I am making at 22 as a software developer and consultant at multiple startups around 650K USD/annum and I Still have one semester at university. I am afraid of failing all my courses should I just quit? (Computer Engineer major BTW) Everyone I know told me not to but I work around 12-14 hrs a day and I do not have a single second for uni anymore
Ask HN: Should I Quit College?
1–10 of 16 posts
Re: Ask HN: Should I Quit College?
#2If you aren't going to have the time to pay attention / learn / get decent grades, and you aren't in a field where having the degree is Important (for whatever reasons), then definitely quit. Or at least put the college "on hold" (to the degree possible), so you're not closing that door unnecessarily.
Re: Ask HN: Should I Quit College?
#3Find out how long it takes for your credits to expire first.
Many schools allow you to finish by taking classes online. See if you can take a single class online at a time for the next few years.
Either way, your grades don't matter now, so just do the bare minimum to get the degree (now or someday in the future).
Re: Ask HN: Should I Quit College?
#4My experience with college is that they don't kick you out if you don't register. It may be worth saying screw it and taking a 1 credit class.
Re: Ask HN: Should I Quit College?
#5Find out how long it takes for your credits to expire first. Many schools allow you to finish by taking classes online. See if you can take a single class online at a time for the next few years. Either way, your grades don't matter now, so just do the bare minimum to get the degree (now or someday in the future).
To be honest I tried to find multiple ways to get it done but I am still getting lack of communication from university (they just don't care) and honestly at this point neither do I. I was a 4/4 GPA student prior to working with the startups and it now dropped to 3.6/4 with 1 semester left. Really contemplating what to do since there is a lot of stuff that needs to get done.
Re: Ask HN: Should I Quit College?
#6Yes. If.
If you are an autodidact with drive on something you love, and want that to be your career, and don't think the loans justify the lack of payoff. If you are born wealthy, there's no point in college other than using it as an act of rebellion to piss off your Grandfather and get an Art degree. If you are disadvantaged and of color, it might be your ticket to acceptance in a totally fucked society (USA).
Otherwise, go to school, get the cred, then get the actual knowledge by learning on the job and from the graybeards. That also starts your network, which is infinitely more important than credits and a piece of paper.
IMHO (colored and completely biased by my non-neurotypical brain and what it has had to endure), college/Uni degrees only assert that you can slog through BS day after day. They are the perfect bona fides if you want to be part of the machine.
This, naturally, excludes anyone seeking a Physics degree at CCNY and similar. For anything other than the top 1% of actual Comp. Scientists in Academia (and thusly Google), the thing you should remember is that in 5-7y no one will give 2 f*ks about your degree unless they are an alum.
Re: Ask HN: Should I Quit College?
#7You only have one semester left? Then yes, you absolutely should finish. Cut back the hours you're working and finish, you'll regret it later if you don't, especially that close to finish line.
Re: Ask HN: Should I Quit College?
#8Find out how long it takes for your credits to expire first. Many schools allow you to finish by taking classes online. See if you can take a single class online at a time for the next few years. Either way, your grades don't matter now, so just do the bare minimum to get the degree (now or someday in the future).
To be honest I tried to find multiple ways to get it done but I am still getting lack of communication from university (they just don't care) and honestly at this point neither do I. I was a 4/4 GPA student prior to working with the startups and it now dropped to 3.6/4 with 1 semester left. Really contemplating what to do since there is a lot of stuff that needs to get done.
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Re: Ask HN: Should I Quit College?
#9No post body was provided.
Re: Ask HN: Should I Quit College?
#10Get the degree.