Is going to college a waste of time?

[Mike39]

Hey, my name is mike, I am 16, and I'm finding myself with very limited time as I go to high school from 7-3 Monday through Friday, on top of that, I play high school lacrosse after school every day that runs from 3:00-6:30 and sometimes have 2 hour games on weekends. To finish off my night, I have a couple of hours of homework and am currently learning how to code, all in all I usually go to bed around 12-2 just to start the process again at 6 the next day. On top of all that, I work selling coupons door to door on the weekends in an attempt to get some start up cash (I'm pretty good and can make around $200 for 3 hours of selling!). There is a question that I have long tried to avoid but it seems to be entering my mind more and more recently, the question is: Would it be beneficial to drop out of high school? I get good grades and am very smart, I could most likely get into a pretty exclusive private college. I really want to start my fast track now, not once I get out of college, I am a quick learner and am very "entrepreneurialy":huh2: oriented and I truly believe and know I could make it big without furthering my IN SCHOOL education. If anyone has gone through this or just has any advice I would love to hear from you.

Thanks, Mike​

 

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[Kak]

Yes college is a waste of time. It is a scheme to increase intrinsic value to someone else (an employer). I went to college and I am finishing in may. It will have cost me over 120k all together. My parents though t it was important for me to go so they paid for it. I would have quit a long time ago if it wasnt for them.

I have started a business that I have control of, I control both the time I put in and the leverage. I can also leverage other people's time too. I just can't right now until I graduate. I plan to move and do not think it is right to hire some people only to fire them a few months later.

For the love of god do not do it. I am very regretful of my decision to go to college. I could have read a lot of books and figured EVERYTHING I have learned myself, outside of the classroom.

If I had used that 120k to help me build my business rather than block my business, who knows where I could be right now at age 22. Id sure as HELL be a lot smarter.

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[Danny G]

Well, if you ask me, for my personal experience in college ... I met new people, learn some new stuff which won't help me anyway. So, yeah I do believe it's a waste of time but still, i started it, I'll finish it ... i have couple more months!

 

[Trevor Kuntz]

I am in my second year of college and will be leaving school in May with an associate's. I started my own business in November, and while it is growing, I have found that it is very difficult to go to school and grow my business simultaneously because I have to change gears constantly as I get a lot of homework on very short notice. This past week was spring break for me, and I felt that I got more work done in the 3 days I had off than I did in the past month. It's amazing how much I can do in the 4 hours a day that I would normally spend doing homework. I will be taking at least the next year of school off to focus on my business 100% and will see how it goes. I know that I could get scholarships and go back to school if it doesn't work out, but right now, I'm pretending that it's not even at option. I don't want any slowlane temptation to hinder my fastlane objectives. I would certainly not drop out of high school though. At 16, you're legally at a disadvantage. I think you would be better off finishing your secondary education and spending your free time increasing your skills that can be used later (which you're doing now, so kudos to you). Once you get your diploma, you can go from there. Is there anyway that you could graduate a semester early perchance? Maybe you should look into that option.

 

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[Trevor Kuntz]

For the love of god do not do it. I am very regretful of my decision to go to college. I could have read a lot of books and figured EVERYTHING I have learned myself, outside of the classroom.

I agree. 99% of what you pay to learn in college can be learned at library or online for free. It's all about the willpower to gain that knowledge. The only reason why I'm still in college is because I only have a semester left and because I still have a 1/4 of my scholarship, so I have decided to finish what I started so I can at least leave with something to make up for the time I spent there.

 

[Kak]

An associates degree in something like accounting principles or sales may be something to think about. It will get your mind reasy to run a business at a pretty cheap (community college) tuituon. It is just all of the worthless garbage that got me. The arts, histories, the training and development, computer classes, statistics, health. Jesus, why in heck did I need this for a BUSINESS degree. The real question is why do I need a business degree? I should not be worried about my intrinsic worth. That is for people who accept mediocrity.

