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Don't feel bad, this exact same situation happened to me. I wanted to make a change in my life, and build a better future for myself. Everyone I spoke to said

Don't feel bad, this exact same situation happened to me. I wanted to make a change in my life, and build a better future for myself. Everyone I spoke to said that going to college would be a great idea - there was no way the investment would not be worth it. My parents, my coworkers, my friends, and of course the advisors at my school - they all said it would be worth it. Not a single contradiction throughout countless conversations. So I went to college, at my own expense. I had no money, so I pulled federal loans like so many others. $25k and 1.5 years later, I realize that college isn't teaching me anything I could not have learned for free on YouTube/Google. Angry at the scores of people who deceived me into believing college was a good investment, and angrier at the institution for acting like predators upon my naive desire to succeed, I dropped out. When I spoke with the Dean of my school about how I was not feeling challenged after paying exorbitant fees, she said these exact words: "Well, maybe college just isn't for you." Needless to say, I now know more about my chosen career field than most average college grads, due to experience. However, years later I'm still $25k in the hole - the only significant debt I've ever incurred in my entire life. For me, college was a literal waste of $25,000+ and nearly two years of my life. At this point in my life, I'm telling everyone who asks that college is a complete waste of time, money, and energy.

kamaal 10y ago
>>I realize that college isn't teaching me anything I could not have learned for free on YouTube/Google. And yet not many people train themselves watching just these videos. You generally need a highly disciplined lifestyle to get your education through these means. >>Angry at the scores of people who deceived me into believing college was a good investment, and angrier at the institution for acting like predators upon my naive desire to succeed, I dropped out. They were most likely talking about your job prospects. Many things in college have gone from 'learning' to 'getting a degree for a job' a long time ago.
- randomdata 10y ago
  > And yet not many people train themselves watching just these videos. Although not that many go out of their way to train – period. You are already an exceptional case if you are thinking about furthering your education, be it through postsecondary schooling or Youtube videos. > You generally need a highly disciplined lifestyle to get your education through these means. More disciplined than than those who do not attain an advanced education at all, but not more than other avenues of gaining the same education. > Many things in college have gone from 'learning' to 'getting a degree for a job' a long time ago. The perception has, at least. The outcome hasn't. Job quality has measurably declined with increasing college attainment rates, and incomes have remained stagnant.
xiphias 10y ago
I know this doesn't sound that good, but if you learn programming, 25k + 2 years is nothing. All of us have made bigger mistakes in our lives (though not the same) by listening to other people. Now $250k, that's a lot of debt even for a programmer.

kamaal 10y ago

>>I realize that college isn't teaching me anything I could not have learned for free on YouTube/Google. And yet not many people train themselves watching just these videos. You generally need a highly disciplined lifestyle to get your education through these means. >>Angry at the scores of people who deceived me into believing college was a good investment, and angrier at the institution for acting like predators upon my naive desire to succeed, I dropped out. They were most likely talking about your job prospects. Many things in college have gone from 'learning' to 'getting a degree for a job' a long time ago.

randomdata 10y ago
> And yet not many people train themselves watching just these videos. Although not that many go out of their way to train – period. You are already an exceptional case if you are thinking about furthering your education, be it through postsecondary schooling or Youtube videos. > You generally need a highly disciplined lifestyle to get your education through these means. More disciplined than than those who do not attain an advanced education at all, but not more than other avenues of gaining the same education. > Many things in college have gone from 'learning' to 'getting a degree for a job' a long time ago. The perception has, at least. The outcome hasn't. Job quality has measurably declined with increasing college attainment rates, and incomes have remained stagnant.

xiphias 10y ago

I know this doesn't sound that good, but if you learn programming, 25k + 2 years is nothing. All of us have made bigger mistakes in our lives (though not the same) by listening to other people. Now $250k, that's a lot of debt even for a programmer.