Today is the day I quit university!

[Sweeetland]

That's right...

It may have taken close to a year but I've finally come to the realisation that university just isn't for me. I'm glad i've got the courage to pursue something which I will enjoy but also match up with my aspirations.

So what now?

I'm currently a nightclub promoter for student events and this brings in pretty good money considering how little time it takes up. I've also had some recent success in flipping products on ebay too, but this has only been small change really. I can get by like this for now but my true ambitions are to start a biz.

I believe I have the right mindset (though I am constantly striving to improve) and this is the first hurdle right? I'd like to get your guys opinion on where I should go next. Since after making such a big decision, my choses today could have big consequences tomorrow.

Books to read, skills to learn or literally any piece of advice, big or small which will be of use to me. Maybe you've been in a similar situation yourself or even your a successful biz owner searching for a mentee.

I recognise the importance of continual learning, I am eager and willing to work hard for my ambitions, I just want to make sure my ladder is against the right wall this time.


Big thanks to the book and TMF for helping me make such a hard decision.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

I'd like to get your guys opinion on where I should go next.

So what now?

You probably should have known these things before quitting UNI. Is your club promotion gig something you can pursue?

Big thanks to the book and TMF for helping me make such a hard decision.

While we all appear to be gung-ho around here about "quitting your job" or "quitting school", doing these things for the sake of doing them
often times isn't the best plan. Jumping out of the nest and hoping to find your wings on the way down is a really novel mantra, at least until you hit the concrete. I really hope it works out for you. Now the real work begins.

 

[Gsuz]

If you now stop forcing us to look at Mark Wahlberg, you're well on your way to success

 

[Angus]

Hey guys, today is the day I'm gonna jump off a bridge.
I'm super excited about bungee jumping!
I have no bungee cord though.
Whatever, I'm gonna find a rope while jumping. Thank you bungee forum!

 

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[PureA]

Everyone in here is being a tad mean although its probably what you need to hear.

I see you have yourself an INSIDERS subscription so you can't be doing too bad. As commonly prescribed I advise you read all gold threads. I also recommend listening to the ForeverJobless podcast, it has inspired me a lot whilst I am in a similar position to you.

 

[AubreyJ]

I don't have the business experience like some of the other forum members do, but I did drop out of school- so I do know how that feels. I agree with what MJ said, it probably would have been a good idea to have a business plan before dropping out of school. I am 100% for dropping out if you have a plan- but whenever people drop out without a proper plan of action, that is whenever they run into some problems (or at least that is what I have seen with various friends/family members who didn't go to college)

But regardless, good luck! Now concentrate on developing a plan of action on how you are going to create a business

 

[Bowden]

It's always best for one to have something set up that makes money prior to quitting a job or school.

But, I wish you the best of luck. It can happen and has been done countless times already.

 

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[socaldude]

Quitting university is not exactly bad. We all have our personal reasons.

But my question is: How many books have you checked out from the university library? How much time do you spend there if ever?

These questions expose your willingness and desire to learn new things that are required to create value.

Many people love the idea of successful entrepreneurship but many don't understand what is required.

 

[Nadia]

Congratulations. I dropped Uni in my 2nd year, really should have never been in the first place.

So you're making decent cashola? Good. Start educating yourself, read books and then start to lay the foundations of building a business and funnel that money there. Don't get off on the fact you quit and you're something special.

However you are, when you have put your money where your mouth is.

Don't write a cheque with your mouth that your a$$ cannot cash.

 

[Wolf]

Didn't enjoy my first year either. Fortunately, I managed to get a job at my dream company so I have something to do for now at least. I suggest try building valuable skills in your spare time. I'm going to try app development myself, seems like they are only going to become bigger. Best of luck with whatever you do

 

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[458]

Lol.. Would you like fries with that?

 

[Sweeetland]

You probably should have known these things before quitting UNI. Is your club promotion gig something you can pursue?

It's always best for one to have something set up that makes money prior to quitting a job or school.

This is what I planned in an ideal world, however, as silly as this may sound, my degree caused me a great deal of pain knowing that I didn't enjoy one bit of university life and it was all self-inflicted.

So you might say 'we all have to do things we don't want to do'. Very true you are except not all these things are a matter of choice. So for the sake of my health I decided to quit.

Maybe I was a bit unclear with regards to my nightclub promotion. This is a well paid job (£300/week) cash in hand for max 20 hours/week + future opportunities. Sure, it's not loads but I have not simply jumped off a bridge.