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[socaldude]

DO NOT drop out of high school, just get it over with. it not even that hard. just read a lot on your spare time and get to know some of your classmates, enjoy it while you can. college is not necessary to go fastlane as everything you need to know is freely available. but remember be HONEST with yourself, AGAIN be HONEST. you should only skip college if you are TRULY committed and focused on entrepreneurship. i mean the type of commitment that has people working at fast food joints, and picking up turds in public bathrooms in downtown and saving every penny they earn. I cannot stress this enough, BE HONEST with yourself, again be HONEST with yourself, one more time be HONEST. entrepreneurship is a brutal struggle filled with disappointments and huge set backs, not a happily ever after easy path to riches. college is mainly for employees but if it benefits you and the price is right then go for it. plus if you do decide to skip college you can save a lot of money working full time and work on your fastlane product or service. AGAIN you have to be honest with yourself, way too many people are not. it all comes down to discipline. are you willing to work a shit job then come home and read books pertaining to your fastlane path? are you willing to live in your car to save lots of money on rent? are you willing to save your money instead of buying that ipad or gucci sneakers?are you willing to be busting your butt while all your friends are partying in college and hooking up with chicks? be honest and realistic with yourself, human nature is to either underestimate things OR overestimate things. think about that. im currently in college and i love it, you meet a lot of people. its a great place to learn and grow. im paying my way debt free and then some to save. but dont do it if it leaves you drowning in debt, its not worth it IMO. GOOD LUCK! :coolgleamA:

 

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[BeingChewsie]

Hey, my name is mike, I am 16, and I'm finding myself with very limited time as I go to high school from 7-3 Monday through Friday, on top of that, I play high school lacrosse after school every day that runs from 3:00-6:30 and sometimes have 2 hour games on weekends. To finish off my night, I have a couple of hours of homework and am currently learning how to code, all in all I usually go to bed around 12-2 just to start the process again at 6 the next day. On top of all that, I work selling coupons door to door on the weekends in an attempt to get some start up cash (I'm pretty good and can make around $200 for 3 hours of selling!). There is a question that I have long tried to avoid but it seems to be entering my mind more and more recently, the question is: Would it be beneficial to drop out of high school? I get good grades and am very smart, I could most likely get into a pretty exclusive private college. I really want to start my fast track now, not once I get out of college, I am a quick learner and am very "entrepreneurialy":huh2: oriented and I truly believe and know I could make it big without furthering my IN SCHOOL education. If anyone has gone through this or just has any advice I would love to hear from you.

Thanks, Mike​

Hi Mike,

Finish high school. I think that is important, but there are options to do so. Have you considered an online/distance option that wouldn't consume your day from 7-3 nor require hour and hours of homework a night? There are many fully accredited, fully accepted by colleges distance/online programs. They range in price from $7,000 a year down to $600 a year, sometimes you pay for the name. These are becoming increasingly popular and are excellent for students who are pursuing other things that demand large amount of their time. I'll offer up one cheap option, fully accredited, gives you an accepted high school diploma...I am not affiliated or connected with it in any way, it is just a school we looked at in developing our own educational services business.

Accredited High School Diploma and Distance Education with American School

Your state may also offer a free online option through maybe k12 or connections academy? or another provider? There are so many online accredited options to consider that dropping out simply should not be one.

Good luck.

 

[Icy]

I agree. 99% of what you pay to learn in college can be learned at library or online for free. It's all about the willpower to gain that knowledge. The only reason why I'm still in college is because I only have a semester left and because I still have a 1/4 of my scholarship, so I have decided to finish what I started so I can at least leave with something to make up for the time I spent there.

Sure, the knowledge you're paying for at college (under-grad) can easily be learned for free. There is a lot more to gain from college than what you are explicitly paying for.

 

[Rickson9]

I spent quite a bit of time in the college refining my investing method so it was useful for me. College had a lot of resources that I would have had to search a bit to get otherwise. This was before the interwebz of course.

 

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[AndrewNC]

I would finish high school if I were you.

As for college - Take in mind that it is more than just the classes you take. If it wasn't for the people I networked with in college, I wouldn't be here today with this fastlane mindset. While you may not take the classes that directly relate to what you want to do with your business, there are numerous other skills that you can acquire by being in the college environment. My Bachelors in Political Science has nothing to do with my website businesses...but I wouldn't trade in those 4 years of experiences at all.

Can you work on your business while taking college courses? Do you have to take out $100k in loans to get your degree? Will you go to a school where you can network with people who can help you out with your business? These are all questions that you should factor in while making your decision. This is a choice that you will have to make on your own.

 

[Mike39]

Thanks for all the responses guys it really helps me out!

