I fully support this trend of people thinking critically about college and making their own decisions about it.
However be careful when dropping out if you'll ever want to work outside the country. Most countries require a 4 year degree for work visas, and this can sometimes be onerous to get around. This is especially important for those who don't have US citizenship.
Coded throughout my teenage years, didn’t go to college and that was one of the best decisions of my life.
A lot of very hard things of life were pressed upon me a lot faster than if I had stayed in the candy world of education, like: “who am I? What do I really want to do besides making money?”
And yes, indeed getting visas can be 10x harder, but with the right skills and lawyers you can make it work. And honestly, if you’re going to do something for 3-5 years of your life, just to get a piece of paper to go somewhere, that’s a significant chunk of your life consumed… especially in an age where you can work anywhere on well paid exciting opportunities.
Bottom line is that: everybody is always going to give their biased opinion. Most people who have gone to school will say that school is great. Dropping out is not for everyone. Not everybody has equal mental and emotional strength. For some people, it might be dangerous, they may not know how to find themselves in the world at such a young age. But if you have confidence, courage, skills and trust your ability to grow up faster than avg, then I fully celebrate you my man!
I've got friends that dropped out of college, have jobs, got married, have kids, and very limited career opportunities because they didn't get their degree and don't have time to get it now (a manager in Spain is expected to have one).
Probably in the US could be a good idea to drop out of college because they BUILD technology products, and the cost of dropping out is simply less debt and the opportunity to build something good/new and get money.
In Europe It's not wise: Get a student job while you finish the degree; but FINISH it. Use what you learn on the job for your end of studies thesis: It'll be a lot easier to finish (that's what my boss did), and you'll finish your studies with something to put in your CV.
And rememeber that the education you get travels with you everywhere.
The only time I think people should drop out of college is if they're building a company that's becoming crazy successful and making a boatload of money to the point that running that business makes more sense then college.
Recently, I've been thinking very hard about dropping out of college. Here in Ireland, the education system is somewhat different to the way it is in the US and many other parts of the world. You pick a course, and then for the next three or four years, you attend only the classes that belong to that course. There's very little choice in the matter (though you can technically attend other classes, but not officially and at the lecturer's discretion).
I'm in my third year of a four year computer games development course. I absolutely love the course, the lecturers, and of course my friends at college.
I've been thinking about dropping out because I've been finding the course difficult recently and because I've got a skewed vision of myself, of my motivations and my abilities. It's so easy to think "I'll drop out and then I'll have the time to do this and this and this and this," and much harder to think "If I drop out I'll spend every day on the couch playing videogames and growing less and less as a person."
That's not the way it is for everyone, but it is the way it is for me. If you told me you were thinking about dropping out, I'd ask for the proof that you're not going to waste, because that's such an easy trap to fall into. Dropping out gives you a chance to do the best things you can do, but it gives you the chance to do nothing, too.
i dropped out because i started college when i was 22. i was already working as a developer for 4 years.
when i got to college, it was more of the same and i was basically learning a lot of things that i already knew -- so for me, it was better to focus on working than working + going to college.
I'd recommend going because of the opportunities for making important friends and learning things you might not otherwise have had the willpower to learn on your own. Keep in mind you don't have to stay for all 4 years if you don't want to. Stay until you feel you've gotten what you came for. I dropped out 3/4ths of the way, and was quite happy to have done so.
College or where I am from university is definitely not for everyone. Mostly everyone I work with went to university and presumably have HECS debts (student loans) they need to pay off now they're working. I, on the other hand finished high school and taught myself a few programming languages, learned how to talk myself up and went and got a job.
If I had kids and they wanted to drop out and teach themselves something, I would be all for it. Although we are moving to a different place, companies seem to have a growing fascination with degrees thinking they're relevant or important when the reality is you probably use 5% of the degree you just got $75,000 into debt for, if you're lucky.
Dropping out isn't for everyone. Some people only learn when they're being taught and people like you and I teach ourselves and can get by on street smarts.
I think its okay to drop out because you have your own ideas you are excited to work on. You can always go back to school and finish your degree if you need it for a visa.
Don't drop out and work for FB though. I can tell you are fired up and excited to do things - but big corporations like FB will suck you dry and you will get nothing in return.
I dropped out super early. Worked for some software companies, built some internets.
Trying to get a US visa now, the decision to not get a degree is pretty bitter. That said, this is the first and I optimistically anticipate the last time a degree would have been any use to me, so I'll just power through and hope for the best.
I dropped out when I was 20. It was one of the best decisions of my life; I can't imagine an alternate life. When people ask me if it's okay to drop out, I tell them that it's a bad decision, in most cases.