Judging by some of the responses, I clearly overestimated the value of TFF, but thank you to the rest who provided constructive advice.

 

[Patchwork Girl]

Well done on knowing what you don't want - now it's time to figure out want you do want

cash in hand

- I always wonder about this phrase - does it make any difference that your pay is in cash?

 

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[RHL]

as silly as this may sound, my degree caused me a great deal of pain knowing that I didn't enjoy one bit of university life and it was all self-inflicted

"Burning the boats" can either be the greatest indicator of entrepreneurial seriousness, or the strongest indicator of looming entrepreneurial failure, depending on what precipitated it. For the serious entrepreneur, burning the boats is a harrowing but calculated decision taken once ones "armies" are in place and readied for battle, to force victory with the seriousness of Damoclean circumstances. Read @JackEdwards "1000th Post" if you want to get a feeling for what that "scared sh**less determination" looks like.

For the wantrepreneur, it's another action fake, a chance to do what they do best-give up on something that is mildly unsatisfactory, or difficult, or does not please them. For the wantrepreneur, it's all about them-"I didn't like (the job, the school, the degree, the trade), It wasn't for me, It didn't fit me, I don't want to spend my life doing that." Great. Most people are unhappy with what they're doing, deep down, or at least wish for more freedom. But where, in those statements, was the declaration of a way to add value to others that is the key to moving from bondage to freedom?

Being a dropout does not a success make. For every one of this guy:

There are a hundred of this guy:

The one dropped out because he could meet the needs of more people faster that way. The other dropped out because he wasn't at his "dream" job or in his "dream" field, only to find that five years later, it didn't help him get any closer to his dreams. Your dream has to be to make someone happy. Otherwise, if you're in it for you, you're not going to go fastlane, you're going to build someone else's. Someone else got up this morning thinking "How can I get Sweetland what he wants today?" And because that guy set out to take care of you, he will. You'll buy this guy's headphones, stream his movies, eat his food, or drive his cars, and he'll be in the fastlane while you're on the sidewalk, cleaning his drive-through sign to pay for it all.

Don't let that be you. Start with a plan that puts other people's needs first. Use your promoter money to buy only things other people need, even if it's just reselling on ebay for now.

Also, this is the forum's most significant source of value:

I clearly overestimated the value of TFF

We don't sugar coat things. You are, right now, simultaneously in either the best or worst position of your life to affect your net worth and have a shot at spending most of your life on a beach with your spouse rather than behind a desk going blind from the florescent lights. Which it is depends on your choices, so you might want to spend some time reading the Mindset, Motivation, Choices section of the website, or MJ's book again.

 

[AlterJoule]

You haven't over estimated the forum. You've simply misunderstood... This forum isn't comprised of a bunch of reckless gamblers who make huge livings throwing mud at a walls and seeing what sticks. Not the good ones at least... What you have done is jumped without planning, it seems.

But this will be fun for you. Eventually the rebellion-induced high will fade and you will be met with one of only two situations:

1) You will say to yourself, "Oh shit!!! What have I done!!!??" and the anxiety and stress will serve as the fuel to do something really great.

2) You will say to yourself, "Oh shit!!! What have I done!!!??" and the anxiety and stress will force you back onto a "safer" path until you iron things out. Then try again later.

Regardless, you have learned something about yourself.

If scenario 1, you will learn that you work well under stress and you can work magic simply by "flying by the seat of your pants."

If scenario 2, you will learn that you need more structure and you succeed best by first "having all you ducks in a row."

Once you know how you work, you can attack it accordingly...

 

[Nadia]

"Burning the boats" can either be the greatest indicator of entrepreneurial seriousness, or the strongest indicator of looming entrepreneurial failure, depending on what precipitated it. For the serious entrepreneur, burning the boats is a harrowing but calculated decision taken once ones "armies" are in place and readied for battle, to force victory with the seriousness of Damoclean circumstances. Read @JackEdwards "1000th Post" if you want to get a feeling for what that "scared sh**less determination" looks like.

For the wantrepreneur, it's another action fake, a chance to do what they do best-give up on something that is mildly unsatisfactory, or difficult, or does not please them. For the wantrepreneur, it's all about them-"I didn't like (the job, the school, the degree, the trade), It wasn't for me, It didn't fit me, I don't want to spend my life doing that." Great. Most people are unhappy with what they're doing, deep down, or at least wish for more freedom. But where, in those statements, was the declaration of a way to add value to others that is the key to moving from bondage to freedom?

