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Am I wasting my goddamn time?!?!

SeanKelly

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First off, thanks for clicking on my crazy thread title...

So basically I'm currently enrolled in my local county college free of charge (graduated in top 15% of high school class) and I'm nearly done with the first semester. Before I stepped foot in a college I had a strong feeling it wasn't for me, but pressure from my parents caused me to go. I stayed local so that I could continue to run my landscaping business. Here are my problems though...

1. I cannot take the professors seriously. The material they teach is appropriate for middle school children.
2. Everyone seems to be so brainwashed, anti-fast lane, and convinced that this is the path to wealth.
3. Although it's free, I feel my time is being wasted. I wouldn't mind paying for an education that benefited me, but this clearly isn't and time is my most precious asset. Reminds me of MJ discussing the free burger at Wendy's.
4. I'm working towards a goal I have no interest in. I have no desire to become a good employee for a big corporation. I get a thrill from just running my landscaping business, and that is what I consider fun.

Yes, I am aware that college is a safe route... however, I'd rather fail miserably at something I love than excel in a field that ages me. Thoughts and suggestions??
 
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tua79610

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That’s a tough decision you have and only you can decide what’s best for you.

I was in the same place 5 years ago, basically went to college to please my parents. The whole time I went I knew I didn’t want to be an engineer the rest of my life. Now, here I am stuck working for someone else trying to figure a way out.

The same time I went to college my one friend started his own business, a stair-lift company. As I spent 4 years studying, he spent 4 years building his business. Today he restores speed boats for fun while his employees run his business. I on the other hand sit in a cube for 40hrs a week wishing I would have done what I wanted.

Good luck with whatever you decide.
 

PatrickP

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Personally I can get something out of having to stop at a stop light or wait longer at the Dr.'s office.

I also wouldn't use the Lord's name in vain.
 

johnp

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I was a senior in college when I came up with my start-up. It was my last semester. I needed funding (or thought that I did at the time). So what did I do?

I wrote a business plan and started working my a$$ off to find investors.

I had no product.

A few weeks passed and a wealthy and very smart Doctor in the US calls me up from only a couple of states away. Within one week I find myself and my partner eating breakfast with him discussing terms of a potential investment.

By the end of the breakfast I landed my investment, and had enough money to get the ball rolling on my idea.

The take away:

If I had no college degree then he wouldn't have invested in me. I know that for a fact. Whether people want to admit it or not, college is a yardstick, which many use to measure your potential.

I learned how to talk, think, act, read, write, listen, and live in college. Everything that I learned, and nearly all of the people that I met helped me with what I am doing today. I even had professors give me advice on my business plan.

There are very successful people here that dropped out, or didn't go. I'm not saying it's necessary. But I tend to think that it can only help you. It cant' hurt.

Finally I think you are asking the wrong question.

start with this:

Do I want to be in college?

if so,

Then ask, am I going to the right school? Am I networking with the right people? Am I taking the right courses? Am I not drinking enough haha, you gotta have fun too.

Then go from there. But only you can answer that. Nobody here can help you.
 
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johnp

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I was a senior in college when I came up with my start-up. It was my last semester. I needed funding (or thought that I did at the time). So what did I do?

I wrote a business plan and started working my a$$ off to find investors.

I had no product.

A few weeks passed and a wealthy and very smart Doctor in the US calls me up from only a couple of states away. Within one week I find myself and my partner eating breakfast with him discussing terms of a potential investment.

By the end of the breakfast I landed my investment, and had enough money to get the ball rolling on my idea.

The take away:

If I had no college degree then he wouldn't have invested in me. I know that for a fact. Whether people want to admit it or not, college is a yardstick, which many use to measure your potential.

I learned how to talk, think, act, read, write, listen, and live in college. Everything that I learned, and nearly all of the people that I met helped me with what I am doing today. I even had professors give me advice on my business plan.

There are very successful people here that dropped out, or didn't go. I'm not saying it's necessary. But I tend to think that it can only help you. It cant' hurt.

Finally I think you are asking the wrong question.

start with this:

Do I want to be in college?

if so,

Then ask, am I going to the right school? Am I networking with the right people? Am I taking the right courses? Am I not drinking enough haha, you gotta have fun too.

