College Dropout

Congratualtions on earning that $670 last month. That is a good achievement and a good start.

Are you totally sure about dropping college though? I fully understand what you mean about college not being for everyone but there are more diverse courses these days.

In UK we call them NVQ's, GNVQ's and many other names but in essence instead of learning something like history which is unlikely to help you in the modern day workplace these actually teach things relevant to industries, some of which would help with your online empire building

What was it you actually want advise about though? In your statement you pretty much say your mind is made up and that you already have some online earning process' in place.

I know the feeling i just graduated from high school and im so determined to make this work for me to get the best leverage id suggest making your own info product thats what im doing trust and believe this the money you make as a affiliate i make too because your going to be selling products other people made like that 670$ some creator made almost triple times that from allowing them to sell the product well if anything hit me with a pm im young but i know what im doing and dont let anybody get in your way of success we all have our ways of creating income other people cant hate on something were all after best wishes

Hello I have pretty much a similar situation, though I don't think my parents would like it that I'm pursuing something like this when they have their own project going, so we should all be frugal about using money. I haven't had any success with my amazon affiliation sales yet, but I've only been over a month in it, and I guess it's a pretty competitive market for my first time doing this...just have to keep working hard

What I'm doing right now in college anyway is that since I'm only 1 class away from getting my degree, I might as well finish up my last semester this coming spring, and I will get to learn more about the financials and what not by taking the opportunity to enroll in classes to get my Entrepreneur major (Double-major and a minor, hopefully I can be able to work a lot with it!)

I loved college right up until the moment they threw me out on my ass for being a slacker. Now I produce or 'slack off' on my own time and have no one to blame for my failure or success but myself. Feels good.... Most of the time, that is. :rolleyes:

Sounds like me I dropped out my first semester of college to pursue IM. My parents HATED the decision though. Bugged me about it for quite a while.

If it's what you want to do then honestly nothing is going to stop you. The big thing is to actually put in the work online and start making it happen, don't lose focus.

On one hand I agree, school has become fairly worthless
unless your passion is teaching or you want to enter a more
technical field such as engineering or the sciences. It's
obvious that you've been planning at least months ahead
so you can pursue your goals. This side of the coin says
"you've made up your mind, go for it..." experience is the
best teacher of all.

Though it's not necessarily society, but it's the "system"
that's in place that needs followers, i.e. employees. From
a child's entry into the public school system, it's all about
conforming to the system. Schools no longer teach the
basics about how to do everyday business tasks that an
individual needs, much less teach or inspire someone to be
an entrepreneur. As you said, it comes from the heart, or
possibly from an encouraging family. But beware of family
members and friends, they can be the most discouraging
people of all if your dreams don't align with theirs.

Unfortunately schools have lost their way as governments
have extended their conformity policies to the school
systems themselves in order to continue receiving money.
Government principles are upside down and unfortunately
their system has been a success because society is upside
down to tolerate the sad state of affairs we find ourselves in.

On the flip side of the coin, the cost of living on your own
won't be getting any cheaper in the foreseeable future. I
would say stay at home, soothe your parents concerns by
staying in school, but drop it back to part-time to accommodate
your bartending and/or internet marketing (IM). Shift your
school focus for the short term to things that will only help your
IM... like maybe some business classes, or an accounting
class, or even a psychology class where you can later focus
on the psychology of the whole buying, selling, & marketing
concept. Never pass up the chance to learn something
that can push you toward your ultimate goal.

Best of luck...

Dallas...

Dude we're almost the same. I'm also taking a pause this year from college. Anyway this is the year we work hard.

Getting money from internet is just like any other business. It takes about 1-2 years to get in going. You just need to stick to basic stuff that works.

You've got a great attitude I'm sure you will do well. You can't fail if you don't give up.

I've got more than one degree and I've almost always worked for myself so they haven't had a lot of practical use. Probably the most use I've had out my degree is getting visa easier.

Congrats on getting the xxx$, but more importantly, the feel-good-factor that amount entails.

I am puzzled, IF your mind is made up, and nothing won't change it, why would you post this thread? If you just wanted to share the news (read happiness), I understand. But then, you seem to invite constructive criticism as well - what for?

That as it may be, I wouldn't skip off on education. That's just NOT good. If you can mine up proper info on how to earn xxx$ in one month, and line up your efforts for actually making it happen, I see no reason why can't you find a suitable place to further educate yourself in the area that you may love to pursue (say Business Administration)? At 21, it seems to be some sort of escapism to me (no offense, been there done that!)

You must observe that you are not only leaving college studies, but college life as well (so important), and leaving that to become a bartender (no offense again) cum IMer!

Best luck in whatever you choose to pursue.

Ken

Hi Fitnessnut,

Great news on getting the $$$...

