Want to leave college and return in a few years, but can I do it?

In My Humble Opinion
21

I understand your motivations. Allow me to join the chorus of voices of experience saying, “You’re wrong”. Just stick with it. I agree with what was said earlier - if you had some driving desire to do something else, I’d say go for it. But if you’re just going to drop out and stare at the wall, waiting for inspiration to strike, well, suck it up and finish what you’ve started, son. Look at it this way: where is inspiration more likely to strike, on a college campus dedicated to intellectual improvement and learning, or in the employee break room at your local Applebee’s? And frankly, you seem to be blaming your lack of motivation, inspiration, whatever, on your college. I think it would behoove you to look inwardly and see what you need to change about yourself to get the most out of college.

I went to work after my BS. I spent six years working in a more or less dead-end job in my field before finally quitting and going back to get my PhD. I can’t say I regret it, because I picked up a wife and stepson along the way, but grad school with a family of four is a stressful experience. I sincerely wish I were already done. Of course, I’m writing this instead of preparing for the four hour class I’m about to teach, so I still have room to improve…

22

Finish your degree. I have had a lot of doors open for me because I have that piece of paper and even though I don’t work in the field I studied in school I get a lot of benefit out of the courses I took just the same. Around the time I started thinking about going back to school to get my masters I met my fiance and now the thought of school has gone out the window. I have a wedding to plan, we are trying to get moved into a new apartment, etc. and life has moved on in a direction I hadn’t expected when planning for the future 3 years ago. I can’t imagine trying to do all the things I am doing now and putting a course load on top of it! Don’t put yourself in a situation where you have to play wedding-vs-school or baby-vs-finals or whatever if you can avoid it by taking 3 more quarters now.

23

I’ll tell you three stories. First is mine - I did a year of university, and never went back (I’m 43 now). I took other diplomas along the way that pretty much add up to a university degree, but I don’t have that piece of paper to frame on my wall, and I regret that. Like others have said, it is, oh, a million percent more expensive now than when I started.

Second is the story of my ex - he took a degree in Political Science, then a Masters, then he kept going to school and got a degree in Economics - you can keep taking courses as long as you want to keep paying for them, as far as I know.

The third is the story of my husband - he took a Bachelor of Arts in English to become a sports writer. That didn’t work out, and he ended up in construction. He works as a construction safety officer now, making excellent money in pretty good working conditions, considering it’s still construction. The funny part about all this is that his company has paid for him to get what is basically a degree in construction safety, and one of the requirements he needs is a post-secondary degree in something to get his new accreditation - many of his colleagues have to work on that requirement, but he already has it.

You never know when your university degree will be of benefit to you in the future - I’d say it’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

24

I’m going to agree and disagree with everyone.

First, the same doors WILL NOT BE OPEN once you finish college. For example, I got my BA in Psychology. I was a lot like you, didn’t really think it through. Plus, when I entered college ('99), everyone was getting a job, no matter the major. With signing bonuses! Then I compounded my mistakes by going to law school, but that’s a story for another day.

Now, I wish that I had completed a different degree program, OR gotten a PhD in Psych, but neither is an option. I had no real research experience as an undergrad, so I’ll never get into a PhD program anywhere, and terminal master’s programs in Psych are drying up, so that stepping stone is not really an option either. I can’t go into medicine or engineering without a ton of post-bac courses at a time when I’m working and paying for living expenses. It’s much harder now than if I had taken some more time as an undergrad to think it through, and explore courses that I never knew I had interest in.

But here’s the rub–finding what you really want to do and figuring the best way to get there takes a long time. It probably won’t happen in six months or a year. If your school offers a leave of absence, I would consider that. Coming back to school after a year isn’t that hard. Three or four years though, that’s hard.

25

I agree–finish the degree. At most schools, especially in urban areas, you can take academic courses as a special student if you are so minded. If you studied point set topology (your example, not mine) and now want to study algebraic topology, you probably can.

But to answer your original question, you can take a leave. If you have loans, though, you should find out the financial implications. But I know that Bill Gates took leave from Harvard and Harvard has said over the years that he is still a student in good standing and can come back and finish his degree at any time, though he has been way for 35 years or so. But his parents were wealthy and student loans were not an issue.

26

Finish the degree. I was in mostly the same boat as you (though my grades were good)–not sure what I was doing in college, nearing the end, but desperately determined to have SOMETHING for my efforts.

For what it’s worth, I got a degree in English, with two minors, neither of them worth anything in the working world.

Then a company thought having an English degree was cool. So I had a decent-paying job for a few years.

Now I know what I really want to do and I’m going back to school.

27

You are three quarters away from graduation. Suck it up and get the degree. In any damn thing. Then you can find a demeaning job that pays more than it would without the degree.
Maybe return later to pick up another degree in something useful.

28

Here is what you need to do. Get whatever job you can over the summer. Most likely this will end up being a temp job in a factory or office park or a job as a bartender or waiter at some place like Red Lobster…

…or start a multi-billion dollar multinational company and become the richest man in the world. That also works.

Look around you while you are working in whatever mail room or fast food restaurant job you land. Do these people look happy (I mean the ones who don’t look like Simple Jack)? Educated? Fullfilled with their purpose in life? Does this job and these people look like something you want to be a part of for the rest of your life?

Reality check. Anyone who tells you college is not a vocational school for Corporate America is full of shit. Unless you can figure out something else like become an actor, artist, work a trade or start your own business, you are destined for an entry-level job in someone’s company. So unless you have a burning desire to pursue something else, you should probably study something that people who hire people actually need.

When you aren’t working, take some time over the summer to figure out what you might actually want to do for a living. I mean go and research REAL jobs - accountant, architect, doctor, computer programmer, VP of sales, whatever. People don’t hire “oh you seem smart and eager Mr ‘I’m trying to find myself’, let me fill my nebulous job slot that happens to be something you can do.” Companies hire people for specific roles. See what those roles are and what they require and of course, what you might actually like.

When you go back to college, change your major to business, economics, engineering, marketing, finance, accounting, management information systems or anything else that is actually practical. Minor in anything you like. It would probably also help if it was something that complemented your major. Like if you are majoring in something quantitiative like engineeering or finance, minor in english or philosophy. If you major in marketing, minor in accounting or math. Whatever you think you’ll like and be good at.

And then go finish college and find a real job.

29

another vote for “Hell no don’t do it!”

30

Finish the degree. In a world of 10% unemployment, companies can and will set higher standards to even be considered by an HR drone (without a degree). I had quite a few friends who left school in the dot com era, made more more money than I was making, and now ten years later wish they had that stupid piece of paper.