Dropping out of college
Stroudsburg, PA · Member since 2019 · 14 posts · 67 votes
I’m a 19 year old freshman in college studying architecture but I’m realizing I’m more interested in the business of buildings and not building them. There’s a real estate program here, but I’d be going 100+ thousand into student loan debt. I’m considering dropping out, getting a job or two, and getting my real estate license. My reasoning is that by the time everyone graduates with debt, id ideally be doing some form of a real estate career with no debt. Is this a good option? I’d also be more happy with this option.
Dude, I would not drop out of college.
Thats just me though. I value education because it is more than just a piece of paper you get.
It is the ambition the discipline, it is aiming high, and your mind is like any other muscle. you need to exercise it for it to grow bigger and stronger.
Hell I am crushing it in my market BECAUSE I am a NASA caliber robotics scientist.
I became a master at SEO because I see numbers. I see patterns. I understand and see the reasons for something before I even know myself why it is.
I am not saying you NEED to go to school, but why drop out? Not only is it a waste, you are training your mind that giving up is an option.
You are young, and you have the energy to do both at the same time. Ask yourself if it is not just lazyness or a shortcut you are after, BECAUSE know this.
Most people fail doing REI. MOST as in 90%+
So many reasons why you shouldn't drop out of college.. but then a gain.. I am biased.
I am extremely educated....
so lets wait for the others before you take my advise too seriously.
I struggled for about seven years (off and on) to obtain my college degree (I did graduate, but that's a whole other story in and of itself). I didn't do it for me, rather I did it to make my parents happy, because it was always their dream to put their kids through college. I never really made the conscious decision to attend college, like many others my age, it was simply expected of me. That "next step" in life.
In retrospect, I met some wonderful people and learned a lot about myself throughout that journey. However, was that experience worth the tens of thousands of dollars my parents spent on my college education? Definitely not, and I think my parents and I can both agree on that now. Most of my college friends are still crippled with debt and working dead end jobs well into their 30's. We bought into the liberal ******** that Obama and the rest of America was cramming down our throats and blowing up our *** at the time.
I was eventually able to find some decent employment opportunities in the government sector but nothing that ever really paid decent money. The ROI of attending college was terrible. To make a long story short, I eventually grew so disenchanted with this reality that I opted to create my own. I walked into work one day, quit, and never looked back. I got my real estate license, started my own company and have never looked back.
My advice to you is this; a college degree isn't going to harm your chances of living your best life. However, study something that is going to help you get a leg up in the workforce (i.e. business?). Instead of paying 100K for some fancy program, consider attending a two year community college first. Live at home, get a real estate license and earn sales commission while finishing your degree and figuring out what you really want out of life. Then finish up your degree in-state for a fraction of the cost. I always tell people, "Find a way to make it PAY!". Exploit these existing societal structures to further your own lot in life. College is a multi-billion dollar a year BUSINESS. The important thing is to realize this and proceed with caution. Find whatever makes you happy in life and fight like hell for it!
Hello Jaden,
I am currently 20. I am pursuing my education and will be getting my AA at the end of this semester. I go to community college making all my classes extremely cheap. Discipline and hard work are real characteristics that need to be learned! Saying you will work multiple jobs is different than doing! It is easy to slack off. Community colleges make classes much easier to manage and easier to succeed. While I am getting paid to go to school with a vast amount of scholarships, I do not have a job even though I am almost entirely free! I am slacking! It is easy to look at my peers who are at a nice college, getting into debt, and partying every night and knowing that I am vastly ahead of them only making 12k a yr from schooling profit. Imagine if I got a job! It is easy to slack! Stay determined, grow your education and do not give up! Even if its the semi-easier way. Life will never be a get rich quick game! Be better than the average, and shoot for the stars. :D
Janden,
1. The world is full of frustrated architects. Many are my dear friends. They hate the long hours, unpredictable income and ungrateful clients.
2. Almost all of them learn that there is more money to be made as the "client" than as a service provider.
3. Almost all of them take years to learn these important lessons/facts.
So, you are already years ahead of most others in your profession. "Architect turned real estate developer" is a great way to start in RE. Yes, you can skip school and get to work....but you can also take what you learn and use it to your advantage.
As to whether you should go or not go....thats a decision for you alone....but if I was me, Id find a way to do both.
1. Learn the business on the weekends and evenings. My first intern worked for free for 6 months and now runs a multi-million dollar business from what he learned in the process. His student debt is a distant memory
2. Go to college and work like crazy....with a view to becoming a developer/investor
You will find someone locally to teach you the business, raise a little money from friends and family and do your first deals. Use those funds to minimize student debt
Anything is possible if you work hard enough
Good luck
Paul
@jaden adams - I would ask why not change your major to business? It is maybe an easier path for you and you can dedicate yourself to Real Estate, which is a business. And I am not sure what school you are going to but switching to a highly respected in state school in your area will give you the best education for your money. The things you learn in college (most importantly, following through) will show well when you move on to the next level. My father has a college degree and as soon as he got out of college he went back to farming...but he still uses his degree every single day. My two sense.
I would definitely drop out. The only reason I am still in college is that I have friends that I think are worth staying for. You can build discipline outside of school, and it's the best place to do it in my opinion. School is great for people who are comfortable with a 9-5, but it is also teaching you to be disciplined when you have structure and somebody disciplining you. This is not the reality in REI, or the entrepreneurial world in general. One of my professors said something earlier this semester that made me want to vomit. She's a lovely lady but said she was training me to be an employee. You're young with energy, but time is valuable and there is no point in wasting it on something you don't want to do and brings no value to your life. It always helps to write down your goals and see whether or not your daily actions are getting you there. Furthermore, you can read the books they teach out of anyway. The only thing that you would be missing is their pat on the back. If you drop out though, be ready to starve because you will fail before you succeed.
I thought the same thing in my 20's screw college I'm making good money pre recession owning my own construction company. Boy am I glad I finished college and didn't listen to my 20 self. Recession hit and I had something to fall back on. Now I make a 6 figure income at a full time job, and paid my wife to get her license. Right after finishing her masters. I do the side hustle while having a steady full time job and she finds the leads. Dont know where'd I be if I dropped out.