I worry about being behind

Everyone that I started school with is already out in the working world, and Im going to be graduating a year and a half later. I’ve been really down about it and I feel like im messing up and missing out. What do you think?

You can leave school and start working now, but the job will probably not be as good as the one you can get with a degree. Just finish at your pace.

It’s not a race.

What @stradmom said. In general, the less you compare yourself to others the easier it’ll be. I say that with the caveat that focusing on yourself only is very hard and various mental conditions (anxiety, depression, many others) can make it even harder. But the point is, all that matters is that you’re happy with the job you work after graduation and your life then and now. Bob down the street having 2 more years of working before you doesn’t matter, nor does how happy Bob is with that situation.

Short version: No, who cares when you graduate! Enjoy school, get your degree, and do your best to enjoy your job then and school now :slight_smile:

You already have another thread on this. The answers are the same. Stop obsessing. Stay in your lane and finish at the pace you can sustain. In 10 years, no one will care if you finished college a couple years behind your HS classmates. Lots of people never finish. Just keep working at it.

In the grand scheme of things a year and a half is nothing. When you are 30 or 40 your friends will be working a year and a half longer than you. Doesn’t that sound silly when you think of it like that?

Enjoy the luxury is still being a student and not having to be in the work world which can sometimes feel like a grind.

Relax.

A year and a half is nothing. What matters is doing well and graduating. Go to your career center now and look for summer jobs and internships. If you can’t find any internship for this summer, look for an internship or externship for this Fall.

Run your own race.

Life is not a sprint. It’s a marathon. The only one you’re racing is yourself. Your friends have their college degrees and their adult lives. You soon will have your college degree and your adult life. They’ll make a living in their careers. You will make a living in your career. Some people make more, some people make less. Comparing yourself to others is like saying that an orange is better than a banana. They’re just different.

Focus on staying on track and not worrying about what everyone else is doing. You have your own journey.

This is an old article (from 2013) but it indicates that some college will provide a benefit in earnings but not as much as a degree whether it be an associates or even more a four year degree. I think it would benefit you the most to finish your degree then seek employment rather than go into the work force with only some college.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/jobs/2013/06/07/is-starting-college-and-not-finishing-really-that-bad/

Good luck.

yeah but if you quit school and start working, you’ll just say, “everyone I know in the working world has a college degree and I don’t. I feel like I messed up and missed out. What do you think?”