I want to drop out of college

[Cross]

5 minutes ago, Vitaly said:

Youth will end someday, you know. Do you really want to end up like floor washer?

I do not, luckily enough, I already have the skills and knowledge to do lots of stuff apart from that

You realize not everybody who doesn't go to college ends up as floor washer right?

 

_

I can also grow marijuana, so there is also that, lot's of blood money :v

[Lucyfish]

This thread did give me something, though.

I was thinking about removing Saxon from my "ignored users" list but this thread showed me that's a bad idea. :3c

 

 

But yeah, I suppose @evan has a point. MOST American colleges are pointless wastes of time and money that will inevitably set you way farther back than it will help you succeed, but there do exist programs in this pathetically ignorant country that can help you. Just gotta look hard as shit and find them.

[PurpleTail]

Life is pretty easy, do what you like to do, become really good at it, find a way to make money out your skill. However to become a true master of your craft will take an absurd amount of effort and no logical thinking human will put up with it, unless he/she loves what they are doing from the bottom of their hearts.

[Spot]

Oh you say you want to drop out now, but it's not until later you fully appreciate what it's worth. In this day and age, knowledge don't equate to shit unless you have the paperwork from an institute to back it up.

Unless you already have a good paying job or are about to get one, I wouldn't recommend it. 

[#00Buck]

With some people it isn't hard to figure out how their story is going to end.

[Another Ampers&]

23 hours ago, Saxon said:

Not everybody is lucky enough to live in countries where University level education is free. It is an affront to the rest of us, who have to pay huge sums, that you do not seem to appreciate the value of your education; plenty of the rest of us would kill for a free education.

Saxon you're what, british?

you've brought up an important point, it's unfair that we do not receive a free education if we live in a society where having post secondary education is a requirement to live a happy and fulfilling life

but you're directing the anger over that injustice at... a 20~ y/o who isn't interested in the program they felt pressured to join

and that's not really going to accomplish anything

here is what I would recommend you to do:

A) Bring back the guillotine

B) The entire royal family

C) eat the rich in general

D) establish communism / socialism / AT LEAST welfare capitalism, try to avoid leninism tho that's been historically not very fun

Phoenix Forum user Cross doesn't really factor into that at all tbh you're completely barking up the wrong tree here

[Taikugemu]

29 minutes ago, Another Ampers& said:

Saxon you're what, british?

you've brought up an important point, it's unfair that we do not receive a free education if we live in a society where having post secondary education is a requirement to live a happy and fulfilling life

but you're directing the anger over that injustice at... a 20~ y/o who isn't interested in the program they felt pressured to join

and that's not really going to accomplish anything

here is what I would recommend you to do:

A) Bring back the guillotine

B) The entire royal family

C) eat the rich in general

D) establish communism / socialism / AT LEAST welfare capitalism, try to avoid leninism tho that's been historically not very fun

Phoenix Forum user Cross doesn't really factor into that at all tbh you're completely barking up the wrong tree here

E) Let them eat cake.

[GarthTheWereWolf]

14 minutes ago, Taikugemu said:

E) Let them eat cake.

This comment with your signature just works so well...

[Conker]

Well, if you truly aren't feeling it, I guess drop out. If it's free you can always try again later, right? Postpone it until you're at a better mindset if need be, or if things work out through your own musical efforts, then you're just saving yourself time.

Time is money, so you're technically saving that too.

But music is a hard thing to get into, and even if you know mixing/mastering/sound engineering from other sources, having a piece of paper that says "I KNOW THIS" will make getting a job easier. Assuming where you live is anywhere like the US of course. Might mean dickall.

Fuck I wish I was better at mixing and mastering. That shit is so hard ._.

[Pignog]

Not reading this thread but I'm going to assume there are at least a dozen posts already telling you to drop out and that a college degree is useless. It's true you only get out of it what you put into it and a lot of labour markets aren't great right now. Unless you really can't stand what you're in school for and won't complete your studies, and there are better alternatives, soldier on through it. Keep in mind higher education is still correlated with higher incomes, social mobility, greater satisfaction in life, and greater civic participation, among other things. No, it isn't a guarantee you'll get your dream job or any of these things, but the reverse is also true -- people without post-secondary generally make lower incomes and have fewer opportunities in life. Ask yourself: What would I do if I dropped out? I don't know your situation, but unless you possess whatever "skills" happen to be in demand at this minute in your specific region, you might be stuck with minimum wage temp work at best and destitution at worst.

