What happens when you drop out of college?

[sailordave]

Originally Posted by boxus

I met a lot of people in the military who were college drops.

Served 8 years Navy. Some of the drop-outs joined for financial aid to continue their college education(which they can continue while on a ship or on shore duty). Some partied away daddy's money and was forced by daddy to join the military to do some growing up or get cut off from the family money (he actually wore silk boxers in the ship's engine room). Most were college graduates. They were called "officers".

[Tony22]

I dropped out of college after I took 1 semester in a 4 year school. I obtained my associates degree. School isn't for me and it isn't for a lot of people. I am now working fulltime in CVS for the meantime until a better opportunity rolls around, even if it's a higher paying retail job.

[sideman]

When you complete a degree program, you show a potential employer that you are motivated enough to finish something you started. Unfortunately our American society views college as the right road for all. This just isn't the case. Some are more trade oriented and that's not a bad thing. We need plumbers, electricians, et al. Some drop out of college because they realize it's not a fit for them. It seems we could do better as a society to help those that are uncertain as to which path to take. I know there are "guidance counselors" but they just seem to spit out what parents want to hear.

[Minervah]

I dropped out after the first year. Things happened. Ten years later I went back and got a bachelor's degree. Twenty-one years later I received a paralegal degree. You can go back it you want. It just depends upon how motivated a person is.

[cpippin2]

Hi i saw your following post on forum and i was wondering if you could elaborate/ answer questions as i am in the same position you were in after your first sentence. Thank you

Originally Posted by Briolat21

I left my first university - immaturity on my part, coupled with some significant health issues caused my grades to drop, leading to my eventual dismissal.

I worked in the "real" world for a year, at a menial but okay job (pharmacy technician) and then applied/begged various universities for a second chance.

I got a second chance - and my bachelor's degree, and now graduate degree.

A lot of people who withdraw/dropout - never go back.

I knew a lot of students who were just a few classes shy of their degrees and who quit - and never got their degrees.

Which is kinda ridiculous.

Its one thing to not ever go to college at all. Its another to be 90% done with a degree and just never finish it.

[Zeppelin0129]

I dropped out of college at 21. I was a waiter at a fine dining restaurant and was making more money than most college graduates. I hated my school, and saw little opportunity in the major I had chosen. Neither of my parents went to college and they had little advice or guidance to give me.

I continued to work in restaurants for a further 4 years before choosing to return. I made very good money, but the life style was starting to wear on me.

It was the best thing I could have done for myself. I returned to school as an accounting major, ensuring that I would be set up for a variety of positions. When I first attended school, I had a GPA around 3.0. I now have maintained a 4.0 for four semesters, have been offered and accepted two accounting internships with nationally ranked firms (#11 and #9 respectively) and am on track to graduate with both a dual BS/MPAcc in 18 more months.

I think we do our children a disservice by requiring that they attend college immediately after HS. If I could go back and do it over again, I would take two years off, work full-time and save a ton of $$$. If I had done that, I would be debt free from college (granted I will only have about $30,000 when I am done).

Dropping out isn't the end of the world. Sometimes we have to do some soul searching that is difficult when you are in school full-time.

[mochamajesty]

Originally Posted by sheena12

An education, and the knowledge gleaned from it, is yours for life. It will change the way you perceive the world and indeed, the experiences you have in this world. It will change the way you interact with others, and the way others perceive you.

You can lose a job but you can't lose the treasure of knowledge.

I started a thread about this recently.

I work and attend school simultaneously, and this is not true.

It sounds great, but due to time constraints, it is just not possible.

[crownheightsnative]

One of my siblings dropped out of school because he was working a really good job and just couldn't do both well.

He followed the money trail, took as much OT and side jobs that he could. He did this for over a decade.

Then he got hurt and could no longer do the physically demanding work he did prior.

He decided to go back to school, got his degree, and then graduate school, and went back into the same industry he was in prior, but now on the white collar side of the equation.

My advice to anyone dropping out of school is to have a plan. Our school has many students that start college (usually community college) without much of a plan, get themselves into debt, and then drop out with even less of a plan.

[SoulJourn]

Originally Posted by sailordave

Formal education gives you a starting point. Once you're out of school and in the job world, you learn many things not taught in school. It's not a knock on formal education, it's a fact of life. If you feel all you need to know is what you learned within a classroom then you're limiting you personal growth. To deny you learned many things outside the classroom is to lie to us and yourself.

But first, you need an education. A four year degree at least.