Being a dropout does not a success make. For every one of this guy:

There are a hundred of this guy:

The one dropped out because he could meet the needs of more people faster that way. The other dropped out because he wasn't at his "dream" job or in his "dream" field, only to find that five years later, it didn't help him get any closer to his dreams. Your dream has to be to make someone happy. Otherwise, if you're in it for you, you're not going to go fastlane, you're going to build someone else's, because someone else got up this morning thinking "How can I get Sweetland what he wants today?" And because that guy set out to take care of you, he will. You'll buy this guy's headphones, stream his movies, eat his food, or drive his cars, and he'll be in the fastlane while you're on the sidewalk, cleaning his drive-through to pay for it all.

Don't let that be you. Start with a plan that puts other people's needs first. Use your promoter money to buy only things other people need, even if it's just reselling on ebay for now.

Also, this is the forum's most significant source of value:



We don't sugar coat things. You are, right now, simultaneously in either the best or worst position of your life to affect your net worth and have a shot at spending most of your life on a beach with your spouse rather than behind a desk going blind from the florescent lights. Which it is depends on your choices, so you might want to spend some time reading that section of the site and MJ's book again.

GOLD.

 

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[Worldisyours]

you quit school with nothing better in progress or insight...

are you listening to yourself?

 

[Formless]

F*ck it.

You can definitely do it. That is not a matter of debate.

So, will you?

 

[Pete799p]

I think something important to point out is that unlike a job, which hopefully includes wages, school typically costs money... lots of money. So unlike somebody who quits their job prematurely he was actually stopping the bleeding. (all this assumes you weren't there on scholarship)

In my humble opinion the only way college is worth it is if you approach it like business with laser focus, not just drifting through it like most. That means that you have to have an end goal in mind. Want to be a lawyer do this, engineer do this etc. I have several friends who either dropped out of or failed out of college early on who have since returned with more clarity and purpose having identified their desired end goal. They have done incredible well academically as well as leverage some of the other great doors that uni opens up for those looking for them. Consequently they are doing very well and I am sure their success will continue. They also took a more financially savvy approach looking at not just the benefit of the school but the costs and in some cases receive substantial financial aid/scholarships etc drastically reducing their debt/ capital outlay.

I am by no means a pro-college person, in fact I am the exact opposite but if you intend to do something that requires college its best to find out what that is and go to school to get there.

Now the first thing I think you should do is go get a sales job.

 

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[Ninjakid]

I did something similar.

I had a slowlane job, and decided "F*ck it, let's do it"

Didn't have a plan, but was confident (overly), that I was gonna form a plan along the way.

Boy was I wrong.

I should've AT LEAST had some plan, but I didn't, and I only REALLY became serious as an entrepreneur about a month ago.

Currently, I'm broke, and in debt. I will climb out of this hole without a doubt, but I would've saved myself so much stress had I actually had a working plan first.

Sun Tzu stressed in his book about how one must plan, and have as much intel gathered as possible.

Similarly, in business, you need to have a plan or you WILL fail.

But now that you're kind of on the point of no return, this is my advice:

Create business plan and DON'T SLEEP UNTIL YOU HAVE ONE!!

 

[vinylawesome]

You haven't over estimated the forum. You've simply misunderstood... This forum isn't comprised of a bunch of reckless gamblers who make huge livings throwing mud at a walls and seeing what sticks. Not the good ones at least... What you have done is jumped without planning, it seems.

But this will be fun for you. Eventually the rebellion-induced high will fade and you will be met with one of only two situations:

1) You will say to yourself, "Oh shit!!! What have I done!!!??" and the anxiety and stress will serve as the fuel to do something really great.

2) You will say to yourself, "Oh shit!!! What have I done!!!??" and the anxiety and stress will force you back onto a "safer" path until you iron things out. Then try again later.

Regardless, you have learned something about yourself.

If scenario 1, you will learn that you work well under stress and you can work magic simply by "flying by the seat of your pants."

If scenario 2, you will learn that you need more structure and you succeed best by first "having all you ducks in a row."

Once you know how you work, you can attack it accordingly...

"You haven't over estimated the forum. You've simply misunderstood... This forum isn't comprised of a bunch of reckless gamblers who make huge livings throwing mud at a walls and seeing what sticks. Not the good ones at least... What you have done is jumped without planning, it seems."