[Socketosis]

6 minutes ago, Pignog said:

Not reading this thread but I'm going to assume there are at least a dozen posts already telling you to drop out and that a college degree is useless. It's true you only get out of it what you put into it and a lot of labour markets aren't great right now. Unless you really can't stand what you're in school for and won't complete your studies, and there are better alternatives, soldier on through it. Keep in mind higher education is still correlated with higher incomes, social mobility, greater satisfaction in life, and greater civic participation, among other things. No, it isn't a guarantee you'll get your dream job or any of these things, but the reverse is also true -- people without post-secondary generally make lower incomes and have fewer opportunities in life. Ask yourself: What would I do if I dropped out? I don't know your situation, but unless you possess whatever "skills" happen to be in demand at this minute in your specific region, you might be stuck with minimum wage temp work at best and destitution at worst.

Unless you "know people". Then you're set.

[Fantasma]

College is useful if you make it useful, but ultimately you need to learn a skill - which yes college is good for depending on the courses but it is not the only way.

I have found even with no education a job that after a year is paying 18 an hour in a city where cost of living is low.... these things are hard but can be found and worked into a financial foundation for a better future.

Just... think it terms of the future because ultimatly it is where you will be.

[Pignog]

Just now, Socketosis said:

Unless you "know people". Then you're set.

N-no! Impawsible!! We live in a meritocracy where hard work and gumption are rewarded!! Please don't challenge my world view.

[Butters]

On 9/6/2016 at 11:38 PM, Cross said:

 

 

I want to make/play music

That's a gamble. 

[evan]

40 minutes ago, Butters said:

That's a gamble. 

it's a gamble the way most people go about it nowadays...

[KittenAdmin]

Unfortunately you need to make money to survive and there will never be such a thing as a music and poem based economy. College is a prerequisite for many career fields, and it's also completely pointless for others. I'm a college drop out, but I worked my way up in the IT world through experience and certificates and now I'm 24 years old making quite a bit of money. 

 

If you really really want to do artsy fartsy stuff and that is what will make you happy, understand the other 18 hours a day you aren't working on artsy fartsy stuff that there's a very large chance you'll be dreading your next rent payment and considering new ways to save money. If you're okay with this, then have at it.

 

Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for work to ensure you can do what you want outside work.

[Zaraphayx]

I dunno what Saxon is on about with the "good students don't do drugs" shit. I spent a significant % of my time in college drunk and on stimulants; I graduated with a 3.7GPA and two degrees lmao.
 

[Guest]

Doin' great in school, and love it when I can score some herb at a party. 

[Lucyfish]

I wish colleges and payment plans were more open to taking breaks. Like, I would love if I could take a semester or two, then have a like 2-year break, and then go back to do some more classes. I am so much more comfortable with schooling as a long game rather than a "let's cram as much stuff into my life as possible for 4 years" game.

[PastryOfApathy]

37 minutes ago, Zaraphayx said:

I dunno what Saxon is on about with the "good students don't do drugs" shit. I spent a significant % of my time in college drunk and on stimulants; I graduated with a 3.7GPA and two degrees lmao.

[evan]

13 minutes ago, Lucyfish said:

I wish colleges and payment plans were more open to taking breaks. Like, I would love if I could take a semester or two, then have a like 2-year break, and then go back to do some more classes. I am so much more comfortable with schooling as a long game rather than a "let's cram as much stuff into my life as possible for 4 years" game.

a lot of people will often end up doing community college first, but it's tricky because the stupid fucking high school system forces most students into believing they have to get their bachelor's RIGHT FUCKING NOW, which is goddamn bullshit. imo people who do an associate's at a community college when money is tight can give themselves enough experience with both school and work to stabilize their medium.

