Finished highschool, I don't want to go to college.

Wise men said, taking an year off at this age actually helps to get the right orientation.
 
Depending on what you really want to do (which will change, I was your age not that long ago - you will change so much over the next 4-5 years it will be a bit scary in retrospect) college may be unavoidable and I wouldn't totally write it off otherwise. There's quite a few upsides to going to a university and obtaining a degree beyond what your majored in.

If you have any question in your mind about whether or not it's what you want, or just as importantly exactly why you are going to get degree X, take the time off to consider it more thoroughly. Rushing into college is a very, very expensive mistake that far too many people make these days because they feel forced to (thanks, marketing).

It's like starting anything in marketing, have a front-to-back plan set before you make any moves.
 
I'm in college right now, but not because I saw it as an essential step; thanks to sports scholarships, college is close to free. I

I've definitely found that in most scenarios, it doesn't matter what you major in. Its about the experience and connections.
 
Life is all about learning.You learn all the time.For some(infact many) school & college is the place where they start to learn and for someone like Einstein they learn and teach others.Good luck in your endeavor.
 
I've found the college isn't necessary if you plan on being a business owner, but it certainly does help you from wasting your time reinventing the wheel. You'll find that you will hit a plateau with blogging (in terms of income). Those marketing/business classes in college will help you to find insight on how to break through that plateau and scale to the next level.

Of course, you can learn those same methods without a degree, but they're a little tough to learn if you don't know what you're looking for at first. Ya feel me?


This place looks GREAT! It is exactly the type of community I have been looking for.

I started blogging about fashion a few months ago and my blog started to get really popular because I did a lot of stuff about prom / look books / how to find a date for prom / choosing the right dress and a lot of other stuff that probably won't interest most of you guys LOL.

ANYWAYS... It hit me. I love this stuff. I feel passionate about waking up each morning and checking my stats. I'm not making significant commissions on a daily basis yet, but I do at least get a couple of banner ad clicks every day. I found something that works... I can pay my phone bill and a dinner out each week haha... I want to turn this into something real. If I can support myself through blogging then I can say "No thanks" to the colleges that accepted me.. I can put that tuition money into floating myself while I ramp up my blog and maybe start a new project or two...

I don't know what I'm going to do yet (Deep down, I do know, I guess I just need a final push or a bit of validation.) Oh, and the courage to tell my parents that I want to make a website instead of some meaningless diploma.
 
I guess it depends on the college but I did marketing/international management for my degree and I can't really say I learned jack shit besides industry terminology. Especially if your goal is to make money on the internet the industry moves so fast classes are likly to be outdated pretty quickly and then if you are actively working in the industry already, I think you'd just be board out of your mind.
 
I'm half way through my last year of university (college for you US people), and honestly - probably the biggest waste of money I've ever spent. I'm doing a CompSci degree, I turn up to ~ 5% of university hours simply because I came to the conclusion that:
  • I could learn more while at home
  • I could earn more while at home
I should have dropped out after my second year, unfortunately I fell victim to the sunk cost fallacy.

However, it has been a great 3 years in terms of being social / generally enjoying life. I'm just not sure whether it's worth the 10's of thousands it has cost me.
 
For now I'm going to keep doing what im doing. I can always go to school next year or the year after or just take a few select courses that will improve my business. I can't go back in time and take this year or two off if I don't like school but I can go back to school if I don't like my time off.

Once again this thread has been so helpful. Thanks to everyone who gave me advice and shared their stories.
 
ShelsaBlogger,

I think there is a lot wrong with the higher education system in the US, but I wouldn't write college off in all circumstances. I had the opportunity to attend a well-regarded tech and science university for a year and a half, and it's provided me with some of the best experiences and relationships of my life. I met the first girl I've ever loved, built friendships with a ton of insanely smart and talented people (that are going to be powerful and like-minded contacts in years to come), and I had a ton of fun. A complete change of everything in your life is a great way to find out what kind of person you can be without all the expectations that build up while growing up at home, if that makes sense.

Having said that, realize that I was lucky enough to attend a competitive university on scholarship, and quickly left when they decided to pull it. I went home, got my AA at community college, and now I'm working to pay my way through school (Gotta love in-state tuition). I think for a lot of professions and industries, a top-rated college degree can open a lot of doors, but for most students, higher education is a debt trap. Don't think that a humanities degrees from a state school will get you far in the workplace. So why am I still going after my degree? Because not having a degree as a young adult means even more severe job limitations. What really needs to happen is for the US to stop insisting every child should go to college, because they shouldn't, and there's nothing wrong with that. Most professions will benefit more from four months of direct experience than four years of general education.

I also think that college culture and lifestyle has a horrible effect on the character and work ethic of our peers and other younger generations.

Without going too much further, (because this post has already gotten out of hand) I think that if you really consider your options and decide that you can benefit more from focusing on your business than going to college, go for it, and go all in. Don't think that it won't be tough work, and don't get complacent with what you have. You're young and you should be starting something that you can grow throughout your life, otherwise you might find your friends that went to college surpassing you, while you struggle to revive a business that's been coasting for four years (with no other options for income because you have no degree).

Either way can go very well or very badly, it all depends on how much effort you put into it. Good luck!
 
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