How do I break this to my mom?

[Kenbo Slice]

So, I'm 21 years old and I've been faffing about community college for 3 years now. I hate it. I want to work instead of going to school. The only problem is, my mom. She keeps trying to push me to get through school, and I'm just unhappy there. I feel like I'm wasting my time (and no it's not because I'm getting bad grades), I really want to find a full time job and just work. But I really don't know how I'm going to break that to my mom...she's not the most understanding person. Any help guys? Please?

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

I wouldn't recommend dropping out of collage, even if you feel it's a waste of time, it won't be in the long run and you may regret the choice later (not to mention the money you'd be wasting)

You've already been there for 3 years, assuming you're getting a 4 year degree, you're almost done.
I'm sorry, I know it's not what you must want to hear read.

If you really want to work why don't you try a part-time job instead?

 

[Azure-Supernova]

I'm going to draw from my vast pool of experience here: I dropped out of three different college courses in as many years. You might feel like you're wasting your time (you probably are) but until you actually have the prospect of a job then college is a much better alternative to nothing. Like Eclipse Dragon said, if you really want to work can't you do something part time?

But if you really have to do this then just be honest and open about it. The first time I dropped out of college pretty much everyone around me lost faith in me for a little while. I left with no work, no other college to go to. I pretty much did nothing until next year's enrollment period because I couldn't get a job. Dropping out doesn't look good on a CV.

 

[Batou667]

Couple of quick points for clarification:

1) Are you certain you're wasting your time, i.e. guaranteed to fail your course, as opposed to just bored?

2) Do you have a plan for what to do instead, and is this definitely a better choice than finishing college?

If you answer "no" to either of the above, I'd say, consider just sticking it out for the rest of the course.

On the other hand, if you really are staring down the barrel of a "fail" and your time would be better spent elsewhere, then by all means jump ship. Looking back at my own time at university, that's the advice I should have taken myself: I should have switched courses or even just gone straight into work instead of soldiering on through and getting more and more behind with the course material (and deeper and deeper in debt).

 

[Kenbo Slice]

Couple of quick points for clarification:

1) Are you certain you're wasting your time, i.e. guaranteed to fail your course, as opposed to just bored?

2) Do you have a plan for what to do instead, and is this definitely a better choice than finishing college?

If you answer "no" to either of the above, I'd say, consider just sticking it out for the rest of the course.

On the other hand, if you really are staring down the barrel of a "fail" and your time would be better spent elsewhere, then by all means jump ship. Looking back at my own time at university, that's the advice I should have taken myself: I should have switched courses or even just gone straight into work instead of soldiering on through and getting more and more behind with the course material (and deeper and deeper in debt).

I'm already out for winter break so I can't really answer the first one. Yes I have a plan for what I want to do. I just honestly feel like I'm wasting my time and money sitting in a classroom learning stuff that I don't care about at all.

 

[ElinHime]

I understand that it feels pointless at the moment. But the benefit from school is a lot more than just the things you learn in class.

Not now, and maybe not in 5 years, but you will regret not sticking in there just a little while longer to finish school, specially sins you already have invested 3 years already.

You are going to spend the rest of your life working, so there is no real reason to rush.

 

[Bellvedere]

I know exactly how you feel.

I was at university (I'm in Australia) and really just wanted to work full time because school was getting to be such a chore. I was also seriously reconsidering my choice of degree.

I ended up taking a year and a half off. For the first 6 months it was great, no exams, no assignments, an income that I could live off. I could afford to buy myself things that I didn't need to survive. After that novelty wore off I started to get bored pretty fast. The work I was doing wasn't in anyway challenging (no degree) so I came up with projects. Just things I could do outside of work which were interesting. I also traveled quite a bit since I had a income which was nice.

After a year I had pretty much made up my mind to go back to school (I had always intended to go back at some point, I just hadn't decided when the right time was). Did the last 6 months and now I've been back at school for a year (doing a different degree) and having a much better time.

If you really can't stand the idea of one more year, you could tell your mom that you need to take a break and to work some stuff out before finishing your final year, get some experience working in a relevant field, blah blah whatever. Even if right now you don't intend to go back you might change your mind later or at the very least it might reassure your mom.

 

[rutger5000]

community college isn't a waste of time. Please don't take this as an insult, but frankly you don't sound mature enough to make your own live choice just yet. It's a myth that everyone just magically becomes an adult at 18. Puberity doesn't magically kick in at 13 and doesn't just magically stop at 18. Again please don't take this as an insult, but it be best if you'd still regard yourself as an teenager. Listen to your parents a bit longer, your brain will eventually develop into maturity and you will be ready to stand on your own. Some brain just develop a little slower then others, that doesn't make you stupid or wierd or anything, it's just plain statistics.

 

[Angie7F]

I think you should just stick it out for a few more years. Even if you are bored, being a highschool grad vs college grad can make a big different for the rest of your life.
It is very rare to regret finishing school.
Looking back, i had no idea what I wanted or what was good for me when i was 18.
You will never have as mush free time and freedom in life as you do when you are in college.
You should make the best of it rather than hurrying to be working jobs yet.

 

[Jindrax]

Listen dude,

Whenever you ask some 35 - 45 year old unsuccessful person, what his biggest regret is.
He'll tell you " I wish I did better in school / I wish I stayed in school ".
There's only 1 guarantee in he world for having a good life, is having a job that doesn't
that's fulfilling and pays you enough money so you can have a good life. No job that will take you
without any degree is going to be a nice one. Either it's going to be extremely hard work, or stupidly
tedious. Even if they promote you... you'll only get so far. Without mentioning you'll feel like shit
when your new boss is 24 and your 43 and have been working there for 15 years. If you don't like what you're
doing at school, change major, study something different. But leaving school without a degree is the worst decision
you could make. You have it good, a roof over your head, food on your table. There's no need for you to go to work.
Enjoy that. Go to School, be the best you can be.

 

[Beautiful Tragedy]

regardless of how much you may dislike school, do NOT drop out... having tuition debt and no degree to show for it is bad news. TRUST ME i know. Granted I do have 2 degrees it's that VERY expensive first effort that will haunt me for a LONG time. Just finish, it's what a year more? You have the rest of your life to work.

 

[dmase]

In my opinion if your studying something for an associates that will be useful for an associates then do it.

If your going for engineering or science not being enthused about what your learning is a problem. But if you are doing something like this and plan on going to 4 year to finish it up then you might be able to hold out. I know it sounds fucking retarded to waste even a semesters worth of tuition on 4 year when your not sure but when I got to 4 year I felt invigorated like I knew that what I was doing was what I wanted, community college didn't do that for me but 4 year university did.

If your going for something that's more immediately useful like accounting, nursing, computers, or administration stick with it. I know it's boring and probably only half way relevant to what you will do in your job but an associates degree can be the difference between getting a 40 grand a year and 50 grand a year at the same level of experience. In this case community college will pay for itself in two years of work and if your getting grants it might only take a year.

Without knowing your major and the job you plan on taking after you get your degree or the job you want without a degree it's impossible to give good advise. Different paths have a different consequences and uses, think about it like it's an RPG.

 

[the darknees abyss]

Well it Christmas tomorrow you could give her a card telling her.

 

[sanquin]

Don't drop out. Seriously, don't. Even if you learn things you don't care about, are bored, and feel like you're wasting your time. Don't. Drop. Out. Having that degree will give you a far better chance on the current market, than going on there with a high school one.

Furthermore you have a 'plan' for what you want to do instead. Which means you don't actually have job security yet. Without that degree that job security is...pretty damn low. So unless you're already hired at a job you want to do, it would just be plain retarded to drop out now.