Signs You Should Drop Out – Part III
8. You Feel Like The Window on This Opportunity is Closing
Here’s another specific instance where it might be justifiable to drop out. Let’s say you have this amazing idea, that you have the skills necessary to execute on it, that’s at the forefront of a big cultural or technological change.
If you don’t do it, someone else will!
We’re going to be honest with you, this doesn’t happen frequently, but when it does, we all end up with search engines, social media and more crazy ideas that change the world. If you want to be the one who’s spearheading this change and you really believe that you’ve got what it takes to make this a reality, then go for it. You’re better off shooting for the moon than living with the regret of missing out on a once in a lifetime opportunity.
But maybe you don’t have all the pieces yet; but that’s where the next point comes in:
9. You Found a Great Start-Up to Join
Somebody around you is building the next big company, you’re just not aware of it. It’s no longer just Silicon Valley in this game, new companies are popping up everyone in the world right now due to the magical infrastructure of the internet and it’s an incredible thing to witness. If you’ve got this drive to be part of something big, have a good eye for where things are headed and the skill set necessary to help a team make this a reality, then join a start-up early on.
We’re not sure how many of you are aware of Forbes’ last issue and who’s on the cover. Daniel Dines founded a company in Romania that’s at the forefront of digital bot automation. UiPath [You-Eye-Path] is currently valued at 7 billion dollars and on track to become a deca-unicorn in the next couple of years. They’ve been around for over 15 years, but things became serious around 5 years ago when they decided to pivot and focus on bots. The rest is history.
Innovation is happening everywhere, you’re just not paying attention.
10. You Don’t Feel Healthy in This Environment
Here’s our stance on this: pressure crafts diamonds.
But it also crushes cars and those sofas and washing machines you’ve seen on YouTube…
Our point is to differentiate between the two. If the pressure is making you grow by pushing yourself, keep at it; but if it’s all getting out of hand and you’re at a point where you feel like quitting life because of it, then screw it! You’re the most important person in your life. All the happy experiences that await you ahead will not come to fruition if you don’t take care of yourself.
Getting stressed out to the point where you can no longer enjoy the journey or its prospects cancels it out. Who cares what other people think, if you know this is eating you from the inside. Take a year off, learn to meditate, expand your horizons, deal with the stress and if it seems like a good idea, come back, and otherwise screw it all together. We know how stressful finals and papers can be, how much pressure teachers, parents and peers put on you, but it’s your responsibility to learn how to manage it.
11. You’re Already Learning More on Your Own Than You are in Class
Just to keep things honest, this should happen either way and it all brings back to whether or not you really need that degree to fulfil your goals. Because if you don’t, there’s no point in not using that time to learn and practice the things that are actually making a difference instead of getting bored out of your mind in class.
Here’s where things get interesting. There are some degrees you can get by enrolling in specialization courses. For example, you don’t need to go to university for 5 years to become an interior designer. You can enrol and get the same legit qualifications with a 6 to 12 month programme. Some of these are also online. Always look for career arbitrage opportunities where you can get ahead through specialization.
See also: Part IV