QFT


Relevant, Steve Wynn's way of thinking..

"Wynn himself rarely shoots craps or plays poker anymore, although you could call building billion-dollar hotels a form of high-stakes gambling.

“If you’re good at what you do, it’s a game of skill, not chance,” he told me.

“When it comes to my company’s capital, or my own personal capital, I’m not interested in gambling—I don’t want to fly without a net.

I’m not a risk-taker in the sense of, ‘Let’s give this a shot,’ no, no, no.

We analyze the deals eight ways to Sunday.”

Via: http://www.success.com/article/the-cantankerous-mr-wynn

 

[The-J]

You know what? Good for you.

University isn't for you. That's cool. Lots of people, even Slowlane successes, decided that the college path wasn't for them and decided to pursue something else. University is expensive and it takes a specific skillset to excel.

But the others are right. You jumped without looking at the bottom, and that might not have been the smartest thing to do. So, let me help you lay out your plan.

First things first: consider whatever you have in savings to be untouchable. Don't touch it on pain of death. I made this mistake. Do whatever you GOTTA to not touch it.

Now, you need a steady income. If club promoting is steady and working out for you, great. But from what I understand about the promoter gig: some seasons are better than others. It's September next week so you'll be rolling in the dough promoting your clubs to freshmen, if you aren't already. Club promoting is really a night thing/social media from what I understand, so I'd recommend you go get a DAY JOB.

Yes, that's right. a JOB. Doesn't matter what, just ask friends or family, check Craigslist, or hit up the university. Don't be F*ckin picky, either. You need to be able to pay for yourself.

Once you get that job, it's time to budget. Budget your job + promoter income and also budget your TIME. The idea is to put away as much money as possible while you learn a little bit more. Don't party too much (I know, sounds counter intuitive to promoting) and don't waste too much time.

During your downtime, you need to be doing RESEARCH on ideas, markets, niches, problems, solutions. This forum is a goldmine of information and is more than you need to get something started. I noticed you're an INSIDERS, which is awesome, there's great shit there.

When you're ready to start something, go full steam ahead. But, please, don't quit your job until you can fully support yourself + scale out from your business. Work hard, and work smart.

Good luck mate.

 

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[mgore714]

 

[tafy]

- I always wonder about this phrase - does it make any difference that your pay is in cash?

Cash in hand means its under the table and the government doesnt know about it so no taxes to pay.

When Steve Jobs quit he still went to uni but only to the classes that interested him, are you still going to be learning something atleast online?

 

[Patchwork Girl]

Thanks tafy (are you from sunny Wales too?).

I thought that was what it meant but wasn't sure (some of my jobs pay cash but it makes absolutely no difference to my tax status). I hope the op isn't beginning his entrepreneurial journey with illegal tax evasion.

 

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[Angus]

Judging by some of the responses, I clearly overestimated the value of TFF, but thank you to the rest who provided constructive advice.

It's not about sugarcoating things.
It's not about acting on an emotional basis.
It's about thinking before acting.

Generally you should plan before going to war. And that's an advice for everyone who will read this thread.

Now, you burned the boats, death ground strategy.
Do or "die".
There's no blueprint of entrepreneurial success.
Network, learn, find the craft you'll have to master, practice it, work.
You're unique, your life is in your hands, nobody can tell you what to do.

 

[tafy]

Thanks tafy (are you from sunny Wales too?).

I thought that was what it meant but wasn't sure (some of my jobs pay cash but it makes absolutely no difference to my tax status). I hope the op isn't beginning his entrepreneurial journey with illegal tax evasion.

Yes im from Wales but not sure about the sunny bit.

I dont care about the cash in hand stuff being under the table, gov screws you too much anyway. its a casual job so who cares. its probably his responsibility to register as self employed if he wants to

 

[MJ DeMarco]

"Burning the boats" can either be the greatest indicator of entrepreneurial seriousness, or the strongest indicator of looming entrepreneurial failure, depending on what precipitated it. For the serious entrepreneur, burning the boats is a harrowing but calculated decision taken once ones "armies" are in place and readied for battle, to force victory with the seriousness of Damoclean circumstances. Read @JackEdwards "1000th Post" if you want to get a feeling for what that "scared sh**less determination" looks like.