Unlike others, I didn't drop out of an engineering course. I dropped out of an accounts course, to work on my web startup.
On the face of it, it sounds like a major risk. I think it was a very calculated, and risk-free decision. I had started working while I was still studying, and was making decent money when I dropped out; multiple times more money than what I would make by completing college and getting a job like my peers. Also, I hated accounts, and loved tech. The thought of spending your only life doing something you hate was unbearable.
So, you see, the decision was unanimous.
When people think about dropping out, it is usually because they think college is boring, or they like working over studying. This is what makes dropping out very risky.
As a counterpoint, I really think my formal education was valuable for me, and I'm glad I didn't quit to go work on something for one or two extra years. Also, whether or not it's justified, my impression is that there is some stigma about not having graduated from college among many hiring managers.
Basically, don't drop out of college just because someone on the internet tells you to, think it through.
If you get into YC and it looks possible to raise a big round, then it might be time to start thinking about dropping out more seriously.
As a college dropout and business owner at 23, I believe that its the personal responsibility of every American to have a marketable skill that they can get paid for. American Universities no longer provide this--they're playpens for the 18-22 year old set, most of whom are there simply out of obligation to their parents wishes.
If college in American isn't dead, it's certainly dying.
I didn't land a dream job in the tech community immediately after dropping out. I worked in retail for 2 years, while freelancing on the side and keeping a blog which I updated daily. When I did finally get hired, all of those things were evidence that I had a work ethic outside the context of a classroom.
Anyone can be smart in high school, anyone can do well in college, but if you're unable to hustle to get your foot in the door, don't expect me to feel bad for you.
The only regret from dropping out of college, really. I don't want to continue working in my country, because it has a low standard of living and low salaries. I have been thinking of getting a remote job, or at least starting freelance/consulting. Looking forward to the answers here.
Speaking as a college dropout, the grass is always greener.
On the one hand, I've never had my lack of a degree be an issue in tech, especially startups. Some founders even place a weird bonus on being a dropout and see you as more of a hustler than degree-holding employees.
On the other hand, there are some opportunities that are closed off to me unless I decide to finish my degree. For example, I would have liked to get an MBA or go to law school for fun, but those options are completely closed off. You absolutely must have a four-year degree.
Another one that came up recently, I've been thinking of taking a break from tech and going into public service, all the jobs I saw in the three-letter agency I was interested in also had a hard requirement on a four-year degree.
A degree isn't necessary for everyone, it certainly wasn't for me and it's nice that I had almost two years as a head start on my career in tech. However, I wouldn't encourage people to drop out.
Having a degree gives you options. You're better off with those options than without. You don't _have_ to take out 200k in loans. There's fantastic public education systems like CUNY that you can take advantage of.
I've noticed this too. But I worry about encouraging people to drop out of college. There are probably a lot who don't really blossom till they get there. Especially those who went to bad high schools.
I think people should at least try a couple years of college, if they can, if only so they know what they're missing if they don't finish.
As a former-dropout myself [1]: You might some of the courses utterly stupid now, and you might have many doubts about the usefulness of a degree, but I think ultimately a degree is very very much worth it, both intellectually and for logistics reasons. A degree will open doors to you, for example, most jobs will throw your resume right away if you don't have a degree. Some countries won't allow you to immigrate if you don't have a degree. There are many dreams that require a degree.
The only reason that you can justify dropping out is that either (1) you think you can't possibly learn anything useful from the professors that are teaching you and you'll rebuild/repay what you didn't learn one day (and you better have to have a good answer when you'll do that right now), or (2) when you have a grand startup like Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg. But I don't think that's why you're wanting to drop out now. So don't drop out. Keep pushing.
For me, I wish I learned assembly, kernel development, stats and machine learning. First two because I love to, the latter two because they are useful.
I am now almost finished with grad school, and I feel like I know nil. But in a very Lao-tzu way, I think the biggest enemy of mine is myself (the willing to sit my ass down and learn), not that these can't be learned by myself. Lately, I think I somehow I overcame that problem and was able to read, learn and make a lot of stuff on my own. I think the same thing can be said about anyone who had the patience to get a degree as well: It means they are willing to deal with things they don't totally enjoy to get what they want. As Lao-tzu said, patience is a good virtue by itself...
1: If you need to verify, read the entry called crankshaft #2 on my blog on my profile.
However be careful when dropping out if you'll ever want to work outside the country. Most countries require a 4 year degree for work visas, and this can sometimes be onerous to get around. This is especially important for those who don't have US citizenship.
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