But as a teacher.....not as a parent.....can I give you some advice....

College is not only about the qualification that you will get at the end, yes some people will think its important.....but to you it seems to me that you heart is set in getting your business started ASAP.

College for me would be about the "life experiences" you will receive that set you up in life. For me they are the most memorable part of my life and most importantly allowed me to network with some amazing people.

As an entrepreneur you could go to college and leverage the most powerful minds of your intake by networking with them.....this would put you at a great advantage from other entrepreneurs who do not have access to a pool of very driven people.

My personal advice would be to go to college and subsidize your studies with your IM work.

Make relationships with like minded people in college......target people who have incredible wealth of knowledge and use them to help you develop you business.

At worse you will gain a qualification, life experience and a bunch of people who you will never forget about.

However if you skip college and fail.....there is no fall back.

Kind regards

Chris

Seems to defeat the purpose to bartend to pursue Internet marketing when the education you get from school would benefit you your entire life, whether you choose an entrepreneurial route or not.

If IM fails to work for you, you'll be a bartender. With an education, you have a lot more options and you'd also be a smarter entrepreneur.

Education in my opinion will never teach you what real life scenarios and getting in there knee deep will. You can only go so far on theory and sure it's great to know some but you don't really learn anything of real value until you take action. Just my thoughts even though I have decided to stick out my honours and get my honours degree as a back up if IM doesn't work out for me which will not happen!

Good luck and I hope you look back on this decsion fondly.

There is a book 'The Education of Millionaires' that addresses exactly this issue. It's about how success in the 21st century depends on street smarts, not book smarts. So the premise of the book is that you'll learn stuff in college but you won't develop these skills. So with the exception of things like law and medicine, if your heart is set on being an entrepreneur, then having a college degree won't get you very far.

Finish your education. You are young and have enough time for everything. Yes, it will be hard, but now it's the best time to hit the life as hard as you can.

good luck!

I was also a college dropout. I had some problems early in my adult life. but the internet was so wonderful for me. I was able to study and learn new skills. search engines were not yet well developed. I was able to start optimizing sites before search engines were as the village as they are now. and of course I met some interesting people along the way.

I think now more than ever college is not as important as it once was. There is so much you can learn on the internet. And there are out right scams going on with college is right now. People are graduating from college and they cannot find a job. There is a great risk that You can find yourself In debt yet not be able to find a job.

What is most important is that you set goals And you find mentors. You must be motivated to Develop your self And work hard to find us a place in this world. Sometimes slow times like now with the economy are when some of the greatest leaders and business people are born. cheers to you for working 2 become 1 of them!

Well you've made your mind up but maybe there's still an opportunity to influence others
As a 21 year old male you still haven't reached emotional maturity. You may think you have, (we all did/do) but you haven't. So you're still evolving in that regard. School, as awful as it is, actually serves as a platform for developing youth through the different stages of maturity. It isn't all about what you learn in an academic sense, it's also about teaching you things like discipline, respect, routine, punctuality and many more seemingly worthless enterprises, which when looked at singularly, may not amount to much, but when used as part of a 'whole entity', can shape who you are for the remainder of your life.
There are many people who drop out from college and regret it down the line. There are even more people who have a college dropout somehow woven into their lives, who wish the person had completed this important phase of their emotional development.
So you might be big and bold and gutsy and full of entrepreneurial spirit and ambition, but there are some 'life-tools' which have not yet been bestowed upon you that you'll be missing out on when you cut short your formal education.

Good luck!

I'm a parent. Two kids. Not quite as old as you are. I'm also an educated parent. Here's what I tell my kids...The world has changed! You know all those confused losers in the Occupy Wall Street and whatever movements? They all say things like "capitalism sucks because I have a big student loan and no job."

The problem here is these kids were operating under a series of false assumptions that no longer work. Their parents were operating under the same set of false assumptions. The parents saw their 401k's cut in half a few years ago. Their kids are "educated", but can't figure out how to be productive, much less fulfilled.

They think the problem is with the "system".

It's like you're all ready to play a sport. You've got your glove, your baseball, and your bat...but guess what? We're all playing hockey, now! My bad! You're completely out of luck.

The world we all now live in has already changed. Money goes to where it's most productive. All those jobs the US lost? Gone! They are never coming back. Should never come back!

Why should I pay $300 for a pair of shoes made in the US when if they're made in China, they'll cost me $40?

The sooner you get with the new paradigm about entrepreneurship, globalization, etc, the sooner you're going to be making more money than you ever thought possible, while everyone else is going to be wondering who stole their food stamps.

My kids are an integral part of my online business precisely because I want them to learn entrepreneurship. My daughter says she wants to go to college. My son, maybe not. Either way is fine with me, if they develop skills they can use to make money.