For the wantrepreneur, it's another action fake, a chance to do what they do best-give up on something that is mildly unsatisfactory, or difficult, or does not please them. For the wantrepreneur, it's all about them-"I didn't like (the job, the school, the degree, the trade), It wasn't for me, It didn't fit me, I don't want to spend my life doing that." Great. Most people are unhappy with what they're doing, deep down, or at least wish for more freedom. But where, in those statements, was the declaration of a way to add value to others that is the key to moving from bondage to freedom?

Being a dropout does not a success make. For every one of this guy:

There are a hundred of this guy:

The one dropped out because he could meet the needs of more people faster that way. The other dropped out because he wasn't at his "dream" job or in his "dream" field, only to find that five years later, it didn't help him get any closer to his dreams. Your dream has to be to make someone happy. Otherwise, if you're in it for you, you're not going to go fastlane, you're going to build someone else's. Someone else got up this morning thinking "How can I get Sweetland what he wants today?" And because that guy set out to take care of you, he will. You'll buy this guy's headphones, stream his movies, eat his food, or drive his cars, and he'll be in the fastlane while you're on the sidewalk, cleaning his drive-through sign to pay for it all.

Don't let that be you. Start with a plan that puts other people's needs first. Use your promoter money to buy only things other people need, even if it's just reselling on ebay for now.

Also, this is the forum's most significant source of value:



We don't sugar coat things. You are, right now, simultaneously in either the best or worst position of your life to affect your net worth and have a shot at spending most of your life on a beach with your spouse rather than behind a desk going blind from the florescent lights. Which it is depends on your choices, so you might want to spend some time reading the Mindset, Motivation, Choices section of the website, or MJ's book again.

Gold is right!

I clearly overestimated the value of TFF

The forum is not in the business of telling you what you want to hear. It's in the business of being straight. Quitting university is an EVENT. And yes, it is a "possible" action fake. The process is having a plan in the background that is undergoing execution. That's the hard part. That said, none of this means anything if you find your way. Sounds like you have some "hustle" in you which is great for starting. Some of this is for the lurkers who might read this and say "Cool! I'm dropping out too!" And thereafter, they find themselves on their couch twiddling their thumbs with no money asking "Huh. Now what?".

 

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[Formless]

Let's not excuse the dickish behavior under the pretense of tough love.

None of the following posts have any value in terms of advice, or encouragement, they are meaningless:

Hey guys, today is the day I'm gonna jump off a bridge.
I'm super excited about bungee jumping!
I have no bungee cord though.
Whatever, I'm gonna find a rope while jumping. Thank you bungee forum!

Lol.. Would you like fries with that?

you quit school with nothing better in progress or insight...
are you listening to yourself?

 

[Sweeetland]

I think something important to point out is that unlike a job, which hopefully includes wages, school typically costs money... lots of money. So unlike somebody who quits their job prematurely he was actually stopping the bleeding. (all this assumes you weren't there on scholarship)

Apologies guys I left a lot of information out of my initial post so I didn't properly convey my thought process. Stopping the bleeding played a key part in the reason for dropping out now, as apposed to a few weeks/months down the line, and will save me at the very least £11,500 in debt.

Yes, that's right. a JOB

Yep I completely agree, whilst I recognise I can't be picky, hopefully I can get a job that will allow me to learn something new. Which brings me onto my next point...

When Steve Jobs quit he still went to uni but only to the classes that interested him, are you still going to be learning something atleast online?

I am very keen to learn, I love learning but unfortunately I really dislike university. My talents are wasted at university, I don't feel stretched and it's not fulfilling.


My dislike for university boils down to a number of reasons...

• Turned out to be a big disappointment - Over hyped by family & school
• Disgustingly over priced - £9,000 for 9 hours of lecture time a week for only 23 weeks each year - even considering access to library network & tutors thats still very expensive.
• I haven't learnt anything since starting - Whilst I recognise you are responsible for your own learning I don't feel the information delivered to me was in way which was conducive to learning. (maybe just me?)
• When I discovered want I want in life and realised a degree is not a prerequisite I asked myself why am I here?

However I do not regret going to university at all because it has allowed me to discover what I truly want to do in life and where I would want to be. I have learnt a lot outside of university and If I hadn't have gone, I wouldn't have learnt and I have also made some great contacts.

University has been a lesson for me, a long & expensive one, but nevertheless I now know my intended destination and to me, thats invaluable. Now I need to figure out how to get there. I can and I will succeed but I am not here to prove that to you, I am here to learn so each day I can be closer to my final destination.

Thank you for all the extremely helpful replies, there's too many too thank individually.