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My situation. Self thoughts. And eager to hear your opinions.

Anything related to matters of the mind

Frushe

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Hey guys

Im writing this thread to get some opinions as well as being able to think "out loud" if I should drop college or not.

First off, I am 19 years old and I'm a computer science major in Argentina. I will make with the advantages and disadvantages of either staying or dropping out for organization purposes. When first deciding to study CS my objective was to learn the knowledge that would someday help me create a new product (app, website, etc) and reach the fastlane.

College:
  • Disadvantages:
  • lots of not so necessary knowledge that will never help me in any of my goals and if anything delay my motivation (Advanced mathematics at the point of taking courses with mathematicians).
  • Everyone of my college graduates either work for companies or do science. My objective is to found my business not work for others.
  • makes me loss motivation. I start to mingle with people that are not interested in entrepreneurship
  • Very hard degree with lots of theory and not too much applications. I would have to learn applications on my own. Also this implies not having enough time and being stressed
  • Theory is no interest to me.
  • Not a 3 year degree! In argentina this degree is like a masters in the US. So it takes 5+ years to complete
  • Advantages:
  • lots of theory may help me in self learning new stuff and create critical thinking
  • its free and I can return in the future if I want to
  • Professors are good
  • Havent done proper CS classes yet so it may become more fun
  • I like CS but not the toooo theoretical approach.



Dropping out
  • Disadvantages:
  • parents may not like it
  • may loss motivation to self study, I tend to do so.
  • its risky
  • its not a common thing to do -/ May be seen badly? who cares
  • less social
  • Advantages:
  • Lots of time and freedom to learn about whatever I want that will help me with my objective
  • Internet is full of resources that may be better even than college
  • I can take action right now. I'm motivated, Money is not an issue as I still live with my parents
  • Have projects that I'm eager to work on
  • I was always the kind of person that learns more by doing projects than by learning concepts and applying them when you need them in the future
Its really a hard decision and I now there are several posts on this. Your opinion is highly valued. Right now I would drop college without thought but it deserves to be a well thought decision.
 
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Last edited:

4x4ord

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  • lots of theory may help me in self learning new stuff and create critical thinking
You hit the nail on the head right there. College is not necessarily about the content you learn. Its about learning how to learn. It teaches you how to deal with stuff you don't like, it teaches you the patience to work through problems, it teaches you time management, social skills and sometimes anger management.

I went through college thinking every second "I'm not a college type of person, I shouldn't be here". I decided my junior year that engineering wasn't what I thought it was, I didn't like engineering and I really didn't like engineers. But, I figured, just having that degree in my hand would be worth my time. So, I took the mindset of going through my classes to learn the general content, and learn problem solving skills, because I didn't intend to ever use the specific knowledge. I graduated with my engineering degree and ran the other direction. Because of my degree, I was able to get a job in construction management and never looked back.

Now, 10 years later, I've worked several well paying jobs that use both skills i learned getting my degree, and skills I learned from construction management. I would have seriously regretted not finishing that degree. Now I'm 35, have made enough money to have a house and all the toys I want with my debts paid off (except the house). This gives me the freedom to take some risks, try some new business ventures and learn some new skills without the burden of bills. I also have a broad enough skill set, that if everything falls apart, I can always find work.

You are at a very tough place in life. Remember, you have lots of time ahead of you and every skill you learn will be valuable. If not valuable by itself, it will be valuable combined with some other skill you learn down the road.

Good luck in whatever decision you make!
 

Jon L

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I'd say, stay in college. You're likely not the next Mark Zuckerberg. It is much easier to find a job with a college degree than without one. You'll very likely need a job at various points in your life.

In the meantime, start a side business in College. College students have a ridiculous amount of free time. How many hours a week do you go to school? 15? plus, if you were like me, maybe 3 hours a week of studying....crammed into the last couple weeks of each quarter.

Even if you're working, you can still start something on the side.
 
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Duane

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my 2 cent.

Exactly as Jon said, especially if your parents are going to pay your way through school. It will never get easier than right now to get the business going. I'm a chemical engineering student and I run a side business while taking advanced senior engineering classes. My school is also an hour and a half from my house/business. It is easily manageable and 99% of my chemical engineering friends just want a good paying job so they can enjoy the weekend. There are a lot of people out there that don't have that entrepreneur mindset, but avoiding them because of that is a bad idea in my opinion. When I hang out with them, we don't talk starting businesses or getting jobs, instead we talk about ideas. I save the entrepreneur talk for my entrepreneur friends and I learn so much from these guys about chemical processes. This way there is no shitty mindsets that I'm surrounding myself by. If someone starts whining about needing to get a job or where I want to work, I just avoid the topic and change the subject. You could do the same thing with coder friends that aren't entrepreneurs. Learn a lot of valuable lessons on coding or making websites/apps.

You'd be surprised what nuggets you can get with coding at uni. And if you fail to get an app or a website going, you can get a nice paying job with your degree while you still try to get your business going on the side.

That will beat working at mc donalds or some shitty job while you get your business going. You think college is going to sap your energy? Shit, 9-5 mon-fri will really sap you dry.
 

MJ DeMarco

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biophase

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  • Advantages: of dropping out
  • Lots of time and freedom to learn about whatever I want that will help me with my objective
  • Internet is full of resources that may be better even than college
  • I can take action right now. I'm motivated, Money is not an issue as I still live with my parents
  • Have projects that I'm eager to work on
  • I was always the kind of person that learns more by doing projects than by learning concepts and applying them when you need them in the future
Time and freedom mean nothing if you don't use it well.
You can google the internet and be in college
What action would you take?
Name a few of these projects.
 