Hope that helps throw some light on things.

Glad to hear there are like-minded persons out there.

I'm in my early 20s too, finished college just for the sake of parents but never planned to get a job.

My parents are also firm believers in the school system but I know what I want. Looking back at the education system, I'm sad when I realize that the system encourage everyone to try to get things right; and 'punished' those who get it wrong.

These universities are simply not preparing the students for life. They are preparing students to get a job.

Today I earn my living doing IM... I'm glad I didn't get a 'job' and to say that it feels great to work at home is an understatement.

All the best for you mate, keep the spriit going and I believe you will be a very succesful person in the future.

Best wishes,
Andrew

That is remarkable that you have been able to get this achievement. However, I think that it could be less stressful if you can stay with your parents and organize your time to pursue both school and internet marketing.

Additionally, it is not like they don't want you to try to make money online. So, you are not in a situation where you don't have that freedom.

Today as it seems, earning money online is possible. However, if it is possible,why not finish your college education in order to have more than a way to earn a living?

I would like to thank you all for your positive words and criticisms.

It seems that the primary argument that I am seeing against leaving school is that I am potentially missing out on great networking opportunities. As well as learning skills such as critical thinking, general business, etc.

In response to those criticisms I would like to add a few things...

To my understanding it is the skills you learn in and the networking opportunities that make school of value, and not necessarily "what you learn". I strongly believe that all of these things can also be accomplished "outside the classroom." I already own 1 business separate from IM (offline) and the tests of a business are nowhere near anything school could ever prepare me for.

I am not saying leaving school is just going to turn me into a superstar...
But I can wake up every morning, put on my armor, and know that I am working towards exactly what I want in my life.


Most importantly, I will not quit

Thank you all so much. I wish everyone the best of luck with their internet businesses and life!

-Chris

I would try to find very good internet marketing courses instead so you can learn something new and apply when you are ready.

Hey FitnessNut,

Kudos on making $600+ online in such a short period of time. A lot of people here have been struggling for a year without making that much.

Please take a moment to read my short experience. Maybe you'll get something out of it.

I am currently a 20 years old college Junior. I was in your position a little over one year ago. Then, after doing some thinking, I asked myself "why not do both?" and that was probably the best decision of my life.

I got serious about IM earlier this year. I started out by doing Fiverr writing gigs for a mere $5 and invested those money in something a bit bigger after about two months. Now, I am "working" less than 10 hours a week and earning more than I would be if I had a part time job like every normal college student. What I am trying to say is, the fact that I am going to college had zero negative impact on my IM world. So, why not do IM while going to college and enjoy both world?

It's awesome you want to make it on your own at an early age but, dude, you don't have to. There is no need for you to force yourself into the "real world" right now and make your financial life harder. I am assuming your parents are currently providing you with a place to live and food on your plate. Why not take advantage of it? If you look at it on a business perspective, it is the most efficient choice. You'll have less bills hence more money left over to invest in your business in order to grow bigger at a faster rate.

I admire you. A decade ago I graduated college but if I had to do it all over again I would have never attended.

Wow, I couldn't wait to leave home. I would do almost anything to escape. Any odd job or temp job I could get.

fLufF
--

By my calculations, at 21 you should be close to graduating. If you are close to graduating, I would say stay in school and complete what you started. Staying the course and staying focused is going to be just as important in IM.

If you are not close to graduation then my guess is you have been slacking in school anyway or started late because you weren't all that committed in the first place. In that case you may as well move on.

Getting your own place at 21 is a big deal these days. Used to be common to be grown at that age but not so much anymore. Add a bartending job to that and I see a lot more fun and hanging out than IM'g.

You may doubt that but believe me, your less mature friends who are still flush living at home with mom and dad are going to become your really best friends because you have your own place.

Whatever you choose good luck to you.

This was my dilemma exactly a few years ago. I posted it here on Youngentrepeneur.com -
My Dilemma: Is School Vital To Be Successful?

I remain undecided still, taking a gap year right now.

Then again.. 100 Top Entrepreneurs Who Succeeded without a College Degree

I want to go to college for the social life.

Your story is literally almost exact as mine.

Same age, same situation.

I'll tell you this. I followed my heart, and my brain. Both allowed me to see the benefits of internet marketing, and I took it to the fullest.

Now, I'm very happy and supporting myself in a way I never thought possible, and I'll never look back!

Advice is advice, some is great, some is horrible! At the end of the day, you make the call and the choice is ultimately yours!

Just remember to follow your heart and your brain, and you'll have your answer! Just like I did!

I just wrote something about this last week on my facebook page. I will re-post it here or you can read it on my facebook which should be clickable from under my profile picture.

Should one stay in School?

Just because you give up on school does not mean you give up on life!

