Considering dropping out of college

[jkera]

I'm not being productive in college. My grades have gone from A's to C's, D's and F's. I've gotten lazier and lazier, where I spend more and more time playing video games and doing other wasteful things. I've been depressed a couple times. Usually after a semester is over and I see my pretty terrible report card, I tell myself that I can do better next time (which ends up being not true). The problem now is I don't even bother telling myself that anymore.
I relatively recently discovered the love I have for programming and the desire I have to become a programmer (and I can't even give credit to college for my discovery).

You would think that I would be more driven to do well in my classes now that I know what I want to study, but there are still so many classes that I don't care about at all. The only class that I care about is the one that deals with programming, and I have an A in it because I actually enjoy it a lot. The other required classes just feel like a waste of time and I simply have no interest in them. I'm very much considering dropping out and dedicating my time to learning how to become a developer on my own, or maybe even dropping into some CS classes. Right now I'm just digging a hole deeper and deeper and it's not getting me anywhere.

The biggest thing that I'm concerned about is making sure that I become productive once I drop out. I know that I can do it but I know that it will take a lot of mental reconstruction and it will take a lot of habit breaking and making, and a lot of hard work to get out of this trend. But believe me I am ready to do it and I think the biggest factor that will help me is the fact that I like programming so much. So what I will be learning on my own time, will actually be of great interest to me.

I would really like to know some of your thoughts on this. Is it a dumb, unrealistic idea? Any tips for if I do drop out, or even if I don't?

[honduran heat]

Im not in college, so Im not going to touch that. Personally I feel that college is overrated and a good way to end up in debt.

as for the programming, theres no secret to it, you just have to do it! either you want it or you don't. Decide to stay in college for it? Then pass those damn classes. Drop out? Then spend every moment you can learning more about your passion and pursuing it. either way ,the end goal is to do something you love to do. That should be motivation enough.

watch this video. It is truly inspirational and might change the way you think about pursuing your passion.

How Bad Do You Want It - YouTube

[CroMagna]

If I were you, there is no possible circumstance that would lead me to drop out of college.

I would take 3 programming classes next semester since you're motivated to get A's in them. I would sign up for a gym, dance, or yoga class since those are easy A's and help you with your energy level.

[MeerkatB]

If you've decided to pursue programming and it's something you can do without a degree, there's no reason not to start focusing on it immediately. College will always be there, after all- and it might make more sense to go back later part time, taking online/night classes, once you've established yourself as a programmer (if you even decide you want to).

I don't know how old you are, but there are plenty of options besides the traditional "four straight years starting right after high school" route. Personally, I'm 22 and still working my way through gradually via community college, partially out of a desire to stay out of debt, partially because I really wasn't eager to jump right back into a full-time classroom situation after finishing high school. This way, I have time to explore all my interests, have different experiences, take breaks to work full time when I need to, etc. You have the benefit of having chosen a career already, so why not go for it? Like you said, the trick is to stay motivated once you've made the decision to drop out! Hope this helps

[Cado]

I am completely in favor of dropping out and I'd recommend starting with this: 8 Steps to Getting What You Want… Without Formal Credentials

[jkera]

Thanks all for the replies. That video was really inspirational thanks for sharing.

Btw I'm 20. And ya knowing my career path is a huge benefit and I feel pretty lucky to know it. College is good but it isn't for everyone. MeerkatB, one of the ways I found out that I wanted to do programming is by taking a semester of college off and doing an internship as a software tester. So I agree that going straight into college for 4 years isn't always the best.

[Cado]

Originally Posted by CroMagna

If I were you, there is no possible circumstance that would lead me to drop out of college.

I would take 3 programming classes next semester since you're motivated to get A's in them. I would sign up for a gym, dance, or yoga class since those are easy A's and help you with your energy level.

Keep in mind-college is an industry. Its primary goal is to create profit. Colleges have a reputation for excellence, but that's based on the past when it was difficult to get through the doors. Now anyone can get a degree if they're persistent. How much does it mean now? Because the more people who go the less valuable it will be and the more schooling you'll need to set yourself apart.