Then go from there. But only you can answer that. Nobody here can help you.
 

SeanKelly

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Personally I can get something out of having to stop at a stop light or wait longer at the Dr.'s office.

I also wouldn't use the Lord's name in vain.

That's all fine and well, but the level of productivity is significantly different depending on the situation. I'll surely get more done at my desk, rather than a stop light. I can benefit from college, but is the time spent worth it? Also, wasn't aware the title was offensive when I created it.
That’s a tough decision you have and only you can decide what’s best for you.

I was in the same place 5 years ago, basically went to college to please my parents. The whole time I went I knew I didn’t want to be an engineer the rest of my life. Now, here I am stuck working for someone else trying to figure a way out.

The same time I went to college my one friend started his own business, a stair-lift company. As I spent 4 years studying, he spent 4 years building his business. Today he restores speed boats for fun while his employers run his business. I on the other hand sit in a cube for 40hrs a week wishing I would have done what I wanted.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

I'm sorry to hear that. This is exactly what I'm trying to avoid.
 

SeanKelly

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I was a senior in college when I came up with my start-up. It was my last semester. I needed funding (or thought that I did at the time). So what did I do?

I wrote a business plan and started working my a$$ off to find investors.

I had no product.

A few weeks passed and a wealthy and very smart Doctor in the US calls me up from only a couple of states away. Within one week I find myself and my partner eating breakfast with him discussing terms of a potential investment.

By the end of the breakfast I landed my investment, and had enough money to get the ball rolling on my idea.

The take away:

If I had no college degree then he wouldn't have invested in me. I know that for a fact. Whether people want to admit it or not, college is a yardstick, which many use to measure your potential.

I learned how to talk, think, act, read, write, listen, and live in college. Everything that I learned, and nearly all of the people that I met helped me with what I am doing today. I even had professors give me advice on my business plan.

There are very successful people here that dropped out, or didn't go. I'm not saying it's necessary. But I tend to think that it can only help you. It cant' hurt.

Finally I think you are asking the wrong question.

start with this:

Do I want to be in college?

if so,

Then ask, am I going to the right school? Am I networking with the right people? Am I taking the right courses? Am I not drinking enough haha, you gotta have fun too.

Then go from there. But only you can answer that. Nobody here can help you.

Thank you for your response and great job with getting funded. However, people who assess your self-worth and ability based upon an increasingly worthless piece of paper are ignorant.
 
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InMotion

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cannot take the professors seriously. The material they teach is appropriate for middle school children.

CC is starkly different than a major university...having attended both in the past I can tell you CC is like high school, but it is the best route to go if your having to pay for it. If you can go to a major university for free you may look into that instead; completely different atmosphere. If your going the 4 year degree route, and stay at the CC, look ahead and pick your 4 year school now and contact them ahead of time to make sure your CC courses will transfer. If its free I would go to school; study something useful and start a business on the side while going to a university. Just don't believe all the bullshit they tell you; they will try to train you to be an employee because that's what they know.
 

SeanKelly

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CC is starkly different than a major university...having attended both in the past I can tell you CC is like high school, but it is the best route to go if your having to pay for it. If you can go to a major university for free you may look into that instead; completely different atmosphere. If your going the 4 year degree route, and stay at the CC, look ahead and pick your 4 year school now and contact them ahead of time to make sure your CC courses will transfer. If its free I would go to school; study something useful and start a business on the side while going to a university.

That is plan as of now. I'm working diligently to have a side business really take off so that I can justify leaving this dreadful place.
 

johnp

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Thank you for your response and great job with getting funded. However, people who assess your self-worth and ability based upon an increasingly worthless piece of paper are ignorant.

So? People are ignorant. Great you just said something that we all already know. That's the way the world works.

If the first part of a resume shows that your competition went to Harvard and the first part of your resume shows that you went to Community College ABC, then who do you think is going to stand out more on the first 10 seconds of a resume. Your competition. Yes, degrees are even perceived to carry different values. THAT'S IGNORANT. And if you have a problem with that then go start some sort of freaking protest against ignorance.