I wrote this as a response to a question and thought it might be nice to share:

My advice regarding a typical school education can get me in a lot of trouble. My TEW Cents is based on my own experience and works if you have the mind power I outline in my book, Winjitsu.

First, you will need to do what is right for YOU. You will regret not taking actions according to your own rules. The default response is always - stay in school. But, if you have the spirit to do and be more and you feel school is a limitation - you might be ready for the school of life. There are many successful people that dropped out of college. Consider Bill Gates, Henry Ford, Michael Dell or the founder of facebook. Though I doubt many would have dropped out if they didn't believe in their ideas.

With that being said, maybe one should never consider dropping out if they don't have a burning passion to pursue something of equal or more value.

The point must be made that it's not only about success or failure, but to make a point that if you DO depart school that it doesn't mean you are going to be sitting on a curb with a can in your hand and a sign around your neck that says, "feed me."

I think it is similar to the martial arts. The martial art system does not make the man, but instead, the man makes the martial art. If you take a successful martial artist - they probably would be successful in most arts that they pursued. My point being that the martial art is like the school and regardless of how good the school is, it still requires the student to perform to reap any of the benefits. Chuck Norris takes his personality into other areas of life as a person with drive and passion.

I myself look at the traditional academic institution with a non-interactive classroom as a potential waste of my limited time. But again, this is how I perceive the world. If I was someone else, I might look at it differently. So please DO NOT take my thoughts out of context because every decision is unique to the individual.

I believe in the school of life and the ideas laid out on this page of my martial arts program:

See the "Lifestyle" page on my TotalWarrior website.

If you had 2 years left to finish school, should you complete the process?

01 One could say you only have 2 years left to stick it out.

02 We could say you already wasted years, why waste 2 more.

Again, this is from my view and I make this strategy work in my own life. If you do depart the traditional path, you will need to carry a lot of weight on your shoulders, but if you are doing what you want and or what you love, then you should feel GREAT about the ups and downs in life that follow from your choice.

There are Social Rules and then there are Life Rules. I think we all take social rules and the NEW Survival concept (as compared to caveman days of survival) way too seriously. Will LIFE end should you leave school? The truth might be that life will BEGIN when you leave school.

Regardless of your choice, I am still a firm promoter of EDUCATION and regardless of your path you will still need to study something and work hard to hone your craft and personal attributes. I do believe you will learn more in the school of life. But then again, I believe that LIFE RULES over Social Rules. That's a mind twister

You have one life and though we all hope to live the full extent of our human capabilities, it's a fact that many won't. If you had 2 years left to live, would you pursue staying in line with Social Rules? I think you would see life with a new perspective. Regardless of how many years you have left, they are still VERY short. Even living to 100 is short. Do you want to waste any of these years in a scenario where you are WONDERING if you should be there? I can suffer and sacrifice for the future, but if I know I am not where I am happy to be, I will take the effort to make a change. This change is what gives you the future ability to adjust and to survive, (Darwin can back me up on that one).

Also, if you spend 2 more years doing something you will NOT use in the future - you could actually be setting yourself back. This is because if you jumped on the life bandwagon - two years from now, you might actually be doing what you really want to be doing as opposed to just getting started.

Happiness is NOT a collection of toys, or material possessions and it is the same with education. You will not be happy because you collected a lot of data from an institution. You will be happy DOING what you love to do. True survival and a good use of your skills and intelligence is being able to apply it to improve your life. This life should be as you define it.

If you are not smart enough, passionate enough to succeed on your own and take on bigger challenges that this world has to offer, then please - stay in school, I don't want to feed you

Hope this helps,

With an attitude like that you will succeed!

Do you really want honest input? Because it seems to me you've already made up your mind, so I'm curious as to the very mixed message in your original post.

You say you got "kinda" serious about IM just 3 months ago. That's a far cry from being dedicated.

You also say you're 21. You didn't say how much college you've already completed. If you started at 18 then you should be a year or so away from finishing. Personally, I think you're foolish to stop now.

You said somewhere that you're determined to not work for anyone else. I didn't read all your posts in the thread so maybe I missed something, but I got the impression that you think a degree automatically means you'll become an employee. Many entrepreneurs have college degrees and advanced degrees -for very good reason. Sometimes it's because they needed the education (and the credentials) to start the business of their dreams. Other times it's because they did initially use their education to work for someone else and gain real world experience, then went on to start their own business.

A college degree is what you make of it. But, (and this is just my 2 cents), why not finish what you've started? You can continue working on IM part time, and then when you're done with college you'll have MORE opportunities because you didn't drop out. It will NEVER hurt you to have that degree, but there may come a time down the road when you will regret NOT finishing school because you do need the degree for one reason or another.