In this day and age, college provides nothing you can't learn through self-study and experimentation. The exception are fields where you need formal credentials, and even then the system is woefully inefficient-I don't believe for a moment that it takes ten years to make someone a capable therapist or doctor. There it's still something you put up with more than something that provides tangible value.

%&^$ college. Do your own thing and laugh as the world looks on in envy.

[CroMagna]

Without a college degree you'll need sales skills and most people simply don't have sales skills, It requires a certain knack to establish contacts and sell products. Why suffer like that when you can sit around reading and talking and find yourself making good money in the long run?

[Cado]

Originally Posted by CroMagna

Without a college degree you'll need sales skills and most people simply don't have sales skills, It requires a certain knack to establish contacts and sell products. Why suffer like that when you can sit around reading and talking and find yourself making good money in the long run?

1. Because developing all of those skills leaves you better off in the long run. What happens if your company goes under and you find yourself unable to make income except by your own power? If you want to get anywhere within the traditional corporate structures you'll need those skills anyway, otherwise you're expendable.

2. A high salary is no longer guaranteed to college graduates. Too many of them are flipping burgers because there's nothing out there in the formal market. How much better off would they be if they had developed those skills instead and didn't have crushing student debts on their shoulders?

Like so many other things, this is only hard when you start. It stretches you, makes you better, and that's more than worth it.

[CroMagna]

That's true. There are a lot of people with college degrees and even PhDs that are waiting tables. But I think that's because there are an overwhelming number of college students who major in liberal arts, which is not a skill, it's just an empty piece of paper. Reading Toni Morrison novels gets you nowhere. I wish someone had warned me while I still had time. I could have majored in Engineering or Psychology. I thought just going to a top school was my golden ticket, that employers would see what school I went to on my resume and be beating down my door. Apparently that only works if you went to Harvard Law--or have a STEM degree.

The key is to go for the STEM jobs (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) because those haven't been affected by the awful economy. Engineering is a real skill. Computer programming is a real skill. The OP loves programming so s/he should seize the opportunity to develop those skills in college. S/he's lucky that something as difficult as computer programming is something s/he's interested in. Even Steve has a BS in Comp Sci and Math.

[Cado]

Originally Posted by CroMagna

That's true. There are a lot of people with college degrees and even PhDs that are waiting tables. But I think that's because there are an overwhelming number of college students who major in liberal arts, which is not a skill, it's just an empty piece of paper. Reading Toni Morrison novels gets you nowhere. I wish someone had warned me while I still had time. I could have majored in Engineering or Psychology. I thought just going to a top school was my golden ticket, that employers would see what school I went to on my resume and be beating down my door. Apparently that only works if you went to Harvard Law--or have a STEM degree.

The key is to go for the STEM jobs (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) because those haven't been affected by the awful economy. Engineering is a real skill. Computer programming is a real skill. The OP loves programming so s/he should seize the opportunity to develop those skills in college. S/he's lucky that something as difficult as computer programming is something s/he's interested in. Even Steve has a BS in Comp Sci and Math.

Lots of engineers are unemployed, too. Some companies have decided not to hire anyone under a certain age which leaves a lot of Gen Yers out in the cold.

As far as programming goes, that's also one of those fields where it's much easier to break into it with a college degree than it is in many others. In fact a degree may not help you all that much because what matters is what you can do more than where you got your credentials, or that you have formal credentials at all. A degree isn't going to set you apart, some quirky program that solves a common problem will.

[CroMagna]

Originally Posted by Cado

Lots of engineers are unemployed, too. Some companies have decided not to hire anyone under a certain age which leaves a lot of Gen Yers out in the cold.

As far as programming goes, that's also one of those fields where it's much easier to break into it with a college degree than it is in many others. In fact a degree may not help you all that much because what matters is what you can do more than where you got your credentials, or that you have formal credentials at all. A degree isn't going to set you apart, some quirky program that solves a common problem will.

Wow! I didn't realize that lots of engineers were unemployed. Well good thing I didn't do engineering then. That would have been a wasted effort.

I guess we have no choice but to go the informal route.