Don't bullshit around and be wishy washy. That's too much of that crap going on. Face the facts of life because your competition already has faced the facts and they are now one step ahead of you while you reply about a human's perception on a piece of paper.
 
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SeanKelly

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So? People are ignorant. Great you just said something that we all already know. That's the way the world works.

If the first part of a resume shows that your competition went to Harvard and the first part of your resume shows that you went to Community College ABC, then who do you think is going to stand out more on the first 10 seconds of a resume. Your competition. Yes, degrees are even perceived to carry different values. THAT'S IGNORANT. And if you have a problem with that then go start some sort of freaking protest against ignorance.

Don't bullshit around and be wishy washy. That's too much of that crap going on. Face the facts of life because your competition already has faced the facts and they are now one step ahead of you while you reply about a human's perception on a piece of paper.

I agree with you completely. I'm going to go start working towards a few of my goals.
 

MJ DeMarco

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I get a thrill from just running my landscaping business, and that is what I consider fun.

Follow what motivates you. It sounds like that any business and the act of being in charge and providing value, will make you happy.

The same time I went to college my one friend started his own business, a stair-lift company. As I spent 4 years studying, he spent 4 years building his business. Today he restores speed boats for fun while his employers run his business. I on the other hand sit in a cube for 40hrs a week wishing I would have done what I wanted.

Wow. Talk about a great example of the "trap".

So basically I'm currently enrolled in my local county college

Lets PLEASE not turn this into another "is college a waste" thread. Thanks. :)
 

Russell

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Hey Sean, a common problem, here's my take.

So much of life is playing a bad hand well. Being in University is a fantastic opportunity. If you have an IQ above room temperature, the work load shouldn't take you more than a few hours a day. Your living expenses are at an all time low. You have access to massive resources, books, software, staff, businesses, peers. If your Uni has a business startup incubator, just ask to meet people running some of these businesses, I did and it was awesome.

You say that your peers are slowlaners, but are they slowlaners with money? Ever read Tim Ferris? You don't need a customer list, you have access to 1000s of people just like you. Why not change your mindset about the whole experience and start a business selling to students?

Something else to remember: Are degrees worthless? Maybe. We think so, but MOST people don't.

Just today, my degree came in handy. I'm doing web design/software dev freelance during the day and working on my business during the night. So today I went out with flyers for local businesses. One man I spoke to asked me flat out "Are you any good?" and I replied "Got a degree in Computer Science from bla bla bla", as soon as he heard degree he cut me off and started chatting about his problems. He also gave me the contact details for another local IT guy who 'might have some work'. Another example: Several months ago I was living in Australia and looked into getting a more permanent visa. I was eligible, but I decided against it, wouldn't have been possible at all without a degree.

Many people won't even give you a chance without having a degree. I don't want to deal with those people either, but such is life.

On the flip side...

If you're going into massive debt for your degree... $60k in the red and you want to be an entrepreneur? Bad call, unless you're in an Engineering type field. If your parents are paying, then that's an awesome gift which millions around the world would kill for.

My only real advice is to choose, then kick a$$.
 
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If the first part of a resume shows that your competition went to Harvard and the first part of your resume shows that you went to Community College ABC, then who do you think is going to stand out more on the first 10 seconds of a resume. Your competition. Yes, degrees are even perceived to carry different values. THAT'S IGNORANT. And if you have a problem with that then go start some sort of freaking protest against ignorance.

OR You could spend the 4 years of college trying different ideas, creating products, and learning by doing instead of learning from a 10 years old lecture. By the end of those 4 years of trying things in real life and self learning, you should have established a business/product (if not, you are def. not an entrepreneur).

Now, you and another competitor(graduate from Harvard) are both applying for funding from the same place.
Your resume:
  • Launched XYZ and profitted X amount of money
  • Launched ABC and profitted Y amount of money
  • Didn't go to college
  • Knows how to validate market
  • Knows what could possibly work and what won't from past failed and successful ideas

Your competitors resume:
  • Graduated from Harvard with a degree in Business
  • Spent over 100,000$ in tuition fees
  • Loans to pay back
  • Zero real life business experience
  • *maybe* knows how to validate market

It's obvious who would get the funding. Now, of course choosing path A of not going to college has its own risks of never succeeding in business, but that's the difference between an entrepreneur and a slowlaner imo.
 