 

that's just my opinion though. i have more issues with the college application method than anything else but there's also issues with how loans work. while i understand that merit scholarships are good too, it's certainly stressful to try and keep a certain GPA when i'm taking 10-14 classes at once

[Lucyfish]

5 minutes ago, evan said:

a lot of people will often end up doing community college first, but it's tricky because the stupid fucking high school system forces most students into believing they have to get their bachelor's RIGHT FUCKING NOW, which is goddamn bullshit. imo people who do an associate's at a community college when money is tight can give themselves enough experience with both school and work to stabilize their medium.

 

that's just my opinion though. i have more issues with the college application method than anything else but there's also issues with how loans work. while i understand that merit scholarships are good too, it's certainly stressful to try and keep a certain GPA when i'm taking 10-14 classes at once

It doesn't help that a metric ton of community colleges suffer from underfunding and a lack of experienced and knowledgeable teachers. One of the main reasons I dropped out of community college was I had to literally correct my Psychology teacher multiple times because she got basic information wrong on things I had read quite a bit about. Like, if you don't know that Dr. Harlowe was a man and not a woman, I'm not gonna trust that you know anything about what he studied.

[Azure]

45 minutes ago, PastryOfApathy said:

Every real 80s kid laughs at that screen. Then when we lost we went and played Afterburner for a quarter. Can any of you even conceive of a video game costing a nickel? What I'm really trying to say is drop out of school to smoke pot and play video games :v

[Fiab]

Reading through most of this I didn't see anyone suggesting potentially dropping some of your courses and keeping others? I mean it doesn't have to be all or none I would assume. It'd spread out your college a little longer yeah, but you'd have more time to do what you want, which really is what I was just reading you wanted. It'd be the fulfillment and the degree, just both in lesser amounts for a little bit.

[PurpleTail]

Well Steve Jobs dropped out and did drugs too and no he wasn't a genius. I myself pretty much dropped out of high school, some people say I'm crazy and end up homeless, but I don't see it that way.

[Another Ampers&]

19 minutes ago, PurpleTail said:

Well Steve Jobs dropped out and did drugs too and no he wasn't a genius. I myself pretty much dropped out of high school, some people say I'm crazy and end up homeless, but I don't see it that way.

steve jobs died tho

[PurpleTail]

2 minutes ago, Another Ampers& said:

steve jobs died tho

at least he didn't live in hell

[Another Ampers&]

9 minutes ago, PurpleTail said:

at least he didn't live in hell

cold is the throne

[KittenAdmin]

2 hours ago, PurpleTail said:

Well Steve Jobs dropped out and did drugs too and no he wasn't a genius. I myself pretty much dropped out of high school, some people say I'm crazy and end up homeless, but I don't see it that way.

Steve Jobs wasn't a genius but he had motivation. He saw what he could build and did it. College was holding him back which is why he left. It's not comparable to those of us who just didn't like it and left because it sucked.

[PurpleTail]

3 hours ago, KittenAdmin said:

Steve Jobs wasn't a genius but he had motivation. He saw what he could build and did it. College was holding him back which is why he left. It's not comparable to those of us who just didn't like it and left because it sucked.

My point was collage is not needed. And even if you force yourself through it and get a degree, what use does it have? If you don't enjoy the learning process, I seriously doubt you will enjoy doing the actual job. And then comes life long depression. We all are dead anyway, so I'm not sure what are you afraid to lose.

[MalletFace]

3 hours ago, PurpleTail said:

My point was collage is not needed. And even if you force yourself through it and get a degree, what use does it have? If you don't enjoy the learning process, I seriously doubt you will enjoy doing the actual job. And then comes life long depression. We all are dead anyway, so I'm not sure what are you afraid to lose.

Yes, Jobs dropped out; however, he still audited classes and lived on campus. He audited classes in one of the best private colleges in the U.S., too.

That isn't really what you mean when you talk about dropping out, and Jobs even said that many of the classes he audited were fundamental to his later career.

[Elektranine]

On 9/17/2016 at 7:50 PM, Zaraphayx said:

I dunno what Saxon is on about with the "good students don't do drugs" shit. I spent a significant % of my time in college drunk and on stimulants; I graduated with a 3.7GPA and two degrees lmao.
 

