Taking time off from university, I love it! How can I stay this way?

[Tasaio]

Greetings

I've always been a committed independent learner.

In other words, I learn best from the textbook, and through my own actions. I've never been comfortable with the idea of a classroom, and a teacher telling me "how to learn".

In keeping with this philosophy, I've taken the year off from my Math/Computers degree. (For one thing, it's $10,000 per year!)

When I first told my parents in September, they were appalled by my decision. After I explained, that I wanted to do some more preparation "for next year" (this was true at the time), they agreed that I had made a good decision.

I absolutely loved it! As an independent lerner, I've accomplished more this year than I ever did in my two years in university. I truly do feel prepared, if I wanted to go back...

However, I'm on such a roll, learning things by myself, that I am utterly opposed to going back. I want to maintain my momentum. Why jeopardize that love of learning I've developed, and reenter a system I hate?

And therein lies my problem: my parents are still assuming that I intend to start again in September.

Their main incentive seems to be that "everything will be paid more if I register full-time before I turn 21-years-old".

The question is, *what* will be paid for? I am currently on an anti-depressant, Cipralex, but I am willing to stop taking the medication if it will allow me to pursue my own learning.

More generally, what will happen if I take another few years off? Is there a law, for someone who is neither working nor in school?

Surely the government won't try and force me to join the military, will they?

My confusion is that what I'm doing is so productive, and so euphoric, that I don't understand why my fellow college students are just teaching themselves at home.

Thanks in advance for any info!

Tasaio

[Tasaio]

Greetings

I'd just like to add that, like many here, I have no need of a degree for the type of work I'm thinking of. I'm much more interested in a personal business, or artistic job like writing.

Indeed, I feel like I'm so much closer to making money now, than I ever was at university.

[Lovinglife]

Originally Posted by Tasaio

Greetings

I've always been a committed independent learner.

In other words, I learn best from the textbook, and through my own actions. I've never been comfortable with the idea of a classroom, and a teacher telling me "how to learn".

In keeping with this philosophy, I've taken the year off from my Math/Computers degree. (For one thing, it's $10,000 per year!)

When I first told my parents in September, they were appalled by my decision. After I explained, that I wanted to do some more preparation "for next year" (this was true at the time), they agreed that I had made a good decision.

I absolutely loved it! As an independent lerner, I've accomplished more this year than I ever did in my two years in university. I truly do feel prepared, if I wanted to go back...

However, I'm on such a roll, learning things by myself, that I am utterly opposed to going back. I want to maintain my momentum. Why jeopardize that love of learning I've developed, and reenter a system I hate?

And therein lies my problem: my parents are still assuming that I intend to start again in September.

Their main incentive seems to be that "everything will be paid more if I register full-time before I turn 21-years-old".

The question is, *what* will be paid for? I am currently on an anti-depressant, Cipralex, but I am willing to stop taking the medication if it will allow me to pursue my own learning.

More generally, what will happen if I take another few years off? Is there a law, for someone who is neither working nor in school?

Surely the government won't try and force me to join the military, will they?

My confusion is that what I'm doing is so productive, and so euphoric, that I don't understand why my fellow college students are just teaching themselves at home.

Thanks in advance for any info!

Tasaio

I went through the same thing. I stayed out and I then realized I needed to make money more than I need to go on a self learning "binge"

I plan on starting a self education program, just not anytime soon. My objective is to get comfortably rich, then spend most of time learning.

[ElizaJ]

Tasaio, I've heard time and time again that "when you follow your passion, the money follows." Don't follow anyone's idea of what they think is right for you. You are your own best judge of what works and doesn't work for you. Therefore, follow your passion.

BTW, you sound like a very well-grounded individual.

[Lovinglife]

Originally Posted by ElizaJ

Tasaio, I've heard time and time again that "when you follow your passion, the money follows." Don't follow anyone's idea of what they think is right for you. You are your own best judge of what works and doesn't work for you. Therefore, follow your passion.

BTW, you sound like a very well-grounded individual.

What if your passion is burning money?

If what you love makes money, great. If not, do something thats not so bad, save and invest etc. Then, after gaining freedom from having to work... do what you love.

[Liara Covert]

Hi Tasaio,

Only you can figure out what's right for you. That may or may not include finishing that degree. The world outside of university can teach you a lot if you're a hard worker and willing to learn. You might wish to consider:

1) independence: I don't know where you live right now or whether you pay your own bills. Even if you don't finish a degree, you must learn to support yourself. It's possible work your way up from entry level positions, but you need to look into jobs (even journalists) to know if they require a degree or specialized diploma. Some people learn about taking responsibility from attending college, trade school or university. Other people figure it out as they go. Artists often wait tables too.