Vigilante

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It's about time this forum has a discussion about COLLEGE.
 
D

DeletedUser2

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Find someone who is successful.
bring them significant value, Stay poor and work for them for free for 1.5 yrs or more.
WORTH 1M dollar education. 1 on 1 mentor ship is much harder, but it gets you there faster.

if school is not for you, evaluate why you are doing it.

BTW I left school early, Never went back, and have done very well. (and I have had lots of investors who didn't care if I had a degree or not)



Z
 
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johnp

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OR You could spend the 4 years of college trying different ideas, creating products, and learning by doing instead of learning from a 10 years old lecture. By the end of those 4 years of trying things in real life and self learning, you should have established a business/product (if not, you are def. not an entrepreneur).

Huh? all I was doing was explaining how people are ignorant. I actually did what you said above. Created two businesses which paid my way through college. Did you?

It's obvious who would get the funding. Now, of course choosing path A of not going to college has its own risks of never succeeding in business, but that's the difference between an entrepreneur and a slowlaner imo.

It's not about getting funded. I was using it as an example of how the experience helped me. Looking back I probably didn't need a dime in funds and I wish I never took the money.
 

The-J

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This is your decision and your decision only.

Although your parents might not let you live in their house if you decide not to go to college. Community college doesn't have to take up 24 hours of your day and you can build a business or work for free while you go.
 

LamboMP

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If you have a business and it's already making money, and are happy, why the heck are you even in college. People goto college so they can get a job to make money. You already are making money without it. Am I missing something here? Forget about your parents happiness, its YOUR LIFE.
 
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Alana

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Here’s my two sense: I left college (a private, elite college) after my first year. I took a look around everyday on campus and just heard again and again in my gut/heart/head: this is not for you. So I left….and went to work in a National Park where I worked in the coffee shop, worked as a rooms keeper, and eventually (after I returned home to take some necessary classes), helped with the Search and Rescue team. I loved it…every minute of it. But even living in what many people consider to be paradise, I came back home to figure out what else was in store for me. This was 4 years after I left college. All of my friends in town had already graduated. The time just flew by, and they all had their degrees and I didn’t. It was incredibly hard going back to school (I’m a work bug…I like to be on my feet and moving around…and sitting back in a classroom when I could be on my feet working making money was too tempting not to do). I completed about 50 units and as soon as I got a good paying job, I left school all together and never looked back. I actually really liked my job and wanted to move up the ladder…which I did…but here’s where you need to pay attention: every time I interviewed for a promotion in a career that I really really liked, someone with a darn degree (didn’t even matter if the degree was in the field of work they were applying for) got the job and I didn’t. It took countless re-tries to finally get the promotions (I wouldn’t give up….)….but I made it that much harder for me to be taken seriously as a candidate without having the college education. And even when I did obtain the job title I wanted, I realized that it was as far as I could possibly go because every position above me required a 4 year degree.
I knew what I was capable of as a worker. I knew that I was a smart cookie and could do a good job. But general society insists on that degree. It’s that piece of paper that puts your resume over someone without one.
You could do it backwards right now: get the piece of paper and use it as your plan B. I know you think “well, I don’t want to associate with people who put my worth on my education/piece of paper”….I get that. A degree is just a stepping stone on your path and it doesn’t define you. A piece of paper doesn’t state your worth, but neither does NOT having one. If anything, it shows you have grit to stick with something and finishes it. That is my regret: I started something and didn’t finish it---that’s it.
Work on your Plan A (what you really want to focus on) right now too---it doesn’t have to be one or the other.

ps: my story turned out pretty good…(see bio)…but there’s still a lot of work ahead of me…
 

theBiz

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Find someone who is successful.
bring them significant value, Stay poor and work for them for free for 1.5 yrs or more.
WORTH 1M dollar education. 1 on 1 mentor ship is much harder, but it gets you there faster.

Such good advice.... but dont listen to it... you have to formulate your own ideas and follow them, and dont ever blame your failures on anyone else...its your world, you do what you want. I hated school but me personally it helped, i ran a business just like you are while in school and felt the same things you are, maybe id be rich if i left, not sure, but again i am definitely not regretting it now.


