4 ms·

There still is a stigma for putting university on hold or dropping out. Trust me there is. All you guys (Arrington included) in the valley are in a bubble, whic

There still is a stigma for putting university on hold or dropping out. Trust me there is. All you guys (Arrington included) in the valley are in a bubble, which is fine, because it works there but the rest of society doesn't feel the same (good or bad). Anywhere else, your family, your friends, your colleagues, they will not take you seriously until you finish your degree. The stigma will only die when every single college dropout has found success. So.. let's not egg people on to quit school because social pressures aren't there anymore, that's not true. Secondly, I don't thinking you have to quit completely. I am a HUGE supporter of taking a year or two off after high-school to explore the world, read books, grow up and develop a character before pursuing post-secondary education. This is what I did and I can tell you every word that came out of my professors mouth made sense to me, and if it didn't I would challenge him and raise my voice. I understood the subjects better. I felt compelled to challenge myself and take on TA roles. If I had gone to university straight out of high-school, I don't think I would have benefited the same way. This expectation that you have to choose a college in your senior year, getting accepted, doing four years and moving on to a job has made student numb. not dumb, but numb to the fact that they're merely a tiny spec in an automated process. No one really grasps the subject as long as they memorize enough to pass the course, and eventually get handed a piece of paper which they can get a job with. Break out of this cycle and start learning. You will then see education as a tool that will broaden your horizon and open a lot more opportunities.

btmorex 16y ago
Disagree completely. I only have about 50 college credits and have no plans to finish. I've also lived pretty much all over the United States and there really isn't much of a stigma... certainly not from my friends and family. Large companies and universities might have to make special arrangements for you to be on the right "career track", but that's about it (and they will do that, I have personal experience with a University inventing a new position for me).
- faramarz 16y ago
  Then IMO you're in the small percentage of people who are motivated enough, talented enough and have the discipline to go and get what they want. Most people need to be taught that.
  - ant5 16y ago
    No, most people are taught not to pursue their own individual goals during the first two decades of institutionalized education.
points 16y ago
BS. I dropped out after a year. It was dull and I wasn't anything that would ever be of any use. (I passed the first year exams). (I'm in the UK, so maybe it's different, but there's certainly no stigma here).
byrneseyeview 16y ago
There is a stigma, but there are also tradeoffs. I dropped out after a year, so I have three more years of experience than most people my age. That experience includes managing projects, negotiating with CEOs, presenting stuff to boards of directors, etc. I kind of feel bad for people who stuck it out and graduated into the terrible 2009 job market (that's when I would have finished). College is just not as good a deal as it used to be. More and more of the stuff you'd need to know is available for free; more of the people you need to know are one email away. For students who aren't attending elite schools, college is probably not a good deal (adjusted for inflation, the wage premium for college students peaked in 1985; it's been dropping in real terms since then, even though tuition is rising faster than inflation). 100 years ago, an ambitious young person might have had two choices: stay on the farm and be the best farmer he can be, or move to the big, strange city, and try to do something extraordinary. In the future, I suspect that most people will view higher ed as equivalent to staying on the farm. You can do it, sure, and it will probably lead to a safer future for you. But if you think you're really extraordinary, or you'd like to find out, you have to get out and do something.
dasil003 16y ago
Of course there is a stigma. If you are out of high school and aimless then the most sensible thing is to go to more school and at least be directed to learn some valuable stuff. If you're just farting around with computers all the time, of course most older people will not understand that, and they'll assume you don't know what it takes to be "successful" (because they probably don't), and they will be disapproving. And given their experience and wisdom that is totally logical. However if you are one of the people who has the courage to follow your dreams, then you shouldn't care what the stern majority thinks. Society will never nurture unique personalities, if you want to do something great in life you need to look beyond your family (and local community, especially if you live in a small town) to find your own mentors and your own way.

btmorex 16y ago

Disagree completely. I only have about 50 college credits and have no plans to finish. I've also lived pretty much all over the United States and there really isn't much of a stigma... certainly not from my friends and family. Large companies and universities might have to make special arrangements for you to be on the right "career track", but that's about it (and they will do that, I have personal experience with a University inventing a new position for me).

faramarz 16y ago
Then IMO you're in the small percentage of people who are motivated enough, talented enough and have the discipline to go and get what they want. Most people need to be taught that.
- ant5 16y ago
  No, most people are taught not to pursue their own individual goals during the first two decades of institutionalized education.

points 16y ago

BS. I dropped out after a year. It was dull and I wasn't anything that would ever be of any use. (I passed the first year exams). (I'm in the UK, so maybe it's different, but there's certainly no stigma here).

byrneseyeview 16y ago

There is a stigma, but there are also tradeoffs. I dropped out after a year, so I have three more years of experience than most people my age. That experience includes managing projects, negotiating with CEOs, presenting stuff to boards of directors, etc. I kind of feel bad for people who stuck it out and graduated into the terrible 2009 job market (that's when I would have finished). College is just not as good a deal as it used to be. More and more of the stuff you'd need to know is available for free; more of the people you need to know are one email away. For students who aren't attending elite schools, college is probably not a good deal (adjusted for inflation, the wage premium for college students peaked in 1985; it's been dropping in real terms since then, even though tuition is rising faster than inflation). 100 years ago, an ambitious young person might have had two choices: stay on the farm and be the best farmer he can be, or move to the big, strange city, and try to do something extraordinary. In the future, I suspect that most people will view higher ed as equivalent to staying on the farm. You can do it, sure, and it will probably lead to a safer future for you. But if you think you're really extraordinary, or you'd like to find out, you have to get out and do something.

dasil003 16y ago

Of course there is a stigma. If you are out of high school and aimless then the most sensible thing is to go to more school and at least be directed to learn some valuable stuff. If you're just farting around with computers all the time, of course most older people will not understand that, and they'll assume you don't know what it takes to be "successful" (because they probably don't), and they will be disapproving. And given their experience and wisdom that is totally logical. However if you are one of the people who has the courage to follow your dreams, then you shouldn't care what the stern majority thinks. Society will never nurture unique personalities, if you want to do something great in life you need to look beyond your family (and local community, especially if you live in a small town) to find your own mentors and your own way.