Community college or University of Life?

So, i have been going to a local community college for a semester, started back in september, and well... i starting to regret that decision. Not only do i not know for sure whether i plan on getting a bachelors degree or just learn a vocation, but i also feel that im not getting my money's worth for this "education"($1,600 for one semester).

Now, i have come to this dilemna, should i continue to work towards an associates degree, or should i follow through with my original plan.

You may ask, "hmm, youngman, what is your original plan?"

Back before i graduated highschool, when i was sitting on my ass all day in that sterile complex most call a school, i had a bad case of the itchy feet. I wanted to travel, and live what some call a vagabond life. How long this life i dreamt of would last was up for speculation, a few months? a year? 5 years?! who knows.

But what i do know is that i need to embark on this journey, i feel it will offer me everything that any university can offer me: opporotunities to learn(whatever i end up exposing myself to), plenty of opporounities to network and great opporotunities for fun. The only thing vagabonding doesnt offer is a piece of paper that tells people that your "intelligent". It seems alot cheaper too.

now, to all of you out there, what do you reccomend? Stick it out and snatch my associates? OR just set down the pencils and textbooks and set off on a long trip?

 

Not sure how old you are, but my advice is to stick it out with the community college. An AA only takes two years. Once you have that, then head for the road. No matter how long you are on the road, you still have the AA degree which can't hurt you only help you.

 

Im 18. In case your response heavily depended on that.

 

The fact that you are 18 is even better. If you wait till you get your AA, you will only be 20 or 21. Then you can just travel while you are young, plus the fact that you will be able to legally drink might save you some trouble. If you get tired of travelling, let's say you will be 26 or 27, that is still young as fuck so you could easily get a good job with the help of your AA degree.

 

dude, don't fucking wait. now is the TIME!!! do something really revolutionary, something totally dynamic and lifechaning. fuckitall, school will be here when you get back.

get your self a bus ticket and learn some spanging(spare changing) skills and you're good in any city in the world. or just hop a train.


just fucking do it.

 

i too, am in community college. i am 20 now, almost 21. i dropped out of community college halfway through my first semester when i was 18...and i just went back this spring because i realized that it's actually really important to have a degree in this day and age; especially with such a competitive economy. and well, it never hurts.

i regret dropping out because i would be transferring to another school for my bachelor's degree in art by now, and would of been done when i was 22. BUT, i wouldn't take back the good times i had between then and now for the world.

my advice is to at least stick to plan and get an assosciates, maybe even get a bachelors. sure, when you turn 18, you're an adult, but really, you're still so, so young, and know very little.

i had wished (well, i still do) that i could take off into the nomadic lifestyle, romantic bohemian dreams of getting drunk every night and laughter under the moonlight, interesting artists and exciting characters dance(d) through my mind. i wanted to fuel my inner "starving artist". my best friend actually did do this, and has been all over the country and experienced a lot of amazing things, but he is always poor, and well, always running from creditors. it depends on what you consider more important i guess. there's a certain poetic-ness about living that way, but truth be told, only for those who read about it...

i figured, i could get a bachelor's degree, and then go do that twice as hard. it's not like the opportunity is going away. i plan to transfer to another city for my assosciate's, and move to new york city a bit after i get my bachelor's. you can travel and do school at the same time, don't forget . perhaps you should look into transfer programs your school offers.

the opportunities presented at your feet expand greatly with a college degree; you land a decent job that you love, it doesn't feel like work. your own place, your own car, eating out every night, buying the clothes and shoes you want, and who knows, you could land a job that will pay YOU to travel! also i wouldn't have to work in a restaurant for the rest of my life, because if i didn't go back to college, that's what would of happened. i've also known many people that have college degrees and still work a shitty-ass job, but it's a competition. sometimes getting your foot in the door is difficult. i think if you maximize your potential you can do whatever you want.

there's also not anything wrong with not going to college. it's really about what you want. i was in the same boat you were, but i came back...i would say stick it out. it sucks, it's difficult and stressful, makes you broke, and kills your social life...but i think it will be totally worth it in the end. and you can say "yeah, i did that".

but some people are happy working a "normal job", and like i said, there's nothing wrong with that. there are plenty of ways to live life without a college degree, or even a job, too. you could be a professional thief, or perhaps a drug dealer. you could also join the circus!

being young is being invincible.

oh i can only imagine the horrors of getting older and realizing woah, it is not so...