OR You could spend the 4 years of college trying different ideas, creating products, and learning by doing instead of learning from a 10 years old lecture. By the end of those 4 years of trying things in real life and self learning, you should have established a business/product (if not, you are def. not an entrepreneur).

Let me be the first to say that is completely wrong. Comments like this bother me. When i was 18 i started various businesses which all made money but barely, most would of said a just get a job, and they did. I learned skills that if now you dropped me in the middle of no where i would get out. When i failed those first few years it taught me humility, tolerance, and respect for everyone. It hurt to fail but made me try harder and work harder, if i would of stopped after 4 years i would be no where, there was no starting point, no middle, and there will be no end.. its an ever going process .. THAT is the definition of an entrepreneur.

Out of no where i made $10,000 in one day in college or right out, dont remember, it was not a "scaleable" but took so long to figure out how to do that, years. That was literally the greatest day of my entire life to date, i challenged myself to learn how to make money FAST, not repeatable but FAST, and i finally did it. After i felt the reality of FAST money it became a matter of learning how to create systems and repeat. Every single entrepreneur you hear that made millions in 1 year or 5 whatever..... they all have a laundry list of old failed businesses you dont know about. Also some people take longer to become successful then come out and sell a company for 10M so there is no way to gauge it... just wake up and go for it everyday and dont listen to anyone negative.

I believe you'll be fine either way, you sound motivated and actually smart enough to challenge your current situation. If you do choose to stay respect the situation and take away whatever you can from it.
 

The-J

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If you have a business and it's already making money, and are happy, why the heck are you even in college. People goto college so they can get a job to make money. You already are making money without it. Am I missing something here? Forget about your parents happiness, its YOUR LIFE.

You are missing something: his parents said they would throw him out of the house if he didn't go. I don't know if this is still true, but that's one thing I remember from his past thread.
 
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CarrieW

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its a free education. and on top of it someone is paying for you to live and eat and for you to go to school? probably a car to drive around also?

I dont understand the question...
 

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Huh? all I was doing was explaining how people are ignorant. I actually did what you said above. Created two businesses which paid my way through college. Did you?



It's not about getting funded. I was using it as an example of how the experience helped me. Looking back I probably didn't need a dime in funds and I wish I never took the money.

I don't know your history, I was just responding to your comment without even knowing who you are and what you've done. No offense, just my opinion.
 

johnp

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Best comment below. I feel like the thread should end there.

Such good advice.... but dont listen to it... you have to formulate your own ideas and follow them, and dont ever blame your failures on anyone else...its your world, you do what you want. I hated school but me personally it helped, i ran a business just like you are while in school and felt the same things you are, maybe id be rich if i left, not sure, but again i am definitely not regretting it now.




Let me be the first to say that is completely wrong. Comments like this bother me. When i was 18 i started various businesses which all made money but barely, most would of said a just get a job, and they did. I learned skills that if now you dropped me in the middle of no where i would get out. When i failed those first few years it taught me humility, tolerance, and respect for everyone. It hurt to fail but made me try harder and work harder, if i would of stopped after 4 years i would be no where, there was no starting point, no middle, and there will be no end.. its an ever going process .. THAT is the definition of an entrepreneur.

Out of no where i made $10,000 in one day in college or right out, dont remember, it was not a "scaleable" but took so long to figure out how to do that, years. That was literally the greatest day of my entire life to date, i challenged myself to learn how to make money FAST, not repeatable but FAST, and i finally did it. After i felt the reality of FAST money it became a matter of learning how to create systems and repeat. Every single entrepreneur you hear that made millions in 1 year or 5 whatever..... they all have a laundry list of old failed businesses you dont know about. Also some people take longer to become successful then come out and sell a company for 10M so there is no way to gauge it... just wake up and go for it everyday and dont listen to anyone negative.

I believe you'll be fine either way, you sound motivated and actually smart enough to challenge your current situation. If you do choose to stay respect the situation and take away whatever you can from it.
 
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I'm currently in college and here is what I think:

You should go to college. Especially if its freakin FREE!