GPA doesn't really matter anymore especially with the exercise 'classes' you can take. Art and music classes are easy 4.0 even when high all the time. Heck a lot of classes give you an 4.0 for showing up. Add to that the crappy teachers who just don't give a dam, once got a 3.8 for a class where I didn't turn in half the essays lol. Its easy to drink and do drugs and get good grades these days.

But try actual hard majors like those in STEM at an actually respected University while drunk/high all the time and see where you end up.

[Elektranine]

On 9/18/2016 at 3:27 AM, PurpleTail said:

Well Steve Jobs dropped out and did drugs too and no he wasn't a genius. I myself pretty much dropped out of high school, some people say I'm crazy and end up homeless, but I don't see it that way.

Ah yes the oft told tale of "you too can drop out and become billionaire"

Hmmm what are they not telling us about Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Others...why were they at expensive ivy league universities but chose to do drugs and drop out? Oh ya their families were stinking rich already and they didn't need to work for anything. Gates was born into a family worth well over $300 mil and Jobs adoptive family was rolling in the dough too. You can afford to screw with your life and take huge chances when you can always do back to daddy for help.

[PurpleTail]

52 minutes ago, Elektranine said:

Ah yes the oft told tale of "you too can drop out and become billionaire"

Hmmm what are they not telling us about Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Others...why were they at expensive ivy league universities but chose to do drugs and drop out? Oh ya their families were stinking rich already and they didn't need to work for anything. Gates was born into a family worth well over $300 mil and Jobs adoptive family was rolling in the dough too. You can afford to screw with your life and take huge chances when you can always do back to daddy for help.

What about Eminem?

[Toshabi]

On 9/6/2016 at 3:59 PM, grassfed said:

Who payed for your college fees? If your parents paid for your college, that would be a real dick move to just drop out and not do something to pay them back/return the favor.

If I paid for them myself I wouldnt be skipping classes n shit.. But if you paid for them, do what you want.

Would agree with this, however:

 

1. College these days is useless

2. College Debt murders most students

3. You can do more for your future and influence better future college course paths (specialty only) from taking on jobs now.

4. College is useless.

5. College is useless

 

 

Honestly, if they did pay for your fees, present this list to them and tell them you'll reconvene once you figure out what you really want to do with your life other than taking on debt. Tbh, going to college immediately after graduating high school is the worst thing anyone can do these days. People are too young to realize the future implications debt has on them once college is over and how having a degree = getting a job that will financially support them in a way that will have them keep afloat above 500+ dollar a month college debt payments.

 

Just my advice after dealing with the burn that is college debt along with dropping out of college based on lack of motivation.

 

Source: Me working an IT job without actually having a degree in anything computer science. All this thanks to working mini tech support for a part time gig while in college.

[Toshabi]

On 9/11/2016 at 5:44 PM, Pignog said:

Not reading this thread but I'm going to assume there are at least a dozen posts already telling you to drop out and that a college degree is useless. It's true you only get out of it what you put into it and a lot of labour markets aren't great right now. Unless you really can't stand what you're in school for and won't complete your studies, and there are better alternatives, soldier on through it. Keep in mind higher education is still correlated with higher incomes, social mobility, greater satisfaction in life, and greater civic participation, among other things. No, it isn't a guarantee you'll get your dream job or any of these things, but the reverse is also true -- people without post-secondary generally make lower incomes and have fewer opportunities in life. Ask yourself: What would I do if I dropped out? I don't know your situation, but unless you possess whatever "skills" happen to be in demand at this minute in your specific region, you might be stuck with minimum wage temp work at best and destitution at worst.

Having a degree in anything from any college is enough these days. Go for whatever joe schmoo college that can get you a degree with the least amount of debt is what you should go for OP. None of this hard work stuff tbh. Apply for an entry level job at whatever it is you're going for and work your way up there, because honestly? College feels more like a big ass scam these days for the most part. Even after attending a college for a specialty and doing well at it, the amount of debt you incur for that knowledge is going to hit you like a freight train. 

 

Either or, everyone in my job is on debt from getting a degree in comp sci and here I am with a graphic design degree, earning the same amount as them in the same exact position because I simply had an entry level tech support job back at my old college.