 

[SPX]

It is a waste of time, because a lot of info is online these days and is free. But, I think the one thing I can take away from college is that you get a sense of the world and different people around you, it opens your mind to speculation and to be curious abut everything. Besides that I didn't really learn anything that would be used in real life. I would drop out, but im only couple months away from graduation so might as well finish. Also, my parents also think that college is a waste nowadays and they wouldn't mind for me to drop and work for them, since they are entrepreneurs also, I will take over my dads businesses anyways and make alot more than any of these kids graduating college.

And I would foucs on my own ideas on the side without a grinding 9-5 job.

 

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[Trevor Kuntz]

Sure, the knowledge you're paying for at college (under-grad) can easily be learned for free. There is a lot more to gain from college than what you are explicitly paying for.

True.

I'm not saying that the college experience is a waste of time and money (I probably would have never discovered the Fastlane mentality if it weren't for the fact that I studied abroad last summer), I'm just saying that you could learn a lot more and you could learn much more quickly at a library or on the internet. The networking opportunities can be invaluable, but there are other places where you can network with like-minded individuals without having to pay exorbitant amounts of money. I really enjoy college and all of the experiences I have had, but I feel like I could find better uses of my time and money and I feel like I could have the same experiences without it. Mike is obviously a busy guy and it doesn't sound like he has a problem with getting out and meeting people, so if he decides that college isn't the best thing for him, I see nothing wrong with that.

 

[squall74]

It depends. We all wanna get to the Fastlane and be wealthy, but it's great to have a backup as well, or a plan in mind that will allow you to make more choices while you blow up.

There's no shame in getting a 9-5 if it can comfortably support you while you build your business. Living off of 50k at a 40 hour job is a heck of a lot easier then living on 35k with overtime, and gives you more time to focus on getting to the Fastlane.

You could work your job around your goals, so if you want to pursue a business maybe a sales job can help you get some experience.

The only way college would be a waste is if you didn't plan out your degree, as you can see on a lot of news articles today about students taking out $100k+ for an art major or something like that.

 

[Trevor Kuntz]

The only way college would be a waste is if you didn't plan out your degree, as you can see on a lot of news articles today about students taking out $100k+ for an art major or something like that.

 

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[Pete799p]

If I had used that 120k to help me build my business rather than block my business, who knows where I could be right now at age 22. Id sure as HELL be a lot smarter.

I feel the same way. The worst part is while building my business and going to school I found that both suffered. Not enough time in the day and those 12hr days working on the biz defentitly take away from school. Not to mention the nauseating amount of capital that was wasted on an investment that has no resale value. If I could have sold my degree for 50% of what I paid for it I would have done it along time ago.

I would finish highschool for sure especially if you are getting grades and test scores good enough to get into IVY etc. If you are really serious about being an entreprenuer and as stated before I mean serious then do not go to college you can always go to college if your biz doent work out and if you try and do both you will most likly do a medicre job at both. College can be very successful if you have a purpose while you are there. I passed up on a lot of opportunties for great corporate experience because I was busy with my biz and now wish I had taken advantage of them. Plus if you biz fails you be in college with a much greater purpose then just going to get it over with.

You must understand that building a bizness means putting its success a head of everything else in your life. Get used to telling your friends that you cannot party on a saturday night you have work to do. Get used to your girlfriend being mad at you because your always working. If you arent working on a saturday night you can bet your competition is.

I wish you the best of luck

 

[Rickson9]

Having more money when you start your business doesn't necessarily imply more entrepreneurial success. I would argue that it has the opposite effect.

 

[squall74]

Trevor lol I would be interested in a 12th century broadsword or some awesome weapon, not so much poetry. What the hell do these people end up doing? Serving Starbucks?

 

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[Kak]

I would not want my coffee handled by that dirty scum.

 

[Kak]

Having more money when you start your business doesn't necessarily imply more entrepreneurial success. I would argue that it has the opposite effect.

True it very well could have a dampening effect keeping you from stepping ot of your comfort zone. However it would still have been put to better use than something that REALLY DID have a negative effect on my business.


Entrepreneurs and school dont really mix well. We dont like our hand held or to be told what to do. This is exactly what school teaches you to do.