Right now, you're putting all your eggs in one basket. Not a wise decision. IM may work for you - some people do well, a few do extremely well, and the vast majority don't get anywhere. Also, IM is changing constantly. What sounds like a great idea to you today at 21 may not be such a great idea 10 years from now. Who knows? I guarantee it will be a lot harder to go back to school years from now than it will be to finish now.

These are just some things to think about - if you are truly open to the advice you requested. Stay at home, finish your degree, continue with IM part time (and continue growing your monthly income from it) and then when you're done with college, focus on it full time if you like (and then you won't have to bartend). That's my advice to you.

Sue really appreciate the parental feedback lol

I say dropout with sarcasm because that's how others will see it, but really I am just following my dreams.

Pertaining to school, I like the point you made about always having the opportunity to go back. Others seem to forget about that option!

I am far beyond the point in my life where I feel the need to be completely independent. It will help me grow and develop much quicker as a person.

To give everyone a better idea of what I am doing online. Last month I made the majority of my money as an affiliate creating small niche review websites for digital products. I am also working on my most exciting project which is a fitness membership site that correlates with a mobile application to provide everyone the most convenient and accessible workout plans/nutrition/plans and progressions etc.

Cheers,
Chris

I like the idea of pursing your dreams but I don't think you should be willing to end school so easily. Just because your determined does not mean that your going to make it exactly how you want to make it. You might need the education, skills, and the access to better jobs that a degree will give you. School cost money yes, but if you go to an affordable school, you should be able to get an education and continue on to your dreams.
I understand that the majority of college educations are not worth the price however, it is not wise to exclude your self from a livable income. Fast food, home health aide, etc are not jobs you can live on even if you do them fulltime, they are part time salaries. And this is all that is out here for those without a college degree. Internet marketing is not fail proof. I just can't see limiting myself to just one type of income.

wow good luck! and congrats on earning enough for a decent wage, just scale and you maybe be living an extraordinary life.

College isn't really essential, but I find it useful with the information it provides

First I think you've gotta look at what they're teaching in college. I have a half brother who is 26. He spent nearly 7 years in college and racked up nearly $70,000 in student loans. He has a BA in bullsh!t. Almost all of his courses were pass - fail.

He took a bunch of nebulous stuff that will do nothing for him in his quest for a career... That is, if he had a quest, which he doesn't. But here's the thing. He's a consumate writer. And like his older brother, me, he has no formal training.

But unlike me, he's a natural, an artist. He had a feature article in Time magazine three years ago, a full page. That one article could/would set him up for good in life if he'd just take his head out of his ass and recognize it. This kid doesn't even have a resume. Go figure, huh?

But he won't. And so it goes... By the time he figures out how much he has/had going for him, it will probably be too late. I guess the saying, youth is wasted on the young (or whatever) is true.

i'm a high school drop out and that has never prevented me from accomplishing many successes in business and in life.

I would suggest that you stay in college, not because its the best choice..it is the worst choice lol I took a 2 years IT program and graduated 2 years ago, I understand your point of view and seriously with all these students graduating..the companies are paying people less and less.. you will probably find a job and make 40-50k and that is not what you want + you will be working for someone which sucks big time...

You should think about it this way, you need a backup plan, it might take you a while to get to the point where you make enough money to support your self or maybe it won't take you a time and you will be making 10k a month thro IM but what if you lose your business? hmmm what are you going to do? you have a house/car/bills.. you need to pay them off or your credit is screwed..

my 2cents : stay in college and graduate, find a job and get some EXPERIENCE 2 - 3 years and on the side work on your business, if you find its enough then quit..if anything happens after that and the business is not good then you can go and find a job and since you have 2 - 3 years experience then your chances to get hired are way better.. I know you might not like the idea buddy but this is reality , I am 25 years old and I had the same idea you had before, I thought abt it and this was my conclusion, I haven't made enough money online ( I actually lost alot) but I am still determine and working on it + working at my current job which pays a decent amount..

Hey there Chris, I thought I'd jump in here since I was in a very similar situation about 3 years ago...

I was a semester into college and had started actually seeing money from my online ventures when I decided to drop out. The difference between our stories is that I didn't wait a few years to make my decision, which may or may not have been a good decision, but I also wasn't living with my parents and thus didn't have that pressure to stay in school. Here's why I dropped out:

• I went through the entirety of high school without doing a lick of work and I didn't learn a thing other than how to speak Spanish really poorly, which is a skill I plan on never using.
• I started college and the trend continued...I didn't learn anything at all and found myself unchallenged, disinterested and spending my time looking forward to being out of school
• I'd always had a very strong entrepreneurial streak, which still to this day goes hand in hand with a deep aversion to anything perceived as a waste of time
• I decided that I didn't want to waste anymore of my life than the 12 years required to get a high school diploma on what would likely be 4 years of partying and busywork learning nothing that I couldn't learn for myself on the Internet (that I would want to learn, anyways), so I dropped out
• I fancied myself (still do) a natural writer, which I knew to be a great skill to have and didn't see it developing faster in college than working for myself.

