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.
It’s not fair to expect an eighteen-year old to pick his profession, then spend the next four years stuck in an ivory tower studying for their piece of paper. They graduate in a climate with a two-digit unemployment rate, and are expected to find a job- with next-to-no job experience– in six months so they can start shelling out $700+ loan payments for the next 10-15 years. The education is not the problem. The problem, is the way that education is administered, and the money-grubbing, self-serving, bunch of overly-educated (but amazingly poor-read) group of bureaucrats. You’re screwed if you get your degree, and you’re screwed if you don’t. Chances are a kid, that has his B.A. in Art History with a specialization in Incunabula studies, will not make a million dollars more in his lifetime, in comparison to a high school graduate. The kid with his B.A. will probably have a lower credit score and way more stress though! And in regards to “free time”: I’ve never had more free time! I could work 40 hours a week (and occasionally do), and still finish my honors thesis a semester early. School is not hard! I can’t stand it when advisors advise you not to work more than 20 hours a week. If a person is incapable of handling their undergraduate studies and a job simultaneously, they should reconsider higher education altogether! My advice, don’t go to college right away. Take a couple years to travel, work, and grow as an independent person. There are very few kids who know what they want to do and then actually do it. Once you start going to school, good luck stopping. That six months of deferment flies by!