<p>My son made the same decision, at about the same age... and it really was the smartest decision he ever made. The problem was that he was drifting in college - he had a liberal arts major and if he had stayed at college he could easily have come out after 4 years with a generic B.A. that had prepared him for nothing, without a clue as to what he wanted to do in life.</p>
<p>He ended up finding a job that he loved, where he was promoted through the ranks quickly, and had a considerable amount of responsibility. The pay isn't great, but it is typical for what students coming out of college make to start, includes health insurance, paid vacation, & a 401K plan. Part of his job involves interviewing and hiring college grads who apply for positions with his organization. The "minimum wage" argument is bunk -- even my son's first job when he was in high school was more than minumum wage. It's not as if your brain falls out the day you quit college. </p>
<p>My son is going back to school -- he has specific plans to quit his job in the fairly near future and return to college, as a transfer student to a different school than where he started. But he is a different person - more mature, more confident, far more sure of himself. He also has racked up an impressive resume that will make job hunting easier in the future, pluas made all sorts of connections through his work that may also proof fruitful. I'm sure he's not burning any bridges, either -- it will probably be open to him to return to this job after college, if he wants or of other things do not pan out.</p>
<p>I think college is important, but it can also a waste of time and money if you are not focused on studying something that is meaningful to you and helps lay a foundation for your future. I mean, no sense spending 4 years and thousands of dollars only to end up wishing later on you'd majored in something else.</p>