 

[sam22]

"You wasted $150,000 on an education you coulda got for $1.50 in late fees at the public library." - Good Will Hunting

As a college student myself, that's how I feel. I will be graduating in June from a top-40 university a year early with a high 3.9 GPA and I'll be the first to admit my grades don't reflect how little I learned in college. People with high grades might be labeled as "smart" but I'd argue good grades is largely the result of hard work, a good short term memory, test taking ability and some BS-ing skill (for the written assignments). Those are all things you can learn without dropping $60 - $120k on a "college education."

College certainly won't teach you anything about the fastlane. From my experience, college is a test/grade-focused, impractical training ground and filtering system where employers find future employees (though I'm having doubts about how well it does that too - maybe it's different/better for STEM majors). When I actually want to learn something, I buy books to read on my own. Sad, but true.

Having said all that, unless you have a fastlane business that will take off because you drop out of high school, I would suggest staying. I know that feeling of not be able to do what you really want to be doing - it sucks. But I'll still suggest staying in high school because looking back at those years, I did grow and mature as a person. Of course, dropping out of high school and starting your business will let you grow as a person too - potentially even faster.

It's your call. Hope that helps. Keep up the good work and chase your dreams!

 

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[Trevor Kuntz]

Trevor lol I would be interested in a 12th century broadsword or some awesome weapon, not so much poetry. What the hell do these people end up doing? Serving Starbucks?

They end up at Occupy protests (which is where that photo was taken). Lol.

 

[Trevor Kuntz]

"You wasted $150,000 on an education you coulda got for $1.50 in late fees at the public library." - Good Will Hunting

That's a great quote!

I completely agree with everything you just said. +Rep

 

[socaldude]

i really think the college system in the U.S. is messed up. WAY overpriced and WAY over rated. i'm in college an i find it SOOO STUPID and SCAMISH that they charge 15-50k a year to have some old guy/lady stand in front of the classroom on a podium and regurgitate information that is freely available online or for $10 in a book at borders. what we should do is give the option to students to TEST for a degree. for example, my utopia would be, the education dept. gives the student a booklet/outline of what they need to teach themselves for their desired degree and the student follows that outline in INDEPENDENT study. then they take a idk 4 or 5 hour test and test for that degree! maybe all they would pay is a small fee to test an wham! not only will this save people time and money but we would create citizens that are independent and self sufficient. but dont go to college if its super expensive, especially at a private university where its the same $hit as a community college.

 

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[PatrickP]

I say go away to college learn to live on your own and with a diverse group of people.

Get drunk, get laid have fun. Then move back home, start your own business and get a place of your own

 

[The-J]

There's an opportunity cost, it's true, but if you can afford it, go. If you can get a full ride to a 4-year university, DO IT DO IT DO IT. It's a great time investment (meet lots of interesting people, etc) but not the best money investment.

Also, there's the societal acceptance part of having a college degree. I'm only really going to please my parents and meet people's expectations. That's all the diploma is worth, really. If that doesn't matter to you, then there is no real point in going to college.

 

[Kak]

The only thing WORSE than the money investment IMO is the time investment. Here I am, light at the end of the tunnel. More than ever I feel I have wasted the last 4 years if my life.

You people that say you get to meet diverse people are insane. You dont think you would meet people in business? By diverse you must not mean the annoying entitled doushebags around my campus. Or are you talking about professors that have no real world expirence? Why meet people like these OWS crowd? How will that benefit you? Cant you get drunk with friends without paying for a scam?

If you cant learn to live on you own without college you deserve to be homeless.

Some of this logic is totally flawed.

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[Rickson9]

I heard that some people met Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates in college.

 

[Mike39]

I say go away to college learn to live on your own and with a diverse group of people.

Get drunk, get laid have fun. Then move back home, start your own business and get a place of your own

Or i could start now, and (MAYBE) by the time everyone else is drinking in college, I could be drinking with Mark Cuban or ______ or ________, I could be doing coke off the back of some victoria's secret model in my white 458 italia (JOKING!!! ) while your sitting in a bullshit lecture about some stupid poem, and as far as meeting people, I would much rather be meeting people in my business field that can help accelerate me and my business into success than a bunch of frat boys who leech off of daddy's money and will never work a day in their lives. Haha not to sound mean but college is not the only place in toe world to meet people and get drunk! Just my opinion, I still respect your stance

Edit: Maybe even a house I OWN not rent!