2) Your passion: since you say you've been "productive" during the past year when you didn't attend university, did you isolate a particular road to follow? We are all meant to contribute to society in some way. If writing is your key area of interest, how have you thought of marketing or promoting yourself? I would encourage you to consider different kinds of jobs and other ways you can use your writing productively. Some structure in your life and a level of discipline is important.

3) Mentors: once you figure out how you would like to use or apply your skills, it would be helpful for you to contact someone who does this or something similar already. Ask that person what they do, how they think and what advice they would offer you if you wish to do the same thing. you'll be surprised at opportunities that you hadn't thought about.

4) medication: I'm unsure the medical reasons you're currently prescribed anti-depressants. The nature of your state of mind and advice of your physician will influence your choices and possible courses of action. It's important to consider this seriously.

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.” -George Sheehan

[dgorila1]

Tasaio,
There are several non-traditional ways to get credit for college courses without attending school. A great one is to take CLEP or DANTES testing for courses (there are dozens available). If you are great at self learning through reading and experience, you would do well with these tests. You either get a Pass or Fail. I have taken about 6 different CLEP tests instead of taking the actual classes. The test fee at the local college here is $50 per test. For the cost of 6 tests I got credit for 6 different classes for less than the cost of one class! Plus no waste of time in class.
There are also several companies that sell prep courses for most of the different CLEP tests, and they guarantee your passing if you do their book and workbook. Do a web search to look for them.
The biggest thing is to find a school that accepts allot of these types of credits. Most "traditional" colleges only allow for a few credits from these sources since they don't get money if you're not taking traditional courses from them. There are many accredited, "non-traditional" colleges that have a minimum requirement for resident class credits (classes taken through the college) and will allow the majority of credits to be from transfer credits, CLEP, DANTES, "life/work experience", and testing out of a class. I obtained my degree from Saint Leo University this way, and there are many other legit schools as well that accept these types of credits. Many times they are geared towards the military, adult learners, and others with schedules that don't allow them to attend "normal" college classes.
This is what I would suggest you check into if you still want a degree but don't want to waste time in class. I know of several people that literally completed most of their degree through these tests (active duty military can take them for free through their education office) in less than 4 years and at minimal cost. You can take as many tests a month as you can handle. Check into it. Hope this helps.

[Zero]

Originally Posted by Tasaio

Surely the government won't try and force me to join the military, will they?

Are you kidding me? Go back to school where you will learn about the constitution, the government and American history.

Originally Posted by Tasaio

I absolutely loved it!

Well, sitting at home and reading books is, quite frankly, easy. The college experience is much more than just reading books. The different projects, essays, assignments, tests and professor personalities will challenge you in different ways. The mistakes you make and the mistakes you see your peers make is a learning experience on its own. The social experience of college is invaluable, especially if you are going into "math/computers". Many businesses, such as Google, were founded based on college contacts.

From my perspective, you are trying to use "passion" to cover up your lack of self-discipline that your parents have obviously not instilled in you. By coming to this forum, you will get a line up of people that will spew out predictable responses when you mention "passion". Just look at this thread already!

When I was in college, I thought the grind of learning was slow. I thought I was smarter than my peers and my professors. My intelligence was god-like. Why was I taking these tests? Why was I doing these projects? At the end of the day, I was not smarter than my peers and not smarter than my professors. I had a lot to learn, and still do to this day. If you are in this boat, which I think you are, the college experience will help you see the light.

I am surprised that no one has mentioned the "success" story of a college drop out. Larry Ellison, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs. If these guys can do it, why can't you? The fact is that not every college drop out goes off and becomes a billionaire. If you look at these people's stories, college had a role in their success. The things that they had going on during college were consuming their time, and they had no time for college. It was passion first, then drop out. Not drop out, then find passion. And these stories are very rare.

The reality here is that you have burned a year doing nothing but extend the time it takes to get your degree. In my life, I have not met a college drop out who does not regret dropping out of college. I guarantee that you will also regret dropping out.

Life isn't easy. Learn from your mistake. Go back to school.

[Lychee]

I agree with Zero.

[Vanessa]

Tasaio,

One of the things that immediately crossed my mind when reading your post was you have a fear or dislike of authority, structure and maybe even self-discipline.

On one hand you worry about approval or disapproval from your parents and on the other you are concerned an authority higher than your parents will force you to do something against your will since you don't want to go to school.

I should hope that if you are ready to stand by your own choices in life, like not continuing with college, you have to same strength to be self-reliant and responsible for your actions towards your purpose.

I also was reminded of something else. You talked of learning and education as a euphoric experience and that you feel productive when you learn do as you pleased. There are two ways to find value in education: either as entertainment or to fulfill a purpose.

I honestly hear you describe your learning as an enjoyable pastime --entertainment. You never once mentioned what productive output has resulted from being an independent learner since not continuing college. If learning is easy you are not pushing beyond your comfort zone of knowledge.

