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College or no college!

Im in college and i’ve changed my major 3 times. I dont like college as is but since i am close enough to graduation want to pick a major that i will most benefit from (Being my own boss). I was thinking that all the money i spent on college could have been an investement into a small business. Anyways i wanted to know who out there either dropped out of college or did not go and have become successful.

Comments

  • I honestly believe that these days college educations are VITAL. Masters degrees are even beginning to be more important than bachelors degrees. Everyone has a bachelors, what’s big now is a Masters degree, if not a PhD. IMO, if you’ve already spent money on college, and especially if you’re close to graduation, you should just stick it out and graduate with a degree as close to something you want to do as you can make it. It’ll be much more worth the money you’ve already spent than if you were to stop now.

  • I totally agree with mango woman. I’m graduating this spring with a degree in communication, and believe me about changing majors…I did 5 times and changed schools twice, and I still will graduate in 4 years! I’m also debating on getting my masters because it sets you apart from the rest. Even in you want to own your own business, you should still get a degree in business or anything relative so you really do well and have a firm grasp on what you’re doing! Good luck, stick it out!!

  • Hi Miss Thomas, What are you debating about majoring in? I think communications is a really good major but I never thought that was what I’d get my degree in. Originally I went to the UC Santa Cruz for an Environmental Major but they wanted us to disect animals, and collect bugs and stuff that I didn’t believe in ethically. My brother majored in history and he is in international sales even though he never really liked to travel. A guy I worked with majored in Zoology and was a manager. Basically what I ended up doing had to do with the teachers I liked the best. I had several other options but the teachers I felt had issues, they weren’t organized, they had attitude problems, etc. The only teachers I liked and loved were the communications teachers. You seem like an outgoing person so maybe that is what you should look into. It’s not as hard as you’d think and I was able to pick the topics I wrote about most of the time so I could pick just about anthing.

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    I agree… education is important. When it comes time to find a job or change jobs, employers may have to select from 2 candidates… and their only difference may be their education. On the otherhand, some employers may seek people with experience even though they have no education. Those people are usually very good at what they do – degree or no degree. If you have no degree… you have to be VERY GOOD at what you do… but, even that is not a guarantee.

  • Well, I got my BA and I went to school for the wrong reasons. I did not want to go to school…well, not true. I wanted to go to tech school and become a jewelry artisan. Instead, I went and got my BA because education is a priority in my family. My father has his doctorate in education and my mother has her masters in social work. All my BA has managed to get me is a huge debt and a crappy job. I say to pursue what you want to do…if what you want to do is something reasonable and responsible. I should have followed my hearts dream and become an artisan (which I will do when my daughter is in school and a quarter of my income isn’t going out the bank for daycare!!). I also think that it’s important to set up a series of small goals clearing the path for the main goal. Focus…drive…determination…and a dream. make your own path.

  • I know it sucks because I have been there and I am still here! Here are my list of colleges and majors: 1. Tennessee Tech University-Civil Engineering 2. New Mexico State University-Social Work 3. University of Maryland Japan-Psychology 4. Boise State University-Social work/psychology 5. Park University (Idaho)-Social Work 6. Tennessee State University-Physical Therapy 7. Wichita State University-Math and Science Granted I was in the Air Force for 8 long years and 14 dreadful days. I have over 180 credit hours. I was thinking about just cashing thos credits in for a general degree but I am sticking to math and science because I have waaaay more options. Hang in there. It will pay off for those of us that keep flopping back and forth! And by the way. I am 31 years old and I am hoping by now I have it right. At least my hubby is supportive of his poor indecisive wife!

  • Im a business major. At first i was a nursing major but after doing clinicals in a nursing home the enviroment was to depressing for me. (My family was all for nursing cause of the money) Then I decided to major in drama, then education. I was sure that education was it, but im a nanny, I enjoy my job but do not want to be around kids until i retire. My final decision was to major in business. I’ve come to the conclusion that if ima work, ima work for myself and not under anyone else. I dont really care how long it took for me to find what i want to do forever but i also want to be happy and not feel stuck. So i agree with Tessa, you gotta go down your own path and do what makes you happy. I still think that if one was not able to go to college or decided not to go to college they could still be successful! You can do anything you put your mind to.

  • What kind of business do you want to start? You seem like you are just burned out trying to study and maintain a job. Is there a way to just take a break for a few days and not jump to any rash decisions?