And guess what? There hasn't been a single day that I regretted dropping out. Not a one. I haven't even remotely thought about going back.

However, that's not to say it's been roses since dropping out. I faced some challenges:

• I freely admit that I had trouble with shiny objects
• I had to learn how to motivate myself towards long term goals without getting distracted. Honestly though, I think that the current school-model would have only made this worse, since it ingrains a habit of only doing work on someone else's schedule.
• I had to learn confidence, again, something that I don't think I'd ever have learned in school
• I had to learn time management, which is somewhat tangential to the first challenge
• I had to learn that everyone is equal, myself included. I think most entrepreneurs have an elitist streak, but I also think this is counter productive to seeing both happiness and success. It took me a while to really 'get it'.

I'm sure there was more I had to figure out, but the main point is that these are all lessons that people have to learn without a crutch, and school and its scheduled routine and predictable outcome is a crutch. I'm still working on all of those things, and I know I'll still find more challenges as the journey continues.

As for the typical arguments people give regarding staying in college, I'll give my own biased opinion:

• It builds a network of contacts - What do you call Warrior Forum? I've met more legitimate business contacts here on this very forum than I think I ever would have in college. I mean, the Internet is defined by social networking...You can build as many contacts as you want
• It gives you something to fall back on - If you're an entrepreneur then you already plan on falling back, the point is you can bounce back up. Falling back shouldn't mean giving up
• It teaches you...[Insert Anything] - In my experience no matter what skill you're trying to learn (outside of science/math/engineering etc, although who knows), you will learn it faster and better just doing it yourself and learning as you go than sitting in a class room and doing homework assignments.
• School makes you learn how to work hard - No it doesn't
• School/Education makes you a well rounded person - I would argue that experience and learning empathy towards people makes you a well rounded person. Plus, if you're passionate about what you're doing then you'll never stop learning.

In the end, I would say that I learned very little from school that I will ever apply in my life. Doing Internet Marketing as an entrepreneur there hasn't in 3 years been a day that I don't learn something new about myself or my business.

What's more? As I'm learning I'm making money and gaining real life experience...Two things you will NEVER get from under graduate education. Even an internship isn't anything like having a real job.

Anyways, my 2 cents. I know it's biased. Take it as you will.

Kindly,
- Stephen

Your mindset will take you a long way. School or IM are just tools but its your mindset that contributes to ones success. You have that sorted out not its all a matter of doing it.

One step at a time, build a solid foundation 1st and head towards your desired goals. I'm pretty sure you can make it to the top in no time at all in whatever you do !!

Icons like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg are the best examples for the description above. Study their behavior and their methods of their success business models and apply it to your future business.

Cheers,
ThinkMaverick

These day and age, it's always a good idea to have something to fall back on

I'm in my final year of college and I know what it feels like, wanting to control your own life and not be pushed around by people who don't really know you.

I also find it frustrating when I get ripped for not having a job, even though I earn the same if not more than my friends :/

Keep at it though dude and congrats on the moneysss

Sounds like your mind is made up! I say go for it. I have always hated working jobs because I've never done well at them. I feel too much pressure to have everything done just so and can't deal with the neverending stream of crap that comes in my direction no matter how good I do.

In the freelance arena, I've found that people mostly appreciate what I do, and it's possible for me to choose who I want to work with.

I've got a 2 year degree, a BS, and an MS, and I plan on doing my own thing at all costs. Your parents may not realize the potential ceiling of a business is much higher than a job in most cases.

It's just a different lifestyle. You probably value independence and freedom, while they value rule-following and structure.

It's my belief that if you work hard enough at anything, it'll happen for you at some time. It sounds like dropping school and being an entrepreneur is the right choice for you. You have my best wishes!

If you don't want to be in college, you shouldn't be. I think you're making the right choice for yourself. Nobody should go to college for their parents. Sure they've done plenty for you, but you can pay them back once you're doing well for yourself in something you truly want to do. My parents haven't always agreed with my decisions, but I've always understood that I need to be my own man if I'm to succeed. The quote you included in your post is a great one.

Many legendary entrepreneurs dropped out of college to pursue their dreams. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerburg... look what they achieved

However, there are many successful entrepreneurs who went far in education, and some whose success even came from their education, e.g. Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google. They developed the first version at Stanford, and would have never even met if they hadn't been studying. You can very much argue that Google is a result of higher education. College can be a great place for entrepreneurs to meet others like themselves.

Still, you're following your heart and making the tricky decisions in order to do so. Best of luck to you.