 

Entry level jobs/Work experience > college. Just go for whats cheapest or apply for entry level work for a profession (thats not super specialty) that you wanna work for. 

 

(hurray for double posts)

[Socketosis]

On 9/17/2016 at 10:49 PM, KittenAdmin said:

If you really really want to do artsy fartsy stuff and that is what will make you happy, understand the other 18 hours a day you aren't working on artsy fartsy stuff that there's a very large chance you'll be dreading your next rent payment and considering new ways to save money. If you're okay with this, then have at it.

 

Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for work to ensure you can do what you want outside work.

Even Van Gogh died penniless.

[Toshabi]

8 minutes ago, Socketosis said:

Even Van Gogh died penniless.

Pretty much. If you want anything artsy fartsy that can make you cash these days, stick with graphic design for advertisements, pamphlets and web design, but just keep in mind that work is very volitile and client base is very very word of mouth and repeat customers. But just know you'll beat commission artists who dedicated every second of their lives to the arts to master replicating life like animal cock by thousands of dollars by doing a quarter of the work. Seriously, when I did some cheapy ass pamphlets and web designs for a few businesses, I successfully made more than most artists on FA do in a month's worth of commissions IF they manage to fill their slots.

[grassfed]

32 minutes ago, Toshabi said:

Would agree with this, however:

Yeah I'm honestly not sure if I want to go to college, been out of high school 5 years now and doing fine..

[DrGravitas]

25 minutes ago, grassfed said:

Yeah I'm honestly not sure if I want to go to college, been out of high school 5 years now and doing fine..

How's your retirement savings coming along? What's your rainy-day fund like? You do a labor-intensive job, iirc, what's your career path plans for when you start to get older and have more health problems/less able to work?

[Socketosis]

13 minutes ago, DrGravitas said:

How's your retirement savings coming along? What's your rainy-day fund like? You do a labor-intensive job, iirc, what's your career path plans for when you start to get older and have more health problems/less able to work?

[Toshabi]

45 minutes ago, grassfed said:

Yeah I'm honestly not sure if I want to go to college, been out of high school 5 years now and doing fine..

If I didn't go to college, I'd be at the same job im at now, just 40k less in debt and not have an associates in graphic design.

 

But to be fair, I do get some good cash doing graphic design as a side gig, but it wasn't worth the debt I incurred getting the degree

[grassfed]

47 minutes ago, DrGravitas said:

How's your retirement savings coming along? What's your rainy-day fund like? You do a labor-intensive job, iirc, what's your career path plans for when you start to get older and have more health problems/less able to work?

I'm not saving for retirement quite just yet at 23

My work has kept me in better shape so far but that'll only last so long before it starts doing the opposite lol. I really don't have solid plans that far down the road, trying to figure shit out like that is only gonna make my anxiety get the better of me, just playin' it by ear for now..

And I'm not opposed to the idea of college by any means, I would love to attend classes for biology/microbiology, Organic Chemistry, Plant Physiology etc.. I just don't want to get left with massive debt from student loans and don't want to go begging my mom/family for it, I'd like to be able to pay for it myself. I still have much to figure out about what I'm doing but my current path has been quite rewarding intellectually, emotionally and experience-wise.

[evan]

visual art is for the most part an  inviable field but im surprised that we are categorizing music into this. youd be surprised, while certain industries such as orchestra and such are diminishing, the opportunities available as a musician have been increasing. still a lot of work and youre not going to be making a seriously intense income but ive actually found a good number of my current friends in music are becoming successful, at least on a reasonable scale. however thats because it requires networking through a college degree and extracurriculars. 

 

i know this is an unpopular/optimistic opinion but this is just what ive seen in the industry from my perspective.

[Socketosis]

7 minutes ago, evan said:

visual art is for the most part an  inviable field but im surprised that we are categorizing music into this. youd be surprised, while certain industries such as orchestra and such are diminishing, the opportunities available as a musician have been increasing. still a lot of work and youre not going to be making a seriously intense income but ive actually found a good number of my current friends in music are becoming successful, at least on a reasonable scale. however thats because it requires networking through a college degree and extracurriculars. 

 

i know this is an unpopular/optimistic opinion but this is just what ive seen in the industry from my perspective.

