Want to drop out of college...need some guidance

College Life
1

So, I am a junior in college right now, and I am seriously thinking about being done with college for good. It’s not because I’m stupid or have a poor work ethic. It’s because I have a very high level of self-confidence and I feel very comfortable saying that I do not belong on the traditional college pathway that most people take. It’s just not for me.

I just hate everything about college. For the first two years, I attended a local branch campus to which I commuted. I hated driving to class, I hated being on campus, I hated sitting in the classroom. I hated having to do certain things in classes that I know did not help me in any way. I hated working with other people who I didn’t want to work with. In some classes (that interested me), I did great…got several course grades over 100%. But in other classes, that I hated and therefore devoted no time to, I got Ds and Fs.

I ended up dropping all my classes back in the Spring semester and taking a few months off because I was so unhappy. For the past two semesters, I have transitioned to the online part of my university and have taken all online courses. I figured I’d try it…since I am a big introvert, maybe I’d like online classes better. I was wrong. I’m still unhappy. I hate having to go home from work and spend hours online working on a paper that I don’t want to be writing about something that I don’t want to write about, but “have to” because it’s part of my major’s curriculum.

I hate having to conform to college curriculums that are created by people who do not know me.
Above all, I just HATE BEING LOCKED ON THIS NARROW PATHWAY THAT I KNOW I DON’T FIT INTO.

And again, I’m a very intelligent, hard-working person…for the things that I WANT to do. Not to sound arrogant, but just because I think it’s important you understand I’m not a shallow-minded idiot…I have taken an official IQ test and received a score of 136…which means I am in the top 2% of the entire world in terms of intelligence.

I want to go into the field of astronomy and physics. I admire people like Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michio Kaku, and Bill Nye. But I also admire people like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Abraham Lincoln, and Mark Zuckerberg…people who knew what they were doing and did not finish college because they saw better opportunities for themselves.

It’s not that I hate learning…I love learning about things that I WANT to learn about. But I hate learning in this “artificial” setting designed by people who do not know my unique abilities. I’d rather study at my own pace and teach myself things I want to learn. I literally neglect my college academic work to watch videos about Physics and read about Astronomy topics online and in books. I’d rather teach myself the things I want to know in life like Isaac Newton.

I hate everything about college. It has made me incredibly stressed and unhappy these past 3 years, and I really don’t feel like I am getting to where I want to go. So I want to step away, at least for a while.

The problem is I just don’t know exactly what to do after I drop out. I’ve had a job at a local business since I was in high school. I’ve risen up through the ranks there and am guaranteed employment there as long as I want it, so I am fine financially for NOW. But where would I go from here? How could I ever work at NASA or a space exploration company without a college degree? I could know more than someone with a college degree, but if they don’t know that, how will I ever be successful in life?

Thank you in advance for any help you can give me.

2

So you’re at World Campus now and not main? (Just out of curiosity.)

NASA says:

http://nasajobs.nasa.gov/jobs/civil_service_jobs/career/page10.htm They’re adamant about not including engineering technology – I can only imagine how they’d feel about having no degree at all. So take some time off, if you want. Rest, recuperate, refocus. But I’m not sure if you’ll be able to accomplish your goals without a formal education.

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What are you going to do if you were to get a job at NASA and they have you on some projects you’re not interested in? Doing well only in things that interest you is problematic for joining the workforce and certainly won’t impress any employers.

Not having a college degree limits you. Take a few years off if you’re not feeling college right now, but be aware that many of the jobs you seem interested in would require at the very least a bachelors.

4

@bodangles Correct, I am completely at the PSU World Campus now, but I don’t dislike it any less than I did in-person classes. I can just be a very stubborn person, but to me it’s for a good reason and to me it makes sense. Like this weekend…I’ve had to work every day at my job because we went on a national shopping channel and have to ship out thousands of products by Monday. So I’ve been really busy. And tomorrow night at midnight, I have academic things due that are of no interest to me. It’s very likely I won’t do them. Whatever free time I DO have between tonight and tomorrow night, I will probably spend reading astronomy books and watching physics videos online because I’m an extreme introvert and I like to do my own thing.

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@Lagging I guess sometimes you have to do things you aren’t totally interested in. But trust me when I say that college is not for me, at least not right now. It’s far too much for me. I have no problem turning in one assignment here and there that I really dread doing. But when it’s an entire curriculum, over the course of years, that is making me unhappy…it’s a different story.

Thank you for your advice, and I realize that not having a college degree limits me. I would love to get an official, formal education, but the “atmosphere” of college in America is something I hate and am not fitting into.

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I guess part of the problem is also that I’m just so busy and don’t have much time to dedicate to my formal education. My job at a local business has (unfortunately?) become a big part of my life and I work long hours every week. I’ll note that it is simply food production (something I do NOT want to be stuck in my entire life), but I need money (my parents were not able to leave me in a gifted financial situation and this job provides me steady income right now. I can’t quit yet. So maybe I just have to step away from college for a while, refocus myself, come up with specific goals, and then figure out how to accomplish them.

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You might be able to find very focused degrees in the UK. Unfortunately, there is no finaid, and you will come in as a freshman.

8

So what specific better opportunity do you see? If you have one, take it. If not, well … as @Lagging points out, every job in the world involves some things that won’t interest you. That’s why they pay you to do it.

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@poblob14 I don’t have a great opportunity to point to right now, and that’s why I am so stressed and need to discuss this with people, including here.