Studies have shown that many successful entrepreneurs that became millionaires are college dropouts.

Just look at the leading companies in the IT industry.

Bill Gates, college dropout and founder of Microsoft.
Steve Jobs, college dropout and founder of Apple.
Mark Zuckerberg, college dropout and founder of Facebook.
Michael Dell, college dropout and founder of Dell.
Sergey Brin & Larry Page, (technically) college dropout and founder of Google.

Most major and game changing companies in the IT world are founded by college dropouts.

Glad to meet a fellow college drop out like yourself! . I'm 23 and I dropped out of community college last year. I had wanted to go, but, meh. Hell, even before I started high school, I had plans to sell stuff on Ebay. So, I guess like you, I've always had that entrepreneurial spirit.

As George Burns once said: "I'd rather be failure in something I love, than a success in something I don't".

I think also part of the reason I actually chose not to go college was Steve Job's commencement speech. Really got to me.

One quote

"Fortune favors the bold"

I want to commend you on your decision. I WISH I had a mindset like you when I was 21. I was just getting settled into my "work for someone" lifestyle. It took me til 25 to wake up and realize what you saw at 18.

College is a ripoff. Yea it works out for some but I dont like the numbers. Especially now with the college degree not meaning what it did 5 years ago. I have friends in college and I hate to hear their stories of them not knowing what they're going to do when they get out; because they decided to trust in a system that was designed to keep us from living free.

Your parents may not like your decisions but you have to live your life or you'll deprive yourself of the most important part of what being truly successful is.. Happiness.

Times have changed. Most successful people are college dropouts and most of the ultra-successful that finished college dont use their degrees.

It takes a masters degree to get ahead now because everyone has a BA or an associate degree. You can get those online. Pay enough and you can print them like the government prints money.

70k of debt to work for someone else making enough to barely afford the "American Nightmare" while also paying off the 70k is not appealing. Luckily for people like us, we figured it out early.

I remember my old job sent me a letter in the mail telling me that if I worked for them until I was 60+, I would have 125k waiting for me in my 401k. Are you freaking kidding me?

We want to enjoy our freedom NOW, not 45 years from now...

Do your thing and I wish you the best. Check out my eBook, The Definition of Success. I can almost guarantee you'll love it. It talks about just what you're going through. You can get it at dennisknows.net.

Best wishes
Dennis

You alluded to one of the best piece of advice in the Universe - surround yourself with successful people, inspired people and people who are going places. If that means moving to another city and saying goodbye to your friends for a while, that's the price of your future. Are you willing to pay it?

Good luck!

Well, if my son had your attitude when he was your age, my reaction as a parent would have been ... delighted! It's rare to see that kind of focus in someone so young.

Good for you! Go for it.

And good luck.

Will

PS Nice quote too.

Consider yourself lucky to be blessed with such strong will , eagerness and courage. Not many out there can do what you are pursuing. I believe you will make it big one day. Just get up quick when you fall and you'll be ok

I think no one has the answer, as for me here what I think because I'm in the same situation.

I think it depends on what it is that you want. What do you want to do in your life. If you are at school learning how to become a doctor but you want to be a lawyer than there is no point staying at school and graduate, you must change and do what you want to do, lawyer.

I'm sure you get my point, if you're goal is to become an entrepreneur, be your boss, create companies, become a salesman, than you need to learn all of this, you can go to business school, read books about salesmanship, marketing, management, copywriting, all the skills you need to know to become good at what you want to do. Of course if you can find a school where you can learn all of this then you should go there and study, or you can learn by yourself and work as a salesman or sell affiliate products as you do now. All this process makes you become stronger and stronger at what is it that you want.

So first of all define what you really want in your life and I'm sure you'll do whaatever it takes to get there.



to your success!

PS- I gotta go to school now leaning Italian

Hey Pls tell me the process how you made money. I am confused of seeing lot of products in the market. Thank you in advance

Do what you love doing and what you know will make you happy and successfull.

I am a parent of three "children" all of whom are in their 30's.

This is pretty much the same general advice I gave to them.

Whatever you choose to do work-wise, if possible make sure it is something you can do working for yourself rather than for someone else, simply because there is very little secure employment available.

Having decided what you want to do in life you need to study those subjects that will assist you in setting up your own business. e.g. you need to study business practices and finance as well as studying/apprenticing to be a plumber, doctor or IMer (or whatever).

Learning basic accounting or bookkeeping might seem boring, until you realize that this is part of a learning curve required to ensure the success of your OWN business. It is not really any different from learning about SEO or the ins and outs of CPA marketing. (My brother lost his business because he was too "clever" and didn't think it was important to fully understand the money side of his business and his bookkeeper took him for a six figure sum).

