Dropping out is probably not for you
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Dropping out is probably not for you
1–10 of 158 posts
Re: Dropping out is probably not for you
#2I think there's definitely some value in taking time off to figure out where you're going (and where you want to be.)
Keeping your head down and finishing for the sake of finishing is probably not going to end well; you'll be in debt, you will have lost the opportunity cost of your time in school, and you still might not know what you want to do.
Don't be the guy who's in debt from a degree in a field he doesn't want to work in.
Re: Dropping out is probably not for you
#3The simplest test of whether or not you should drop out is this one: If you have to ask someone if you should then you shouldn't.
I think I have a simpler test: Do you have a customer?
Of all the things that you need to do to start a successful business, I think that getting someone to pay you for your work is the hardest. Deceptively hard.
I've seen it all too often: Good technical skills. Check. Good design skills. Check. Work well together. Check. Building cool stuff. Check. Have passion and in the groove. Check. Sell something. Oh shit.
Let's not overlook the single biggest common thread to all those successful startups founded by college dropouts: they already had huge demand, often accompanied by people with checkbooks.
Don't forget the story of Bill Gates' parents telling him that if he dropped out of Harvard, he was on his own. By this point Micro-soft already had several $100K CDs in the bank and he said, "I don't think that'll be a problem."
That would be about the only way I would want to do it.
Re: Dropping out is probably not for you
#4I think there's definitely some value in taking time off to figure out where you're going (and where you want to be.) Keeping your head down and finishing for the sake of finishing is probably not going to end well; you'll be in debt, you will have lost the opportunity cost of your time in school, and you still might not know what you want to do. Don't be the guy who's in debt from a degree in a field he doesn't want…
> I think there's definitely some value in taking time off to figure out where you're going (and where you want to be.)
Do you really have to take time off to do that? Does college take up so many hours a week that it simply leaves zero time for you to "figure out where you're going"?
Seriously?
Re: Dropping out is probably not for you
#5Lately a lot of people think they can earn a lot of money without working hard. I'm not sure why people think this way.
Maybe TV told them you can get whatever you want whenever you want.
Re: Dropping out is probably not for you
#6I think there's definitely some value in taking time off to figure out where you're going (and where you want to be.) Keeping your head down and finishing for the sake of finishing is probably not going to end well; you'll be in debt, you will have lost the opportunity cost of your time in school, and you still might not know what you want to do. Don't be the guy who's in debt from a degree in a field he doesn't want…
> I think there's definitely some value in taking time off to figure out where you're going (and where you want to be.) Do you really have to take time off to do that? Does college take up so many hours a week that it simply leaves zero time for you to "figure out where you're going"? Seriously?
Yes and no. It's not just about the time but about being in an environment that is conducive to those birds-eye-view thoughts, and stepping out of the environment you're currently in to gain perspective.
Re: Dropping out is probably not for you
#7I think there's definitely some value in taking time off to figure out where you're going (and where you want to be.) Keeping your head down and finishing for the sake of finishing is probably not going to end well; you'll be in debt, you will have lost the opportunity cost of your time in school, and you still might not know what you want to do. Don't be the guy who's in debt from a degree in a field he doesn't want…
> I think there's definitely some value in taking time off to figure out where you're going (and where you want to be.) Do you really have to take time off to do that? Does college take up so many hours a week that it simply leaves zero time for you to "figure out where you're going"? Seriously?
No need for the hostility.
My point was that continuing on along a path (staying in school) might not be the best action, and oftentimes it's hard to step back and get a sense of things when you're fulltime in school. Not to mention the debt you'll acquire and time you'll waste going down a wrong path.
Re: Dropping out is probably not for you
#8Lately a lot of people think they can earn a lot of money without working hard. I'm not sure why people think this way. Maybe TV told them you can get whatever you want whenever you want.
Not TV, The Social Network (seriously, how many of you had friends asking you about their "billion dollar" startup idea after seeing the movie?)
Re: Dropping out is probably not for you
#9The simplest test of whether or not you should drop out is this one: If you have to ask someone if you should then you shouldn't. I think I have a simpler test: Do you have a customer? Of all the things that you need to do to start a successful business, I think that getting someone to pay you for your work is the hardest. Deceptively hard. I've seen it all too often: Good technical skills. Check. Good design skills.…
I agree with you. Students have more disposable time than any other segment of the population except the unemployed/out of school. If a person in school cannot build and sell something while still in school, then dropping out isn't likely to help.
Getting an MVP build and finding those first critical customers (if they even exist) should be perfectly feasible while still going to class.
Re: Dropping out is probably not for you
#10Thank you. Excellent article that needs to be read by everyone who's considering dropping out for "a startup".
Let's ignore the complexities and focus on crude market value. A smart person with no college degree can probably earn $25,000 per year at 18. We're assuming a middle to upper-middle class background-- no special family connections-- and a reasonable work ethic. With a CS, math, or science degree from a good college, that jumps to about $80,000 at 22. That's a 34% annual growth rate in one's earning potential! (I'm ignoring the career prospects of Communications majors; a startup is much harder than getting 3.0+ in a CS program.) Typical income growth in the work world is 5-7% for average people and 10-20% (with ups and downs) for very ambitious people. I've been running at 17%/year since I left school, but that's likely to slow down as I trade off income acceleration for more interesting work and autonomy. My point is: being able to grow your earning potential at 34%/year, and probably have fun and learn a lot, while surrounded by intelligent people, over 4 years... is not something to walk away from.
Yes, everyone hates college sometimes. The lowest of the lows truly suck. Sleep deprivation. Drunk people. Final exam stress. Realizing that some idiots get in no matter how elite a college you attend. On the whole, though, if you struggle with college the problem is probably with you-- or more specifically, your level of maturity, and college is a great place to improve that.
Mark Zuckerberg could grow (in wealth and earning potential) much faster than 34%/year. College was slowing him down. Same with Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, etc. Most of us are not in that league-- not yet, anyway.
That's just discussing market value. Here's another factor. Forget about the startup dream and focus on the reality (for the middle 90%) of the work world. College is more fun, interesting, and educational than the first 5 years of the work world for most people. Don't throw that opportunity away lightly.