point “lost interest”. It would be good for some students to take a chance to re-evaluate their interests and reasons for college and where they think the degree will take them in the 30 year future.