Put a business plan together as well as a study plan. You will need to work on them in tandem.

The study plan is to give you a guideline of what you need to learn in order to create a successful business.

The business plan is for the steps you need to take in order to ensure success rather than failure. (you are likely to find that there are some things you don't understand - those will then have to be added to the study plan)

The choice is yours and yours alone as to whether you decide to leave school or not at this stage. Do remember though that for every action you take there WILL be a reaction.

It is important to consider all possible outcomes. If you do "A" then "x", "y", or "z" will occur. It is important to ensure that you have clear plans in place to deal with each of those options as well as for the options that will result. You need to figure out what you are going to do at least five steps ahead, rather like a chess game.

Once you decide to go it alone expect to struggle. Whether online or real world, a business remains a business and it will take time to achieve success. Don't expect anybody to be there to bail you out. The world owes you nothing. So make darn sure you have a back-up plan.

Having said all that, I wish you every success.

I would stay in school a couple of more months to see whether your online income increases. $670 after 3 years is not something to be proud of, let alone drop out of college for.

I can completely understand you when you say you are a entrepreneur at heart because I am 100% that way myself. I did attend college but new that all I ever wanted to do was be my own boss. When I graduated I didn't even look for a job I just went out and started a business and did very well for sometime. Then when things got tough and my business wasn't supporting me like I had become used to I was forced to get a J-O-B and if it wasn't for my degree to fall back on i would have been seriously in trouble. Now I have a good job making good money am able to grow a new business on the side. I definitely recommend you following through with your dreams of owning your own business but even more I would recommend finishing your education. You are still young and will have plenty of time to pursue your dreams.

You can try to apply for Peter Thiel's entreprenuer scolarship.

Finishing school doesn't guarantee anything. It makes you more well-rounded as a person. Lord knows, I struggled with finding a good-paying job after I finished, which lead me to pursue my own business and it has worked in my favor. Best of luck to you : )

I'm 40 years older than you are and quit my last job before you were born. I've been working with small businesses since then doing computer programming. After I got out of college I realized that computers were the coming thing and I had two choices.

1. Go back to college for a computer science degree.
2. Get any job I could in the computer industry and learn as I worked.

I took option 2 and have never regretted it. I have won many competitive bids against people with computer science degrees and have found that what trips them up is they seem to have little imagination or creativity when it comes to designing programs that are simple, inexpensive and flexible.

I'm a firm believer in education, but I think that most colleges these days do not educate. Instead they kill your creativity!

If I were you I would dump the bar tending job and go to work for an entrepreneur. The biggest advantage you have right now is the ability to live cheap. If you can keep your expenses super low, you will be able to take jobs that might not pay that well but will give you an incredible education in how to put businesses together and how they make money.

My plan was to stay with each job at least a year, but not longer than two years, unless it was what I wanted to do long term. I forced myself to keep visualizing the environment that would help me the most and, when I met a business person that seemed to be doing what I wanted to or had skills I knew I had to develop, I would find a way to work for them.

I changed jobs five times in six years and, by the end of that time, quit my last job and started working from home. I had my second "college degree" - and that is the one that makes all the money!

One final thought - prepare yourself for one more thing: being happy from the start. I think that what makes people happy is not necessarily success, but being on the way to success. When whatever job you are working at now is not just work, but a part of your success path, it becomes something completely different. The other employees are just putting in time but you are using this job as part of your plan and you are in control!

Go for it!

Bruce

You have to keep believing! "Whatever the mind can conceive and believe the mind can achieve".

I have had similar thoughts in the past, but far more conflicting.

I'm currently half way through a degree in Engineering, which is also a passion for me so I decided to keep with it and it allows a good route to fall back on if ever I try to go full time with the IM.

What I will say however is that my degree has helped a lot. I'm currently working a placement year in industry and although in an engineering company I've managed to secure a project manager type role. I have only been here for 4 months and already have learnt such a great deal about business, managing people, managing tasks etc. I think the aspect of my job which involves me working with people all over the world and seeing how different cultures operate and think has opened up my eyes to a much bigger picture.

Of course, you can get experience like that in other jobs and in life in general. However, it was my education that allowed me to get this job and since starting the job (and actually having less time to work on IM), I've actually started making more money.

Bartending may not offer as useful experience for use in business / IM.

I would stick around and get my degree (I did). Wanting to make it on your own is an honorable goal and the reason we are all here, but in the event you need something to fall back on, a college degree will help phenomenally.

When google decides to dump all your sites, you will be glad you have a wider range of options for a day job as you work to get your online business back on track.

Hey so it's been almost two years! What happened?

I understand what you mean. I have graduated University and it is almost impossible for me to find a good job. However, I think you shouldn't give up college. You never know when you need a diploma. It is just a point of view. The decision is yours.