Don't mean to highjack the thread but is there a way for me to work as a therapist without going to grad school?

[OptimistPrime]

Originally Posted by CroMagna

Don't mean to highjack the thread but is there a way for me to work as a therapist without going to grad school?

Sure, it's called "being a life coach".

[CroMagna]

Don't you need to be certified? And I believe it takes 2 years.

[OptimistPrime]

Originally Posted by CroMagna

Don't you need to be certified? And I believe it takes 2 years.

I have no idea. I've never considered that as a career, so I'm not familiar with the exact requirements. I was under the impression that there weren't any, or that (in the U.S.) it varied from state to state like massage therapy.

[Cado]

Life coaching requires no formal credentials. You can hang your shingle, so to speak, and get right to work. There are plenty of courses designed to help you do the job well-and it's recommended you take one-but there's no legal repercussions for diving right in.

Keep in mind coaching isn't therapy-you can't call it that and some of the methods and goals are different. Therapy is very focused on identifying and exploring problems whereas life coaches are there to help healthy people achieve their best or work past internal blocks. There's some crossover in terms of what each profession covers but a life coach would never take on a suicidal person as a client, as an example.

If therapy is your passion then the formal route is the only one. Networking skills are still invaluable but most of the other entrepreneurial stuff would only be relevant for thing done in the interim or if you want to do something really unique once you've got your license. No matter what, relying on someone to simply provide you with a job because you've gone through school is a bad strategy so displaying ambition and developing networking skills will pay off big time.

[CroMagna]

Thanks for your input Cado. So I guess I just need to get my Masters in Social Work to be a psychotherapist. I'd have more fun working with clients who have problems like depression. I think I'd be better at it. In the meantime I have to come up with the money to pay off my tuition and loans. So I'll just work on my networking skills for that and go the formal route. It seems much easier.

[Andras]

...Listen to me now and believe me later (Arhnold accent)
I did programming for over 20-years without a college degree. But that was then, and now is different. Now the problem is that while you can program/hack whatever nobody is going to pay you unless you have a degree at least of a 2-year associate level. There are at least 80 million excellent programmers in india, and we have open borders and H1B even now..
So what is that you want - be a hacker and work for free? It is easy, or be employed and feed yourself? Stay in school and show a discipline to at least get an associate degree in IT/programming. I have learned ALL by self-study, at home and I lied on my resume as a rug.

Originally Posted by jkera

I'm not being productive in college. My grades have gone from A's to C's, D's and F's. I've gotten lazier and lazier, where I spend more and more time playing video games and doing other wasteful things. I've been depressed a couple times. Usually after a semester is over and I see my pretty terrible report card, I tell myself that I can do better next time (which ends up being not true). The problem now is I don't even bother telling myself that anymore.
I relatively recently discovered the love I have for programming and the desire I have to become a programmer (and I can't even give credit to college for my discovery).

You would think that I would be more driven to do well in my classes now that I know what I want to study, but there are still so many classes that I don't care about at all. The only class that I care about is the one that deals with programming, and I have an A in it because I actually enjoy it a lot. The other required classes just feel like a waste of time and I simply have no interest in them. I'm very much considering dropping out and dedicating my time to learning how to become a developer on my own, or maybe even dropping into some CS classes. Right now I'm just digging a hole deeper and deeper and it's not getting me anywhere.

The biggest thing that I'm concerned about is making sure that I become productive once I drop out. I know that I can do it but I know that it will take a lot of mental reconstruction and it will take a lot of habit breaking and making, and a lot of hard work to get out of this trend. But believe me I am ready to do it and I think the biggest factor that will help me is the fact that I like programming so much. So what I will be learning on my own time, will actually be of great interest to me.

I would really like to know some of your thoughts on this. Is it a dumb, unrealistic idea? Any tips for if I do drop out, or even if I don't?

[Andras]

Yes but a few can actually make their living and move out of mommies basement. Less credentials more critters from the woodwork trying a pipe dream (i.e. becoming a "life coach") WTF is that? Do you actually put that on a business card? Give me a break....