Book learning is all you seem to consider college to be. How are you building your social intelligence and working in teams and learning outside of books but through different environments and stress levels?

You must find your written ability to be strong to consider writing for money. What about your ability to discipline yourself to writing daily? Or different kinds of writing styles? What is your current output that makes you comfortable exchanging your writing skill and samples for someone else's money?

In posting, I wonder what kind of advice or approval are you looking for with your choice?

You have not yet found your purpose and that leaves me wondering if you are charting a new path to success or if you are tired of the path you were on and didn't like what you'd have to do to get to that previous goal.

The last thing I'd like to consider is your idea of money and education. If 10k yearly tuition is expensive, did you feel you earned 10k worth of challenges and learning in this last year. Assuming you were going for a bachelor's degree it would have costed you 40k to get. Is that too much money and 4 years too long to invest in your education though an established education system? What will you do to ensure that you get the best long term return on your independent learning that lasts well into your life?

[Lucas]

Originally Posted by Zero

Are you kidding me? Go back to school where you will learn about the constitution, the government and American history.



Well, sitting at home and reading books is, quite frankly, easy. The college experience is much more than just reading books. The different projects, essays, assignments, tests and professor personalities will challenge you in different ways. The mistakes you make and the mistakes you see your peers make is a learning experience on its own. The social experience of college is invaluable, especially if you are going into "math/computers". Many businesses, such as Google, were founded based on college contacts.

From my perspective, you are trying to use "passion" to cover up your lack of self-discipline that your parents have obviously not instilled in you. By coming to this forum, you will get a line up of people that will spew out predictable responses when you mention "passion". Just look at this thread already!

When I was in college, I thought the grind of learning was slow. I thought I was smarter than my peers and my professors. My intelligence was god-like. Why was I taking these tests? Why was I doing these projects? At the end of the day, I was not smarter than my peers and not smarter than my professors. I had a lot to learn, and still do to this day. If you are in this boat, which I think you are, the college experience will help you see the light.

I am surprised that no one has mentioned the "success" story of a college drop out. Larry Ellison, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs. If these guys can do it, why can't you? The fact is that not every college drop out goes off and becomes a billionaire. If you look at these people's stories, college had a role in their success. The things that they had going on during college were consuming their time, and they had no time for college. It was passion first, then drop out. Not drop out, then find passion. And these stories are very rare.

The reality here is that you have burned a year doing nothing but extend the time it takes to get your degree. In my life, I have not met a college drop out who does not regret dropping out of college. I guarantee that you will also regret dropping out.

Life isn't easy. Learn from your mistake. Go back to school.

While you mentioned the predictability of this forum, you also neglected to talk about the predictability of college learning. Dont get me wrong, Zero, I agree that he should go back to school, but you forgot to mention the most important part (the one I didnt do either) is finding the right school for you. I went to a school just far enough away (a one hour drive) close enough to still go home once and a while, but far enough to not have my parents around. However the school was your basic university and not the progressive education that people will try and sell you.

For one, most colleges, at least in their "Liberal Arts" Requirements, still use the note presentation/rote memorization routine for teaching, which is like the absolute worst and least effective way of teaching. However, I guess since these classes are required, theres no way to teach better since they have to cram as many people paying tuition into it as possible. Tenuring another professor isnt the right answer, because not only does it cost them more money, but the more Profs on tenure, the more people will realize that they are not getting an education from them, rather from grad assistants. The real professors are too busy doing research to keep their tenure and the grants they are pulling in for the School.

About 80% of my college education was given to me by TAs, GAs and APs...sad really when the people teaching me were only one year higher in schooling than me, not the "experts" you were supposed to learn from. Though some of them were awesome teachers, my point is the facade.

Lets also not neglect the fact that most Professors are also afraid to innovate their curriculum, for the same fear of losing their position. So instead, our English department was overrun with people bowing down to the Modern Language Association, and afraid to incorporate anything new or innovative to their teaching style. Thank god the workshop (group) style of teaching is at least accepted, or I would have dropped out long ago. Ask yourself how much of your college career was spent staring at the back of somones head. Lucky for me, the English Department was all about group learning. The other departments were not like that.

Speaking of Workshops though...I took quite a few workshops. Basic Web Design, Non-Linear Video Editing, Web Graphics, Broadcast Voice. All of which gave me real, practical applications for things going on in the world now. Stuff I am using 2, 3 4 years later. However, these were worth nothing to my GPA, nor but a couple of credits of random hours for my degree, and they were the most valuble courses I took. I have also taken some workshops outside of college, and they were definitely worth it.


College is not the be-all, end-all of learning or existence, in fact, I would suggest going to college not for classes, but for the social aspect like you said. I learned more from having roomates than I did in all but maybe 8 classes.