I’d have no problem doing something that doesn’t interest me if I’m paid to do it. That’s what my local business job is right now…food production. Never something I’d love doing for my whole life, but I’m paid to do it, so I am doing it.

But college…I’m not paid to go to college. I PAY to study things I don’t want to study, which seems outrageous. I am just throwing my money away right now because my focus isn’t 100% on my academics, and I’ve already changed my major twice which means I’m already behind on getting my degree in 4 years. Every loan I take out is another headache.

So is it OK to just step away for a while until I find myself, what exactly I want to do? Never too old, right? I’m only 20.

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I think it’s fine to drop out and see how it goes.

I went to school for two years, got sick of it and was running out of money, joined the Air Force for four years at age 19, and then returned to school for my last two years. I was a lot more motivated and mature those last two years of college.

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@simba9 Thanks for sharing your path.

I am a very extreme perfectionist, and the thing that bothers me most is when I am not able to give something my best. And right now, college is making me unhappy, stressed, and I am not able to give it 100% of my attention. So I think some time off could help me refocus myself.

I’m just going to have to figure out how to start paying back my loans, because they will probably start to kick in if I stop college.

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If I had a dollar for every time someone posted who is interested in physics who wanted to work in it without getting an undergraduate degree, I’d be set. Realistically to work in that field, you also need a graduate degree. You need to build all the basic knowledge in math & physics, and lab skills. You also need to be able to work with other people; pretty much no one works all by themselves. You can take time away and come back, but to meet the goal of working in the field, you need higher education. Period.

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@intparent I understand that is the norm in today’s market, but Isaac Newton didn’t have a formal higher education. He learned things on his own and he didn’t take any nonsense…he did what he wanted to do in life.

It’s not that I don’t want a higher education. It’s that I’d rather teach myself the things I want to know at my own pace, rather than through an artificial, standard curriculum. Does that make sense? It’s a shame one can’t get a good job without having a piece of paper that states “degree.” What if I have twice as much knowledge and hands-on experience as someone with a bachelor’s degree? I’m better in every category. I would benefit the hiring company far more than the person with the official degree. But if they automatically rule out all people without that piece of paper, that’s unfortunate.

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It is no longer the world of Newton. Most physics advances are being made by teams of people. I have a kid who is a physics major, and can tell you that there are a lot of talented students pursuing the field. Note that people giving funding and hiring for positions related to physics want people who can stick to something and can get along with others. Also… I would think it would be hard to get “twice as much” hands on experience as a student at a university who is working in a lab or at lab internships in the field.

I understand you are under a lot of stress and not enjoying your experience. But I feel obligated to tell you that without a degree, you aren’t going to get many opportunities. And those doing the hiring pretty much all have PhDs in physics – they aren’t going to be super sympathetic to someone who thinks they don’t need to complete an under grad degree.

You can certainly take a job outside the field and dabble in physics on your own. But if you are serious about working in the field, you need to get a degree and be able to work with others.

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@MrElculver2424 That’s often the way it works, especially for major companies like NASA. They need proof that you have had some sort of formal education that is suited for what you would be doing if you were to work there.

Even at your workplace, whether it be NASA or elsewhere, you will very likely be learning about things that you may not care much about, or may wonder why you have to learn it in the first place (I had to learn about handling and labeling explosives for a CS internship…). Best is to deal with it and get it done.

16

In the roughly 300 years since Newton times have changed with college becoming more of a common requirement for many jobs.

Take a break if you need a break, there’s no problem with that and it can be a smart decision. College is about more than gaining knowledge. How do you work on a team? Complete assignments well and in a timely manner? Dedicate yourself to research or imparting knowledge through section leading? That piece of paper shows more than just knowledge, and workplaces know that.

Sorry, but you just come across as arrogant. Plenty of people think they’re too smart to put in effort for areas they don’t want to. Even if you do put in work once you get paid, the overall begrudging attitude is not the way to endear yourself to a company.

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@Lagging That was a hypothetical…I was saying “IF” I had twice as much knowledge as someone with a degree…“IF” I’m better in every category, I would benefit the hiring company more.

I wasn’t saying that is the case…obviously not. LOL. Sorry for not stating that more clearly.

Thank you for the advice :slight_smile:

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@Mrerculver2424, Have you ever been tested for a spectrum disorder? You remind me of the son of a friend. He’s really bright but was always hyperfocused on one area of interest, had trouble refocusing when was time to change tasks, and didn’t like doing those other tasks because they interfered with what he really wanted to be doing.

It sounds like you need a break from college. Until you can focus on your courses, it’s not a good use of your time and money. To get the type of job you want you’ll need a degree, but until you can view every assignment as one necessary step on your way there it’s not doing you any good. If you’re in classes now, make sure you formally withdraw so you don’t owe for classes you’re not taking. If it’s far enough into the semester that you won’t get a refund, consider sticking it out and trying to pass those courses. That’s 5 fewer you’ll have to take later.

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90% of life is crap you don’t want to do (yes, even for Zuck, Gates, and–hahahahahaha–Newton). It’s very important that you adjust yourself to and make peace with that simple fact before it’s too late; in fact, doing so is one of the most important collateral benefits of formal education.

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@MrElculver2424 Newton had a formal higher education. He studied at Cambridge and obtained his degree there.

Of course universities where different back then and he certainly learnt many things on his own, but he also went to university. Just wanted to point that out.