Is College Right For You? Maybe Not. (And That’s Ok!)

November 11, 2008 Posted in Reality

I, like you, went to high school. When I was in high school, I already knew that I wanted to be a musician and a writer when I grew up. Even though neither of those professions require a degree, I was made to believe that I had to go to college to be successful in life. And so I packed my nervous bags and made way to New York by way of Ohio. I apprehensively took my place among thousands of other students at my school and I felt out of place immediately.

You see, I was always a ‘good’ student. I graduated high school with nearly a 4.0. I aced tests and papers without wincing and was in every club. Kids like me were supposed to go to college. Period. But I never wanted to.

I went because my parents wanted me to.

I dragged myself through four and a half years of college. I transferred schools. I worked 2 jobs (yes, 60+ hours a week) on top of being a full time student. I was miserable. I was utterly, thoroughly, entirely, unexplainably miserable until I decided not to go back to college. I was only a semester or so shy of my degree and I woke up and decided I was done. I made a decision for myself and not for my parents. Finally, I took control of my life and my happiness and I have never looked back since.

College wasn’t for me and it wasn’t for what I wanted to do. I am sure it is the right place for some people (or most people), but that didn’t mean it was right for me. I have not only enjoyed life more than ever since I made my decision, but my career finally fell into place upon making it, too.

I don’t work ‘side’ jobs now; my music and writing are my main jobs now. I took a chance, yes, but here’s my point:

If your passion doesn’t require a degree, don’t convince yourself you need one. Of course there is something to be said for things learned in college, and I hate it when people tell me that I wasted money and time in college -that’s ridiculous. I have four and a half years of college education and experience; I learned, I grew, I thrived, I starved, and, eventually, I moved on. But even with all of that, college just isn’t right for some people.

If college IS for you, that’s great! But before you assume that you are college bound (particularly because someone else told you to be college bound), sit down and ask yourself: Is college for you or not?

(Hint: There is no wrong answer.)

[Photo courtesy of www.gla.ac.uk]

1406813 Comments2008-11-11+18%3A40%3A49CC+Staff on "Is College Right For You? Maybe Not. (And That’s Ok!)"

vi says:
Tue, 11th Nov 20089:56 am

Uhm… I'm confused. Don't you go to UCLA?

Cali says:
Tue, 11th Nov 200812:09 pm

did you read the article?

she said she transferred

cosette says:
Tue, 11th Nov 20081:29 pm

How on earth did you work 60 hours a week while being a full-tine student? I imagine you might have enjoyed college more without such an intense work schedule..but totally agree that, if you have a plan, college is not necessary for everyone

Stephanie says:
Tue, 11th Nov 20081:56 pm

….Where does it say she transferred?

Sam says:
Tue, 11th Nov 20083:26 pm

"I dragged myself through four and a half years of college. ****I transferred schools.****"

belle says:
Tue, 11th Nov 20083:33 pm

did you work 60+ hours a week to pay for school? i don't understand why your parents thought it would be a good idea for you to compromise your life and your education by taking on both of those things when you clearly wanted to pursue something that did not require a degree.

Anonomous says:
Tue, 11th Nov 20084:45 pm

I went to college for about a year and a half and just left a few weeks ago. By second semester of freshman year I was so depressed I was trashing my GPA, I took summer classes to get it back up a bit, and the beginning of my sophomore year started out badly and just got worse. I decided to just go home because I was so unhappy I was getting physically ill and so financially taxed that it was a huge burden. I'm glad to be home and it's nitce to see someone else that did the same thing thats not saying it's a huge mistake.

Kerry says:
Tue, 11th Nov 20087:41 pm

"Anonomous" needs to return to school, or buy a dictionary

Stephanie says:
Wed, 12th Nov 20083:52 am

Lol, I assumed that she transferred somewhere else in NY..not from UCLA.

"And so I packed my nervous bags and made way to New York by way of Ohio."

idk, just misunderstood that I guess..lol.

Alice says:
Wed, 12th Nov 200811:45 pm

No offense, but I think what you did was irresponsible and shortsighted. Had you made the decision to not go to college I wouldn't have judged you – but why drop out a semester before the end??

Yes it may have been tough, but you essentially threw away all that hard work and all your misery and sacrifice was for nothing. Wanting to be a musician is all well and good, but what happens when it turns out that there are 500,000 other musicians in your zip code who also want to earn money?

Basically what I'm saying is, if you made a decision, STICK to it. A degree could have come in helpful later in life.

D says:
Fri, 14th Nov 20086:38 pm

Alice I’m torn between agreeing with you and feeling 100% the opposite. It is “wasteful” to drop out a semester shy of graduating. Certainly after suffering so long the little extra push seems so very worth it. However, college is not for people who do not want to be there. This isn’t high school. Some may be able to sail by for the first year or so and a handful may be able to get a degree with no real passion but for most…I dare to say that’s untrue. College is a commitment but it’s one that shouldn’t be made out of fear or guilt. I think this article is addressing that important fact.

YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL AND NOT GO TO COLLEGE! It’s true. Depending on what field you go into college won’t do diddly piddly for you. Maybe the experience alone is a reason to go. Maybe you do want an employment safety net that college degrees generally offer.

Or maybe you want to go and experience the world. College isn’t just for those straight out of high school and technical schools and courses are all over the place. The point is as long as you have some kind of goal…why not put off/skip college? If it isn’t for you it isn’t for you. No amount of guilt or fear will make it worth your suffering. If anything you can always go back later if you really want to.

And finally, college students change their majors all the time and many freshmen drop out or transfer. When you are laying down serious cash for an education just “sucking it up” is cheating yourself. There is no shame in changing the game plan when other factors change.

nndr says:
Tue, 30th Mar 20106:38 pm

I'm thinking about doing the same thing this very moment. I need a year left to graduate with a film degree. I have failed many classes and will be failing more by the end of this semester. I just don't do the work. I don't go to classes. After 4 years here (plus one year taking a break), I feel I have learned everything I need to. Apart from some general chemistry and history classes, I don't think I can learn anything else from the teachers. Most of the things I've learned, I've learned by myself – without the teachers' help. I see so many other students running around pulling their hairs out, stressing about how much work they have to do, but I look at myself a feel the opposite. Even if I took time for homework, I know I wouldn't be as busy as they make it sound. Whenever I get around to doing homework, I enjoy it. However, I think the problem may be that I am not interested in their assignments. The only assignments I work hard on are the few films they have me do. I feel out of place, I feel like I'm above all of my core classes. Perhaps I've just been here too long. I like learning. I take time to learn and read things on my own, but I don't take time to read what I'm supposed to. But with all this in mind, quitting school sounds daunting, like there is a hell out there waiting for me. School has become my bubble and I am afraid to leave. The irony is that I would feel the same fear even after graduating.

Erika says:
Sat, 26th Jun 20109:28 pm

im thinking of leaving school too. its now summer 2010 i just finished my second year of college no summer school and well my grades are horrible and its not that i didnt go to class or didnt do the work, i did but my grades still didnt improve as hard as i tried my gpa is still horrible. im seriously considering not going for fall 2010 but i feel guilt since me and my mom moved all the way to where i go to college now and everyone in my family is like "erika the doctor" which makes me feel horrible every time i hear them say that im seriously depressed and i have been for a while now i don't know where my life is going and im afraid to continue the way i am now. i really wish i could have a time machine or something to change everything and make it better but i cant and now im stuck with a decision that i really dont want to make

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