  • omshantiomshanti Raw Newbie

    HI Miss T ! This is one of my fav topic because i was expected to go to college which i did for 4 long years three schools and one associates degree later. Dont get me wrong i loved the opportunity, but It did not help me one wit in my chosen field( which i chose by the way at the age of 10…”mom, Im gonna train horses or be homeless”) Since youve invested so much time and are so close to graduation id cash those credits in on which ever degree they applied to the most and get the heck out, if you ever have to go mainstream (where they actually give a crap about those things) you can drag it outa the drawer and dust it off to show your employer….But I beleive in following ones own path regardless of what is expected, normal, or practical.

    Also remember in our lifetimes we can have several careers so what you decide to today is not what you are stuck with for life…which is cool! Keeps things fresh right…Im not advocating leaping from job to job every two years but using myself as a example ive worked in horses since the age of 16( im 39) Its been my sole full time job/career for 10 years, im wrapping it up and persuing another biz in hopes that this career will take me to my 50s or so and then on to the next one. Horses will remain a partime job for me forever as long as i enjoy it…Its in my blood but im tired and getting slower and the owners are getting more obnoxious, soooo, time to go before its ruined for me! Good luck and follow your heart in all its paths!

  • I went to school for my own personal knowledge, not for the purpose of getting a job. Most people don’t work under what they get a degree in, which is sad. I went to school becaue I wanted to learn something, which just happened to be philosophy. I couldn’t imagine going to school for training in a specific job, probably because I feel the need to be self employed and I can’t just stick in one job for too long (I need the flexibility to be able to change my practice, even if just a little).

    I went to the Institute for Integrative Nutrition for job training, and it was WELL worth it. In my opinion, college wasn’t as far as that’s concerened, but besides that it was worth it. Clearly, if you’re already close to finishing, then do that. Majoring in something business related will be helpful. I find the most difficult aspect is communication / networking / getting yourself out there… so try and get courses geared toward that. Also, organizational courses to help you stay focused and on-target.

    But yeah, do your own thing. You don’t need college to be successful but you DO need drive, and more often than not you’ll need people skills (which I imagine you have, since you’re a nanny). You also need to be willing to work your butt off, and make sure you have a skill that other people need and are willing to pay for. That doesn’t have to be anything particularly difficult / spectacular. In my practice the most imporant thing is just lending an ear to the client… be present, listen, etc. So, it doesn’t have to be anything you go to school to learn. Be creative.

    If you are questioning whether or not you have the tools and are prepared to start a business, do some research online for resources on how to start a business. You may think they are quite daunting (and they can be)... in which case you would probably want to stick through school a bit longer so you can get that degree / knowledge necessary to start a business.

    Also… if you tell people you have a degree I think that makes them feel more confident about you and your business.

  • I am burnt out and being that i’ve spent three years in school i feel like i may as well graduate with a degree. I probably have a year or two years left and that’s if i go full time all the way through. I work full-time m-f and go to night school but eventually i will have to switch up my schedule because there are only so many night classes available. I feel like if i take a break i may not want to go back. My original plan was to get my bachelor’s then shoot for my master’s but i hate school and don’t have the patience to be in school and additional 2 years after i graduate. My focus in business would be entreprenuership(sp?). I guess at this point im really annoyed. I only really get sat and sun to breathe and i normally spend those days getting things done instead of relaxing. I really need a vacation i believe.

  • ZoeZoe Raw Newbie

    If you want your own business then I believe that the best experience to help you succeed would be work based. Learning from successful business people whilst on the job is so valuable and you’ll learn so much that you just won’t even hear about in business school.

    I got a degree but it hasn’t helped me in my career one iota. If I went down the path all my univerity friends did then I would have been stuck in a crappy job for the last 10 years, just like 99% of them.

    I did get a crappy job but I walked out after a couple of years to become self employed. Now after being self employed for 7 years, and travelling along a huge learning curve, I now have a successful business which is growing.

    It took about 5 years of experimenting and being broke to get here.But I wouldn’t change a thing. I believe that if I hadn’t gone to Uni then I would have got my business together and successful much, much sooner, but then again I had an amazing, amazing time socially at Uni, which for me was the only real thing I gained from it. For me it was nice to have those 3 or 4 years of not having to worry about work, bills, responsibilities etc to really kick up my heels and have a good time. Uni was one big long party for me. Your situation is very different, doing night classes and working must really take its toll. I guess you’re thinking that you could be working on getting your own business set up instead of going round in circles doing college which you say you hate.

