<p>You have to do what you have to do, but I see you mentioned studying sociology. No jobs there without a degree. What I see here is someone who made the wrong college choice. Knowing who and what you are, you need (when you are ready to go back, if ever) to find a school that doesn't have the heavy core requirements. There are schools out there that let you structure your own major, and choose whatever electives you want. Perhaps there are schools that would let you do a lot of independent study. You can't make the school fit you - you have to find the school where you fit. You are still young - one of life's lessons is that sometimes you have to do what you don't want in order to get to do what you want. You can't make the rules. But you can find someplace that has rules that fit you better.</p>
<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>
<p>
I'm sorry that has been your son's experience. My son has been working at an incredibly meaningful job -- he works with a nonprofit organization, which included a leave of absence last fall to do paid campaign work right before the election. His leftish politics led him in that direction -- though the main point is that he was working for an organization whose cause he believed in. </p>
<p>I will say that the job started with my son taking the basic, unglamorous, lowest paid, entry level position his organization had to offer. He received his first promotion before the end of the 2nd week. </p>
<p>Meaningful and fulfilling jobs are out there, without a college degree - you just have to get a handle on what you want to do. I do have degrees, but my current job doesn't require one, and involves a good deal of technical computer skills that are self-taught. I work with a mix of people some who are very highly educated, up to Ph.D. level, and some who lack college degrees -- all working in very similar positions and capacities. </p>
<p>To me, the hardest thing to get over was being trapped by my degree. For 20 years I thought that because I had a J.D., I had to be a lawyer. Well, that was fine as long as I was enjoying what I was doing. But eventually I got really sick of it. </p>
<p>Fortunately, a career counselor who specializes in working with disillusioned lawyers straightened me out -- how liberating to know that can earn a living and have a fulfilling career, and I do NOT have to practice law, at all. Not ever again. </p>
<p>The thing about life is that we only get to live it once. So we might as well explore and take a few chances. </p>
<p>I do hope that your son finds his niche, as mine did. A college degree does make things a lot easier -- but work experience also counts for a lot.</p>
<p>Good luck!!! </p>
<p>I am only a high school senior, but I've found that with a lot of perseverance, resourcefulness, and just a cheery, creative outlook, you can get a lot of places. </p>
<p>I am young but nailed an internship at a company (where I got promoted in one year, from data analysis to writing to designing to working with customers), and now am building up a large portfolio for my own webdesign company. </p>
<p>I got a summer job that requires at the minimum a BA/BS, but in my cover letter and interview I highlighted my work experience, willingness to learn, etc despite not having a degree. I sat in the lobby with two college graduates, and I got chosen. </p>
<p>So, work hard and fly over any speed bumps that'll come your way. :) I'm sure you'll go a lot of places.</p>
<p>Wow, Calmom! What a wonderful story. You've pretty much convinced me that with imagination and drive, a person can find meaningful work and personal fulfillment without a college degree. I wish someone would write a book, outlining the types of steps a gifted and motivated person like, Devotedlila should take to start on the road to unconventional success (think you're up to the task?). </p>
<p>Of course, as others have pointed out, not everyone is suited for such a path. I think the majority of people still need to follow a more cookie-cutter plan to build their futures. Education has long proven to be a reliable way for the majority of us, who are lacking in vision and extraordinary talent, to finance an above average lifestyle. </p>
<p>Devotedlila, you sound like a woman who knows herself pretty well. If anyone can carve an alternative path to self-fulfillment, it's probably you. But, as others have also pointed out, you're still young, and there is still time to go back to college in the future, if you decide that it's indeed the better route. I say, good luck to you. May you amaze and astonish all the naysayers!</p>
<p>Actually, many years ago someone did write a book -- it's called "What Color is your Parachute".. and it has been revised and updated many times over the years. I first ran across it when I was coming out of college, and the suggestions seemed too vague or impractical at the time - but years later when I was making a change, I was able to put those ideas into action.</p>
<p>Career counselors use interest and skills surveys to help point people in the right direction. That was why it was helpful for me to attend a workshop and work with a career counselor. Some of the important things I learned are: (1) It's very useful to know what things you are good at, but just because you are good at something doesn't mean you have to make a career of it. (2) You should look at your work, school or life history in terms of overlapping skills you have developed, not job title. This helps develop a broader picture of what you are capable of doing. For example, I discovered that I was not only a "lawyer" but also someone with experience as a "technical writer" - those legal research and writing skills transferred easily to just about anything else. </p>
<p>Career counselors also help people develop insights into what their personal goals are, using questionnaires that ask things like prioritizing employment goals -- what is most important fo that person: making money, personal fulfillment, intellectual challenge, leisure time, etc. That is very important in terms of the rather linear, competitive approach espoused here: go to school, work hard, get job, work hard, get promoted, etc. But the problem is that not everyone really wants to end up being the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. If your real priority is to have a lot of time for family life, then the path epitomized in "The Apprentice" is not the way to go. </p>
<p>I honestly do feel that education is valuable -- it really does open a lot of doors. But it is a mistake to assume that all doors are shut without the degree -- I would just have to say that without a degree, an individual has to rely entirely on their intellect, creativity, and ability to work hard -- there is no piece of paper to fall back on if the other qualities are lacking.</p>