"College Dropout" is automatically associated with "Kanye West" in my mind.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

My advice to new high school graduates: Give it a try. Go a year right after high school (because it's hard to start when you've been out of school for a while). If you dislike it, quit. No shame.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

That's exactly what I did, and I feel like people look down on me when I say I'm not finishing college.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I went to a Junior Miss pageant at our high school and one of the girls from last year's pageant said she was taking a year off and I couldn't help but think how many people ridiculed her for that decision. It seems like everybody's brainwashed into thinking that the only way a person can succeed is if they go to college and get a nice steady job with a pension and early retirement.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I agree that everybody is brainwashed into thinking that. It's not like just because somebody doesn't finish college they're going to work at McDonalds for the rest of their life. I plan on owning my own business some day, and while college classes can help you prepare for managing a business, you don't need a degree to do so. I felt like I was wasting my time and getting into a huge debt when I should be saving money to start my business instead.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Some of the most successful people I know never went to or finished college

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I must say, though, that seeing the life of my parents and their friends who are pretty smart but never went to college (due to finances) that in the current world, a degree will definitely help you. I have no desire to be 45 and working in customer service with people yelling eight hours a day making money 'low-income' range for my country and province (British Columbia, Canada)... Not to say that it should equate to failure, but of the people I know who haven't finished college aren't doing so well just because the work ethic they've developped is insufficient (probably where this idea comes from)... I'm looking at six years for a regular 4 year degree due to money and I've been busting my ass to make it happen. Though, things are probably a little different here since scholarships can be wracked up for things other than purely academics or athletics...

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I don't know where you live, because economics is different in Somme places, certainly 30 years ago, you didn't need a degree, but nowadays it's almost required. And surprisingly enough, when the economic troubles hit, the people who were still doing okay were your electricians, plumbers, etc. Cause there's always a need for them. My family has talked about it time and time again, because my brother just graduated college a few years ago and next year, I'm going to be going. But the degree really isn't worth the amount it costs, unless it's for a doctor or lawyer, which of course requires additional schooling. I think people are going to start to realize this soon, and somehow change it. Wow, that's tough, I'm sorry. Good job on the hard work though, the world needs more people like you who want something and do whatever they can do to get it! Kudos.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Even though I agree, many business will look down on you. College is harsh and tough, and dropping out tells them that you can't put up with the heat. Even if that's not true, that's the vibe you get. Just getting a college degree from anywhere tells the employer that you can deal with harsh shit. Sometimes what you majored in doesn't even matter, it's the fact that you earned a degree that attracts them.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

No, not automatically. Mark Zuckerberg, for example, is a college dropout. But generally, people drop out of college because they realize they lack scholarly attributes: intelligence, determination, and industriousness. Therefore, I think it's understandable college dropouts are generally perceived as failures.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Yes that's why most people drop out of college and that is why the stereotype is there. I just wish it wasn't such a commonly thought stereotype, but I guess it's just something I'll have to deal with until I prove it wrong.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

It's just statistics. Assuming a college dropout is a failure is just like assuming an alcoholic is a failure -- it's not necessarily true, but statistics aren't on your side.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

If you can support yourself, you're not a loser.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Why tortue yourself with college if you don't want to go? It's a waste of you money, passion, energy, and time. As long as you can find a way to support yourself and you're happy, ignore society's stupidity. College isn't for everyone.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I really only went to college because I was afraid of what people would say if I didn't. That said, it's all well and good to drop out of college //if// you know what you're doing and actually go and do it. There's the college dropout who goes on to create a business and be successful, because he has the determination and enough knowledge to do it, and then there's the college dropout who sits in his room playing games all day and won't get a job for the same reason he didn't finish college: he's lazy. There's nothing wrong with being the first type. The second type... Well, he's going to get the respect he deserves, which is pretty much none.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

My friend dropped out of one of the best universities in England and everyone is shocked when she tells them. But they don't know she hated her course and dropped out to go to film school and get a degree in film making instead, which is what she's always wanted to do, they just see she dropped out of UCL. I think that if you want to do anything other than run your own business it's always better to have a degree in something, because you're being hired by someone on your credentials. If a job position comes down to two people side by side, the employer is almost always going to choose the person with a degree because it shows dedication to work and sticking things out.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

My mother wasn't even a college dropout, she was a high school dropout, and now she has a job she loves and that pays her well over the average income for someone her age. That being said, it took her a long time to get where she is, and she couldn't afford to buy me anything when I was a young child -- and I think jobs have higher standards now than they did then. So I don't think it necessarily means failure, but at the same time, if you've worked to get into college and you've started your degree, I do think that finishing it is the best thing you can possibly do for your future.

by Anonymous 12 years ago