Originally Posted by Cado

Life coaching requires no formal credentials. You can hang your shingle, so to speak, and get right to work. There are plenty of courses designed to help you do the job well-and it's recommended you take one-but there's no legal repercussions for diving right in.

Keep in mind coaching isn't therapy-you can't call it that and some of the methods and goals are different. Therapy is very focused on identifying and exploring problems whereas life coaches are there to help healthy people achieve their best or work past internal blocks. There's some crossover in terms of what each profession covers but a life coach would never take on a suicidal person as a client, as an example.

If therapy is your passion then the formal route is the only one. Networking skills are still invaluable but most of the other entrepreneurial stuff would only be relevant for thing done in the interim or if you want to do something really unique once you've got your license. No matter what, relying on someone to simply provide you with a job because you've gone through school is a bad strategy so displaying ambition and developing networking skills will pay off big time.

[CroMagna]

Ah, the voice of reason. I don't understand what the problem is. Is college that bad? College is supposed to be the best four years of your life. Stop taking it for granted, or you will live to regret it.

Under no circumstances should you drop out.

[illbreaker]

You definitely need a college degree. Thanks to globalism, people are competing on a global scale. A bachelor's degree is the new high school diploma. As mentioned by a previous poster, anyone can get a college degree with persistence. Not having one makes a person less marketable and seem to lack discipline.

[Lifeisamazing]

I'm with Cado on this one. I highly recommend to read The Education of Millionaires by Michael Ellsberg. The book talks about how people have become very successful without a degree.

[CroMagna]

How many people have become millionaires without a college degree? You read it, how
come you're not a millionaire? That book is all about false hope and get rich
quick schemes. If anyone can be a millionaire without a degree why do wealthy
families w connections still try to get their kids into Harvard?
Just stay in school, earn a BS in Comp Sci, intern while in school, and get a job
before u graduate.

[Lifeisamazing]

I read it a week ago. Show me someone who is able to get from 30k in debt to a millionaire in a week after reading a single book.

The book is so much more than earning a million. In fact, that is probably the least important aspect of it, but it's the one that sells the best. So, it's a good idea to put a title that sells to a book. The book tells you why it's silly to think that a college degree guarantees you anything and why it's not the best place to study for a lot of people. Debt+suppression of creativity+lack of passion = no success.

How many people who are passionate and hard workers don't go to college? The number is very low. Thus, your question is irrelevant.

I think the original poster has to figure this out on his own. It's a mistake for you to tell him what to do; neither can we do that. I'm just giving ideas for thought.

[CroMagna]

What progress are you planning to make after having read that book?

The OP asked for advice so my advice is to stay in school. If s/he wanted to figure it out on his or her own, s/he wouldn't have posted. I think it's ludicrious to blow such an amazing opportunity to get his life in order as a BS in Comp Sci would do.

Few people make it without a degree and those people are in trade schools (men), doing manual labor (men), or are very entrepreneurial. If you're none of those things, you're screwed.

[Lifeisamazing]

I'm focusing a lot more on marketing after reading that book, which I now feel is a very valuable thing to do. What kind of progress do I look forward to? I hope I'll be able to make my blog more popular and my online personal brand in general.

It doesn't hurt you to become more entrepreneurial. If you're not nor want to become more entrepreneurial, then you'd indeed be screwed without a degree. But, I think you'd be quite screwed even with a degree.

[Criseyde]

Originally Posted by Cado

In this day and age, college provides nothing you can't learn through self-study and experimentation.

I completely disagree with this. Universities provide an academic community, full of experts in any given field. You get to learn from and -- this is the critical part, this is what you can't get from books -- interact with some of the most intelligent and knowledgeable people in the world. While I was sitting in the Bodleian library in Oxford, doing research for my thesis, I found my own professors cited in some of the most important texts that EXIST related to my topic, and that's just people I had for class, it's not counting everyone in the department. (If I had chosen a slightly different topic, I would have been working directly with the people who actually wrote those seminal texts.)

You're thinking of college as vocational training. That's understandable because that's common in American society. But that's not what it's meant to be. One sharp mind is good. Fifty of them all in the same building is incredible.