    My advice would be for you to get together a vague business plan of your own and check over with people who are self employed and successful who you know, and see in black and white if you could set the wheels in motion now and get it started. Once you have a Plan B it might be easier for you to make your decision on whether to quit Plan A or not.

  • Hi Miss Thomas- What I mean is what areas of business are you interested in- fashion, food, business services, etc.? Maybe even hotel management? What you have learned may be that there needs to be better services for kids available in all kinds of areas like resorts, shopping malls, etc. You could have something to do with kids but where you were managing people to take care of them but you didn’t have to do the specific care giving. Or maybe you want to get out and run a shop that rents jet skis at resorts. Anyway you do it – it sounds like you are going to have to make some major changes. The hardest thing to do is make a change when you are already burned out!

    Is there anyway to take an elective that would be fun for a while- like photography? I’d look into that first. Try to find one teacher or class that would be different from what you have been taking. Peek into some other classrooms, ask other students, etc because there may be something there that would really turn things around for you. Have you considered grant writing? That may be a very valuable avenue for you. There are all kinds of grants available for women in business. You could learn how to do it and then apply for a bunch and go for it if you get one.

    There is the SBA- small business association that can pair you with a mentor. You need to get out there and meet some people in the business world. You could join a networking club. If it’s on Tues. you may need to ask to work one day on the weekend to make up for it. Focus on the positive. It is hard right now but you need to be ready to pounce when the right person and \or opportunity comes your way.

  • Thank you so much for the info and support writeeternity and everyone else! I really appreciate it and will take your advice. I guess i’ve never really thought about taking classes to get my mind off of things my focus has been take the classes i need so i can graduate. Thanks again and ill let you know how things turn out with my research and all.

  • Personally, after high school I attended a vocational school for two years for drafting and design. I got my job about six months into the program. I moved up to be in a supervisory position. I still work for them after 16 years even though I now live out of state.

    I decided to go back to college when I was 28 and attended until I was 31, changing my major 4 times. Due to the hurricane I did not finish, but I was thinking of just switching back to English anyway since most fields did not pay as much as I was making anyway. I found that I could get writing gigs at newspapers and magazines without a college education, so I didn’t try going back to finish my degree. Although, there are times that I wish I could say that I have a degree. =)

    To me, it’s all about what you want to be. There are still many fields that do not require a college degree, especially those in creative areas. Sometimes, experience is deemed more useful, but that could just be the areas that I deal with. Good luck in whatever you decide!

  • I know you’ve had a lot of responses already. I just want to encourage you to make the most of the time and money you’ve already invested. People will care if you’ve finished that degree when you’re applying for a job, negotiating a salary, or even seeking a small business loan. Though you may not be enjoying the process, you’re almost done! You may later find that one of your passions leads you to pursue an advanced degree, and you’ll be prepared with your bachelor’s.

    I know how hard it can be. I had my 1st daughter when I was a sophomore in college. I had a baby, a job and a full-time courseload. But I finished successfully and it has paid off in a variety of ways. Maybe you could take a lighter load for 1 semester, to give yourself some breathing room.Continue to seek out support as you need it. I wish you good luck!

  • Thanks rediscoverrawfood for the support and the advice!

  • Wow lots of responses here but I feel compelled to join in because I’m a near expert in going to college hehee. I spent 10 years in school. I started out full-time right out of high school then went part-time for a period of time then back to full-time. I changed majors 5 times and attended 5 different schools in the course of 10 years. I eventually found “what I wanted to be when I grow up” and stuck it out. I worked full-time and went to school full-time the last 2.5 years of my education. I think college is an invaluable experience. I learned so many things through my educational experience that I could have never learned if I would have just entered the work force. I know how hard and stressful it can be but I think it’s well worth it. To me sticking it out was to also prove to everyone that I really could do it, but most importantly to prove to myself that I could. You may decide someday that you don’t want to run your own business any longer (I have friends who this has happened to) and not having a college degree will make it very difficult for you to re-enter the work force.

    I am finding now that having a masters degree is where it’s at, like mango woman stated above. It seems everyone has a bachelors degree these days, so it’s even more competetive now more than ever. It’s only been a year after graduating with my bachelors degree and I can’t wait to get into grad school because I know that it’s what I need to do to go anywhere in my field. But you have to decide what you really want to do with your life and what will benefit you. Besides if you don’t finish now you can always go back. Best of luck to you.

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