I've been meaning to ask you, does going to school to study music make you better at it? I know there's a lot of theory behind it and that it can get pretty complex, but is the theory just something that makes you focus too much on the intricate details when writing songs, or is it useful in helping decide what goes together? Does it restrict creativity to colour inside the lines so to speak? Sorry if I'm not making much sense.

[Zaraphayx]

9 hours ago, Elektranine said:

GPA doesn't really matter anymore especially with the exercise 'classes' you can take. Art and music classes are easy 4.0 even when high all the time. Heck a lot of classes give you an 4.0 for showing up. Add to that the crappy teachers who just don't give a dam, once got a 3.8 for a class where I didn't turn in half the essays lol. Its easy to drink and do drugs and get good grades these days.

But try actual hard majors like those in STEM at an actually respected University while drunk/high all the time and see where you end up.

I have a mathematics degree you stupid nerd.

Maybe studying undergraduate level material is actually difficult for lesser minds, must be hard for them. :^)

[Azure]

6 hours ago, DrGravitas said:

How's your retirement savings coming along? What's your rainy-day fund like? You do a labor-intensive job, iirc, what's your career path plans for when you start to get older and have more health problems/less able to work?

I count on the fact that one day I will simply keel over from exhaustion because in 20 years robots will be doing 90% of blue collar and retail jobs. I could always go finish that English degree but I've got a better chance of hitting the lotto honestly. Maybe one day I'll be able to untangle my VA benefits and go back to school, but until then it's living on the cheap just to get by. The food bank is extra generous at this time of year so that's always nice :v

[evan]

9 hours ago, Socketosis said:

I've been meaning to ask you, does going to school to study music make you better at it? I know there's a lot of theory behind it and that it can get pretty complex, but is the theory just something that makes you focus too much on the intricate details when writing songs, or is it useful in helping decide what goes together? Does it restrict creativity to colour inside the lines so to speak? Sorry if I'm not making much sense.

It does provide you a lot of room to improve but it is very busy. You will get much better and thats the goal but its for the sake of professional development so thats something that has to happen without being the center of your attention.

i would say theory has done the opposite for my writing, its made it easier for me to write pretty much whatever i want because i now know how to approach any style with the conventions of the music in mind.

 

a lot of it can be learned on your own which is very difficult because trying to compartmentalize the past 300 years into coherent musical ideas without guidance is absurdly hard, but really the benefit of going to school for it is that the suggested examples are very well selected and the emphasis is put in the right places.

[Tsuujou]

On 9/18/2016 at 0:16 AM, Azure said:

played Afterburner

MY BOY

[Elektranine]

On 9/19/2016 at 3:45 PM, Toshabi said:

Would agree with this, however:

 

1. College these days is useless

2. College Debt murders most students

3. You can do more for your future and influence better future college course paths (specialty only) from taking on jobs now.

4. College is useless.

5. College is useless

 

 

Honestly, if they did pay for your fees, present this list to them and tell them you'll reconvene once you figure out what you really want to do with your life other than taking on debt. Tbh, going to college immediately after graduating high school is the worst thing anyone can do these days. People are too young to realize the future implications debt has on them once college is over and how having a degree = getting a job that will financially support them in a way that will have them keep afloat above 500+ dollar a month college debt payments.

 

Just my advice after dealing with the burn that is college debt along with dropping out of college based on lack of motivation.

 

Source: Me working an IT job without actually having a degree in anything computer science. All this thanks to working mini tech support for a part time gig while in college.

So much of what you said is not true at all.

College is only as useless as you make it. Taking a major that has no demand is your own fault. Majoring in Art or music is a very good way to secure a job at Starbucks but not so much at Microsoft.

College loan repayments are currently capped at 10% of your income so $500 a month payments would entail making $60k a year. Not a financial stress at all.

And no IT is not the same as Computer Science. Really the difference is akin to a nurse vs a doctor. You are a nurse. The difference in pay is there too. I know people who's very first job starting out with a bachelor's degree got them $98k salary. You don't need any degree for IT as pretty much anyone with good troubleshooting ability can do tech support.

Edited September 21, 2016 by Elektranine
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