Not everyone is right for college, and you are right, not everyone that drops out becomes a millionaire. By that same token, not everyone that gets through college becomes a millionaire, let alone finds a good paying job, so dont neglect that little nugget by bashing the idea of dropouts becoming millionaires. Also, how many millionaires I wonder went to college because thats what they thoguht was supposed to happen, and thats why they left cause it wasnt doing what they were led to believe.

I pretty much agree with you, but wanted to share a different view. I loved college, but it wasnt what it was made out to be...and really, it can be like putting off life. This is how I saw school most of my life...

Me in Grade School "This sucks!"
People in Middle School "Middle School is so much better"
Me in Middle School "This sucks more!"
People In High School "High School blows Middle School away"
Me in High School "Holy crap, this is better than middle school, but not by much..."
People in college "College years are the best years of your life"
Me in college "This is pretty cool, but not the heaven iyou said it was"
People in Grad School "Wait til you get here, its even better"
Me now "I think I will pass, I have been putting off what I want to do for so long thinking I needed a degree."

[ddgrooves]

It sounds to me you've finally followed your own spirit. You've created a way to focus, concentrate and enjoy YOUR life - rather than the life someone (possibly your parents) have created for you and you have been blindly accepting all this time.

If I were you - I would keep following your heart and find a business that lies in your interests. If you are into personal development then look for a personal development company and network with them. That's what I did and I love it. I am home with my daughter, learning what I want to learn and spending time in the wood shop creating things I like to create. AND my personal develpment business keeps my spirit fed and my bank account too.

There are many other companies that have the product andthe systems already in place to plug play and have success. Health, PD, wealth mastery, marketing, food products, insurance - There is definitely something out there for you to create wealth, follow your heart, and light your own path (rather than someone's path lit for you)

[Robert Avila]

Tasaio

As you continue on your journey build your list of contacts and establish relationships along the way. This combined with your independent study will open so many doors for you in the future. It's amazing how this was never discussed while I was attending college.

Wish you the best....follow your dreams!

Robert

[Tasaio]

Greetings

First of all, thanks for all the replies.

I've finally decided that I will continue my independent study, and will not be returning to university.

For those who feel university is a better learning experience...ah, well, to each their own. If Steve Pavlina has taught me anything, it's to not become discouraged by disagreement.

Indeed, I am grateful on a Level 2 basis for this attempted discouragement. It has only helped to convince me that university is not the place for me at the moment.

Having made this decision, I feel much more in tune with myself...and I already feel more productive since I'm not worrying about the decision anymore.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

However, I'm afraid my original question remains unanswered: Will I need to make monthly payments to the government, if I'm not a full-time student?

More specifically, will I have to pay per month for Canadian health care? Can I get away with not paying it, if I agree to stop seeing the dentist or doctor?

Personally, I never have problems with my teeth or otherwise, and I'd rather take a risk than have to dish out some money every month.

I'm planning on setting up a source of income, but I currently live with my parents, and I'm happy as a clam doing so. No rent payments here!

What can I expect in terms of taxes, government payments, etc., if I'm not a full-time student when I turn 21-years-old?

Going back to my original post...will they try and force me to join the military?

Thanks in advance!

[RT Wolf]

I'm glad to hear you've made a decision. I sincerely hope that this decision serves you well for the rest of your life.

In terms of your other questions, I don't understand your situation. Are you an American in Canada (Also the name of a funny CBC sitcom a few years ago)?

Canada has universal health care, and that covers many things but not dental, btu that may or may not be limited to citizens. No one's going to force you to join the military in canada. Draft dodgers from the vietnam war came here for a reason. I dunno if we've ever invoked conscription.

[Lychee]

Best wishes to you

[Lauxa]

Hi Tasaio,

Can't help you out with your legal questions since I'm in the US.

I was just wondering what you have been studying since dropping out. (BTW, I read a great book that said instead of referring to "dropping out" you can think of it as "rising out" LOL.) Is it still math and computers? Are you through advanced calculus and diff eq? What programming languages are you proficient in?

I have a cousin who is very gifted in math and programming and he made pretty good money tutoring. Also you could look into getting freelance programming jobs, or even volunteer, as you may learn more programming from doing actual projects. Or start developing your own IP and start your own software business.

I don't think college is for everyone, but it might be nice to start figuring out how to monetize your passion sooner rather than later, and I'm sure your parents will be more supportive if you have a plan for becoming self-supporting.

Also, while you are living with your parents, neither attending school or paying rent, for goodness sake please try and contribute as much as possible to the family. Be considerate of letting them know your comings and goings and offer to help with cleaning and repairs and things. I don't know your situation, but young adults can sometimes be pretty inconsiderate and unappreciative of their parents which can lead to strained relationships.

Good luck!

[Robert Avila]

Tasaio...

A friend of mine just sent me this email.....maybe this could be a resource for you....

Wish you the best!

Robert


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