At this age young guys tend to be WAY over confident, I sure am. "Eh F*ck college its for the rat race" or "its a VIP ticket to a cubicle" or "I'm a F*cken bad a$$ super entrepreneur, ima hit it big anyways, i dont need college."

College has shaped me as an individual that I am very pleased with.

Here are the classes I am taking this semester:

1. Entrepreneurial Finance
2. Personal Taxation, strategies, cost accounting
3. Intermediate Finance
4. Intermediate International finance and world markets
5. Real estate development


A waste of time? No freakin way. Sure I can learn all this crap on my own with some discipline but lets face it most people won't and lets face it, we will all FAIL miserably over and over. A job is a good thing to have while following your dreams.

Dont even get me started on some of the humanity classes that have really helped me look at life completely different. Who would have know that philosophy is actually fastlane? OR that it is used for personal self help. Tony robbins got all of his ideas from the humanities believe it or not. And steve jobs credits it with his success. I found that out in college. A waste of time? hell no.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-innovations/why-you-should-quit-your-tech-job-and-study-the-humanities/2012/05/16/gIQAvibbUU_story.html

Just be smart about the cost. Ima pay 14k for a Finance degree and a college experience. Worth it? Hell yeah it is.
 

Ãœbertreffen

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It's definitely normal for many to second guess their degree and change it or decide if they even want to go to school. Whether it's for you or not, listen to yourself and only to yourself. Weigh your options and allow that to be your deciding factor.

College can sometimes be of benefit for certain people. It can push you out of your comfort zone. Public speaking is something many have trouble with, which is why those individuals try to avoid it at all costs. Talking in front of people can be a #1 fear for some. If you're in a program where you have to do a lot of it, it can help work on those fears or weaknesses. Coming out of it you could become more well-rounded.

For me personally, I didn't have to go to college. Unlike many fresh out of high school, I already knew what I wanted to do with my life and was already on my journey before I even graduated high school. The thing is I was going to college while I was still in high school.

Why I decided to stick to it or what I wanted to get out of it is completely irrelevant as it could differ completely from you. What you learn in school can be a lot of BS. A lot you could learn online these days or you could work with a mentor to show you the ropes which would be the best experience and education you could get your hands on. Even now there are companies that have a team of people to help get your ideas/plans off the ground, just like incubators you may see on some university campuses.

Someone can have a completely different experience from another. I was able to do what I wanted outside of the school life. My program required me to go to a lot of business seminars and trips which were great for networking. I had to do real life deals with VP's or managers of major companies by convincing them to certain tasks out of the ordinary. All said and done I must have stood out from everyone else as I unexpectedly received many businesses awards during this time. Do they mean anything today? Probably not, but I had some great experiences that I got out of it and I definitely cannot say it impacted me negatively.

Had any of my ventures taken off rapidly while I was still in school, I couldn't tell you if I would have stayed in school or not. I live in the moment but also always think far outside the box about the far distant future. You cannot regret the past. You learn from it. You don't want to be 10 years down the road and regret anything. Whether that's taking more action business wise, not going to high school prom, or not having a degree to fall back on. It doesn't matter just do what you want, not because of outside influence.

The important part here is that you have many choices in life. Some parts in your life you will have to do things you don't entirely enjoy to get to the next chapter.

I wish you the best, no matter your decision.



- Devin
 

Mike39

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I am glad we finally discussed this college thing, we never seem to cover this topic..... :tdown:
























It's your choice, every situation is unique, if you want more advice, read the million, trillion threads on college here. :bgh:

Edit: no disrespect intended towards your OP but any thread that even mentions the c word and everyone feels the need to jump in and prove their argument, and we get nowhere.
 
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andyredsox

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I left college early and decided to do my thing.

Looking back, I have no regrets..

I have gone through a lot but made me a better person and made me better at what I do.

I have some successful business online now and can travel to places I want from the money i'm making..

Now, my take on your problem is this...

You can still run a business while you're in college. Network with the right people while you're at it.

You can even find some common problem of students like you and make a business out of it.

It's still your call man.

College isn't 24/7. Use your time well..
 

Skys

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It's important to know what you want, and to know what you don't want. But even more important, is why you want it or why you don't want it.

Finish school. You started it, you made a commitment, now finish it.
 

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