Withdrawing From College

I’ve named this post withdrawing from college instead of dropping out of college because for some reason “dropping out” freaks people out. I’ve been a bit nervous to post this because unfortunately I still care about what people think and I still have insecurities. But here it is—

Why I withdrew.

I was absolutely miserable and didn’t feel like sitting through Calculus classes for a potential future in civil engineering. It didn’t make sense to me, why was I investing two hours a day, twice a week, miserable out my mind and studying for 6 more hours just for a possible future in civil engineering. I felt like I was wasting my precious time that I could be investing in working on something that I love. So I abruptly withdrew from the two classes I was taking and now I’m actively working on my blog and trying to figure out if I want to pursue blogging “professionally”. Maybe instead I want to do marketing, creative work… something that gets me out of bed in the morning.

All I want is to have a life that I love and I feel like I’m getting closer. I’m not encouraging you to drop out of college, but it’s important that you’re waking up excited to start the day. What’s the point of life if you’re just miserable all the time— that’s not fun. The dream is to do what you love and just happen to make a living off of it. So many people put their passions on the back burner for the sake of money. You get money, then what? Are you suddenly happy? Never ever put your happiness (or passion) on the back burner. Some people go to college and study something thinking they’re going to love it, and sometimes you find out later that you don’t. That’s okay— just make sure you make time to figure out what it is that you really love. Try all kinds of things, network with a bunch of people, learn about all different of professions, do internships and keep taking action in finding what you love to do.

Right now I’m actively working on blog to see if this is something that I really love but I’ve also picked up a second job related to civil engineering to see how I like it. I’ve also been networking with a bunch of people and consulting even more people. I’ve learned about a whole industry that I didn’t know existed called service design. I’ve researched web design, wire framing, and so much more in the pursuit of finding something that I might want to professionally.

If you’ve already figured out exactly what you want to do and you’re happy working towards it, I’m extremely happy for you. But if you’re figuring it out like I am, welcome to the club. Let's enjoy the ride.

Facing the reality.

Let’s face it— there’s a huge negative stigma against not finishing college unless you’re Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. I’ve told several people that I’ve withdrawn from my college classes and majority of the answers are jaw dropped facial expressions followed with an exaggerated WHAT? Unfortunately I sometimes let this reaction mess with my head. It feels almost as if they’re implying that I have to go to college to become successful and that pisses me off. As if they don’t believe that I can live a life that I love without a college degree.

Some people may say that you’re not going to get anywhere in life without a college degree. However, in this case that person did not exclusive state that word for word. Instead I felt like they were implying that — which is actually my insecurities that I’ve projected on to whoever it is that I’m talking to.

This is absolutely true— A part of me tells myself that I can’t become successful and another part of me believes in me.

Negative Me:

It’s really hard to be successful without a degree. You have to work harder than anyone else.

Positive Me:

The reality is, it’s always going to be hard. I might have to work harder, but I’ll have more passion as a driving force. It’s a matter of how bad do you want it. If you want it bad enough and you’re in love with the hustle, you’re going to spring out of bed in the morning to get started.

It’s a constant battle of self-talk. Until I truly believe in myself and abolish my negative self- talk, I’m going to override every ounce of negativity with positivity. There will always be negativity lingering somewhere whether it may be internally (with in you) or coming from someone else. So be prepared to abolish it and believe “I’m going to be happy and enjoy every second of building a life that I love.”

Let me remind you, life is short. Be considerate in how you’re using your time. Time is far more precious than making money. Stop putting aside your dreams or passion for when you’re successful. Make time for the things you love now and make your dreams into reality. Never ever prioritize making money over your passions. Do you love what you’re doing everyday? Do you wake up excited in the morning? If not, it’s time to reconsider what you’re spending your precious time doing.