 

you can always do something really revolutionary, dynamic, and life-changing, no matter who you are and whether you live in a box or at your mommy's house; with enough will-power, passion, and perseverance.

and sure, school will be here when he gets back (or IF he gets back), but the longer you put it off, the more you say fuck it, and the more you say fuck it, the more you say "FUCK" when you're 30.

stay at home as long as you can and go to school...i know it's not revolutionary, bohemian, exciting, dangerous, thrilling, rebellious, artistic, or a life someone would write a book about, but if you've ever seen the movie SLC! Punk (you should), i totally agree with stevo when he said "you can do more damage in the system than outside of it".

people are judgemental; you get a college degree, people in general (although most of these types are not people i care for anyways) are going to respect and listen to you more than having a degree in gypsy trickery and squatter survival tactics. i've known and hung with A LOT of squatters, even dated one (although our dates certainly weren't typical...); and they're wonderful and interesting people that i've learned quite a bit from, but a lot of them are lead to hard drugs, jail, and even death. i don't know about you, but i like taking a shower every day, washing my clothes, and having food to eat, clean food.

sure, it's institutionalized learning and blah blah blah, but you can pick up what matters and blow through the rest. if you want to change the world, you can, but sometimes you got to use peoples' weapons against them; first by attaining them. there's a reason society doesn't ever let certain people speak or be heard.

there's a million ways to make ripples or make waves, i'm not saying which one is right or wrong, but i'm certainly saying which is safer and smarter.

 

i apprecitate all the responses.

And i have made my decision, i plan on just taking a semester off (january-august) to just hitch around, visit random communes and rainbows, along with some friends, and chill.

Unless i find a good way to support myself or find a good commune, then ill come back home in august, and continue to earn my associates. I think this is better, because it will minimize the negativity my family will feel, and only sets me back a semester. But anything can happen, and thats what i need, a new start.

But im going to do it now, while i have the change. I honestly have not lived much at all, and it would suck if i were to die soon, not living life according to my curiosity and dreams.

again, thanks guys
:cheers2:

 

good choice, man. i thought all hallow's posts were too long.

i took a year off after dropping out to just go and travel. and bum around. smoke a shit load of pot. party. just live life in the moment. i don't regret a minute of it and now my head is in the right place to go back to school and do some seriously motivated studying.

word of advice:don't pick up a serious drug addiction while on your semester off, maybe even save some dough.

 

that was too long? so that means he shouldn't take what i said seriously or something? i can't imagine you read books?

...it was a position i too once found myself in, and i felt for the original poster, so sorry for feeling passionate and having a lot to say. pfft.

 

dude, your kinda lame.

 

dude, YOU'RE actually kinda lame.

 

I'm 34 years old and have just recently gone back to complete my associate.

I decided when I was younger that I would just run and play. Then life happened, I fell for a guy, got pregnant. That ended in divorce and hard times. I wish I had the education back then to have had better opportunities for myself and my daughter.

Right now with the economy the way it is.....it is the time to get your education so you can be competitive, if you want to be a part of society. If you don't, then by all means go find a community.

Just whatever choice you make, have fun and don't lose yourself too much that you don't find yourself

 

Well, i dont think either of you are lame. It would actually be pretty cool to smoke some weed from a hookah, in a random park with a guy whos face is painted like gene simmons and a rasta.

 

that's just my lovely danish devil. i'm actually a hot chick.

 

hahahaha. all hallows, c'mon babe. don't stoop to my level like you can't keep your cool even on the internet.


OP and the rest of you, come 'round my way and you're always welcome. i'll keep a seat open in the circle and a bowl already packed.

 

If you're planning on taking a semester off to travel and what not, can I at least reccommend taking one online class. Because, especially considering that you're not even sure if you want to stay in school, the fact that you're taking one semester off has a greater chance of taking too semesters off and so on and so forth. And if you think about it, how much time is it going to take out of your life to get an associates degree? Two years, if that. You'll still be young when you graduate and be able to live life to its fullest.

After not even a year at working towards my bachelor's degree, I became overwhelmed. I had taken a year and a half worth of college courses my junior & senior year so I would save money and graduate sooner, and all it did was freak me out. I didn't have time to mess around and I would've been able to graduate with a Bachelors in at least 3 years. So what did I do? Got the crazy idea of joining the Air Force and all it did is fuck me over. The point of my story and how it pertains to you, is that even though you might feel overwhelmed and questioning whether its right for you, you need to suck it up because it will make things harder in the long run.

 

You might want to rent and watch The Motorcycle Diaries

It's the story of Che Guevara and Alberto Granado riding across Latin America.