I think I'm going to quit my College course

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I just don't see the logical reason for me to attend anymore... having just come out of an awful clinical depressive episode, the work load is massive, I'm awful at motivation when it comes to academics, I can't learn as efficiently in classes as my peers anyway, there isn't much I care about at College anymore anyhow... and my future prospects lie outside of academia I hope... I think creativity is the way forward for me, and the tricky academic stuff I can learn from a guitar teacher, one to one, which I'm good at.

However, there would be a certain amount of regret from this decision, but perhaps nothing too severe...

This is quite a big step so close to the end of the course, but I'm hanging on by a thread, and I see little reason to carry on with it.

Then, if I do have a mood disorder, I could be putting myself in a position that I might regret later...

In any case, my career lies with the guitar, not academics...
I dunno man not sure exactly what to do.

I was making a similar decision last week (depression etc). But instead, I decided to take a break and re-start the year again in September 08. You could do something like that if you have no motivation at the moment. That way you have several months to think about it, without having to force yourself to go in every day.

I agree with the above: take a break, then continue. As an aspie, you would probably need something professional behind your name to get a job. Yes, the guitar is your future but you may find that it doesn't pay as well as a 9-5 job. You can always play music after hours until you get a break and make it your full time career. Until then, be safe. Stick to your studies. Hey, it's not hard to pass for us, remember! We're smart...

You are not going to make any money playing guitar. Forget about it. Ask any professional musician, they will tell you its crap.

I feel for you, I'm an 18 year old freshman as well, and I know the pressure of being in college.

But dropping out is a big mistake, and you will be closing many doors that having a college degree will open. I don't know about England's economy, but in the United States, the chasm between the income of college educated vs. non-college educated is broad and continually widening.

By all means you should pursue your musical passions, but not at the expense of college, considering how very difficult it is to make a living as a musician. But, I think the previous posters are correct that perhaps you need to take some time off from school. It will allow you to clear your mind and think rationally and calmly without the pressures of school interfering. Good luck to you.

How much longer do you have to finish? If it's only a few months, I'd say suck it up and finish. Otherwise you could end up regretting it, and thinking "what if I had finished, would I be more successful?"
College can be overwhelming, and some of the classes may seem like a waste of time, but if you have a diploma it will look really good on your resume. Plus it's a good lesson in perseverance.

samtoo, I agree with other folks that, for now, you should take a leave of absence, rather than completely resign (i.e., drop out) from university.

You did not mention what it is you are studying at university, but from your interests I assume it is music. One thing for you to consider during your leave of absence, is whether you are in a university and/ or a university program which is right for you. Would you be better off studying something else and/ or somewhere else?

Conventional wisdom has it that people should get a university degree because on average people with more years of education earn more money. There is, however, a substantial amount of variation, and thus it is far from certain that the time and money one invests in higher education will pay off in the future. There are some people in this world who can take a bachelor's degree in any field (e.g., English literature) and spin it into a "good" corporate job where they move up the ranks into a high paying career. In my experience, these people have very good interpersonal skills.

As someone who is currently unemployed, if I had to do it all over again, knowing what I know now, I would not bother with higher education. It was relatively enjoyable at the time, but in the long run it was not worth it. I am simply not cut-out for working in the typical office environment. Hell, I'm rather ill-suited for this world in general. C'est la vie.

Dude don't drop out. I fail Calc last quarter and have to take it again now. And to no surprise I'm failing again. This just dumps more depression onto my already huge load. The best thing you can do is sit down, take some breaths with no stress, do something you enjoy or watch something funny to cheer you up. Then give it all you got to pass and finish the class. It will take a lot of willpower on your part but the reward will be worth it and youll thank yourself you did it later. Good luck to ya bro.

I thank you all for your kind words.
I hope to find motivation very soon, and I hope to channel this well. I hope to be able to be excited about a prospect of doing something for the first time ever, turning the tables after being down so deep... I could do that finally... I hope.

Thankyou all.

Samtoo,

You should take a break from school and have asecond look at your degree plan your doing now.
It is aperaint that your not happy doing it. It is normal for students to jump ship in the middle of a degree
plan to jump on another plan or career.
Find someting that makes you click. It is better to do someting you enjoy and pay ok, than
some job you hate and pay is awsome, only to hope you make it to retierment age only to die before that.
Life is not garenteed. Talk to someone with cancer ALS and others to see what life is really about.

Question why you're doing College/Uni - I don't follow the US system (sorry) ;

Is it to get a degree so you can ...

- Get more money : If it's only about the money, it's wrong.
- Enjoy a job : If you're genuinely interested in the field, keep going

One thing to consider, particularly for an aspie who doesn't want to have to "stay" in college/uni. Can you do the work but enjoy life at the same time;

eg: Do the course correspondence or Part Time.

I started doing my degree full time and failed almost everything in the first year. I then got a job and went back to doing a different degree (one that I actually liked) part-time.

The benefit was that I had money and people I could turn to for help (in the same field of expertise) and I didn't have full-on academic exposure. Part timers also associate with more adults than teens, which better suits the "serious" nature of aspies.

I think...
Do what you enjoy. Theres no point studying something that you don't fully enjoy. Theres a chance, that if you do continue with studies and graduate and get a job with your qualification, you may not even stay at the job because you truly don't enjoy the work.

If you enjoy playing the guitar, then do it! If you aren't enjoying your time and college, then don't stay!
You only live your life once, no second chances, once a day is gone you can never go back and re-live that time again! Sure, you can live life on good pay, with a well respected job and yet, still be unsatisfied. Or, you could do what you love and play the guitar...sure, there will be financial hurdles...but what is more important? Money...or your happiness?
Think about it...

I used to think that too, until I actually got the diploma and began the job search.

So, ever tried looking for a job without that diploma... It can always get worse. The diploma is just a good start. Without it, you are looking at serving at MacDonalds, if you're lucky.

Oh yes, it's still a challenge to find a good job, but everyone must climb the ladder. Your resume looks much better with a diploma of sorts than without, though.

I got my diploma right after high school, and it was tough. I didn't know what I wanted to make of my life, and it seemed like a waste of time to take courses I wasn't always interested in. Moreover, chances of employment in my field looked slim. After the first year, I didn't really want to go back, but I did it anyway, just so I'd have the diploma.

Now, 8 years later, I think it was totally worth it. You gotta start somewhere, and I learned more than I realized.