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Frushe

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Ok. I didnt receive the updates to this thread in my email. Sorry for replying so late.

I decided to stay in college but take it easier. I will try to spend as little time as possible studying for it and focus on learning by myself. If I where to fail I have a backup. I can take risks safer by doing so. If not I would too pressurized. Right now I have no obligations financially. But who knows what will happen in the future. The thing im not THAT SURE about is if I should continue in this school. My degree is 6 years long. You graduate with an equivalent to a MS in the Us. I am looking at another program which lasts 2 years and its main focus is programming. Even if I can learn on my own having that degree might be useful.

I dont know why but when I choose what to study I learn and focus much more.

What Im doing right now:
-reading 2 hours a day books related to business and human psychology. Anyways I feel that I have already read the best books and need to start applying as much as I can. (The millionaire fastlane , how to win friends and influence people, lifehacked) the other books I buy dont add a lot. I will probably start reading more technical books for example for learning more programming.
-learning java 4 hours a day
-assisting classes 5 hours a day
-hitting the gym 1 hour a day(this is no new have been doing it since im 15 and it build me quite a lot of discipline)

Im planning on programming an app. I dont know if it will be successful or not. The idea is pretty good for what I have researched. If it would fail it wouldnt matter too much as at the rate im learning it really builds me more confidence to code other things.


I wont stop learning. Not to be rich but to grow as a person as well. I think being rich is related to your personal growth. If becoming rich without growing as a person was a thing then whats the point? I want to become the best version of myself. If I can add the value to society I have the vision for then money will come.

So Im grinding steady. I have a plan. I have a vision. And I will succeed.
 
Last edited:

ApparentHorizon

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Engineering/sciences are good for developing a problem solving mindset.

That being said...

Do enough to get by, so you can maintain your free tuition.

Use the rest of your time to network - clubs, organizations, non-profits, etc.
(Start your own, if you can't find one)
 

LiveHappy

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Hey guys

Im writing this thread to get some opinions as well as being able to think "out loud" if I should drop college or not.

First off, I am 19 years old and I'm a computer science major in Argentina. I will make with the advantages and disadvantages of either staying or dropping out for organization purposes. When first deciding to study CS my objective was to learn the knowledge that would someday help me create a new product (app, website, etc) and reach the fastlane.

College:
  • Disadvantages:
  • lots of not so necessary knowledge that will never help me in any of my goals and if anything delay my motivation (Advanced mathematics at the point of taking courses with mathematicians).
  • Everyone of my college graduates either work for companies or do science. My objective is to found my business not work for others.
  • makes me loss motivation. I start to mingle with people that are not interested in entrepreneurship
  • Very hard degree with lots of theory and not too much applications. I would have to learn applications on my own. Also this implies not having enough time and being stressed
  • Theory is no interest to me.
  • Not a 3 year degree! In argentina this degree is like a masters in the US. So it takes 5+ years to complete
  • Advantages:
  • lots of theory may help me in self learning new stuff and create critical thinking
  • its free and I can return in the future if I want to
  • Professors are good
  • Havent done proper CS classes yet so it may become more fun
  • I like CS but not the toooo theoretical approach.



Dropping out
  • Disadvantages:
  • parents may not like it
  • may loss motivation to self study, I tend to do so.
  • its risky
  • its not a common thing to do -/ May be seen badly? who cares
  • less social
  • Advantages:
  • Lots of time and freedom to learn about whatever I want that will help me with my objective
  • Internet is full of resources that may be better even than college
  • I can take action right now. I'm motivated, Money is not an issue as I still live with my parents
  • Have projects that I'm eager to work on
  • I was always the kind of person that learns more by doing projects than by learning concepts and applying them when you need them in the future
Its really a hard decision and I now there are several posts on this. Your opinion is highly valued. Right now I would drop college without thought but it deserves to be a well thought decision.

Frushe - I just graduated with a bachelors in pre-law in last may (2015). I graduated in the top 1% of my class (summa cum laude) with a 3.94 GPA. My plan was to go to law school and all was going according to plan. Until I realized I had been bamboozled, or bamboozled myself for that matter. I am no where near the fastlane but I know where I want to go and it is not to work a ton of hours as a lawyer. I honestly wish I had not wasted my time and money. What's worse, I did this while working full time, which took me even longer (more lost time). All those nights I stayed up studying or doing homework, I could have spent taking action. My dad is definitely not happy, but he can't say much because I paid for my own schooling.

-LiveHappy :)
 
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Frushe

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Mar 8, 2016
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Frushe - I just graduated with a bachelors in pre-law in last may (2015). I graduated in the top 1% of my class (summa cum laude) with a 3.94 GPA. My plan was to go to law school and all was going according to plan. Until I realized I had been bamboozled, or bamboozled myself for that matter. I am no where near the fastlane but I know where I want to go and it is not to work a ton of hours as a lawyer. I honestly wish I had not wasted my time and money. What's worse, I did this while working full time, which took me even longer (more lost time). All those nights I stayed up studying or doing homework, I could have spent taking action. My dad is definitely not happy, but he can't say much because I paid for my own schooling.

-LiveHappy :)


What`s done is done. Don`t regret it. Just keep focusing on your goals.

I wish you the best of luck in your projects.
 

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