Any college dropouts here?

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I'm just curious, because I'm going through a dilemma of whenever to drop out or not. Not that I'm afraid, but I'm very doubtful about myself & my academic life. Though I know college is the transition moment in life, I feel as if college has done nothing to me, and I'm starting to get bored of college life itself too. And I feel that I've learned more graphics techniques online better than in the classroom. I'm also starting to despise deadlines & dog-eat-dog competitions that is now plaguing the graphics design industry...

I went to Iowa State Univ. for 2 1/2 years. My mother neglected to file her income tax return, I couldn't rove need, so I had to drop out. I was 20 years old at the time.
I was severely depressed at ISU. I ran with the punk crowd. I moved from the school of engineering to the school of art & design but never graduated. It would've been nice. My minor was in English. I thought about teaching creative writing. The only writing I do now is on WP. Weird, huh?

i dropped out of college [the first time, back in '80] when i ran outta duckies to pay for it [when i got laid off from my job]. when i got another job i went back to college, but then i got laid off from THAT job, so i had to drop out again. then after a year of homelessness and then with my tail between my legs crawling back to my folk's place, i ended up having to join the army, and since the army is not famous about giving GIs much free-time, i could only squeeze in a class here and there. then i got out after 4 years, only to find that the only jobs i could get were rotating shift work and/or 12-hour shifts which totally precluded anything outside of work, and since the army [at the time i was in, before the advent of the "new" GI bill] did not have educational benefits [too many unemployed schlubs joined at the height of the reagan recession in the early 80s, so there was no need for any enticements for new recruits] i had no money to go to school sans a job to pay for it. anyways, i didn't really know what i was doing in college anyways, i mostly just sat in classes and took tests and did reports, and i wasn't really learning anything that would help me later, like how to get a good job and keep it.

same thing here.

I once was but I picked it up again and will be graduating shortly.

I dropped out, but do regret it. I don't know if the degree I was going after would have done me much good career-wise but I do feel lacking not having a college degree.

I dropped out because my mental crap interfered too much for the most part......and I felt like taking out loans with no real plan of any way to pay it back was not a very smart thing to continue doing.

But no its not as though I dropped out and moved to better things.......I am actually going to try and get on SSI.

An education (and a degree) is really important. The degree is just a piece of paper, but it will get your foot in the door, and most likely make life easier in the long run. There's nothing wrong with taking a break when you need it. You don't have to look at it like you're dropping out and that's the end of it. I started and dropped out of college and least 3 or 4 times, because I just couldn't handle it. I didn't finally finish until I was 37, and that was only because it was an online program. So you are still young and have time to figure things out. It only took me 20 years to figure out what I wanted to do when I grow up, and now at 42 I am in a master's program for it. I wish I could have done it in my 20's or even 30's, but that's just how it goes sometimes. I highly recommend online education for anyone that is dedicated to school, but doesn't do well in a school setting or as you say doesn't want "college life"-I have posted this several times-but it's really true.

a degree is mostly worthless [in a publically worldly or mercenary sense] if one lacks the requisite social chops to successfully market it to prospective employers.

I totally get what you're saying, and for a lot of fields you are right-BUT there are also fields that are autism friendly. I saw an interview a while back with Temple Grandin, and what she said is that when she was starting out and presenting her work to employers, she came with a portfolio and let her work speak for her, because she knew that she would never get the job if it was based on social skills. A person needs to look at what they can live with and find a job that can accomodate those needs. Any degree or training helps a person. If 2 people are working side by side, doing the same job, if 1 has a degree or some sort of training, they are probably being paid more. It also doesn't hurt to find something that is in high demand. It's definitely NOT easy, but what in life is for someone who is autistic-NOTHING....

I scraped up enough to go for a few years but dropped out due to finance difficulties. I couldn't pin down a major, either. I was interested in too many different things at different times. I never thought I would be able to find a major that I would always have an interest in. I'm finally starting up again about 4 years later (almost done with 2 classes!), this time going for a masters in biochemistry, so I have to start all over and take all of the science major-specific classes, but I'm excited to finally feel like I'm "on my way" to getting a career.

The most draining part is financing though. I have only once in my life taken out a loan for school, and it was a private loan for $2,000. Paying upfront makes it take so long that I'm wondering if I should get a loan, but I worry that my interest might fade or I might realize that the whole degree process is too difficult. It's hard enough living on your own and having to deal with all the responsibilities there. If I don't have a set schedule and someone to be accountable to, things tend to spiral out of control.

I think that if you like it, biochemistry is a great field for someone on the spectrum. It is detail-oriented and there doesn't have to be a lot of contact with people if you don't want it. There's probably a lot of different directions you can go with it as far as jobs.

Having someone to be accountable to definitely helps. My family is depending on my degree for their financial future-I have no choice-so no matter how much I hate school, and my stress and anxiety go through the roof, I keep pluggin' away.

I guess the other part of it for me is that I wasted the last 20 of my life searching for a place to fit in. I now know why I have never and will never fit in, so I figure I my as well concentrate on building a nice life for me and my husband and children instead.

Loans are definitely a big responsibility, and a person needs to make sure that they are ready to follow through and do what it takes. Having any kind of support system can be really helpful when the goin' gets tough-whether its a few classmates from school, a facebook group from school, or anywhere else you can find it.

Keep up the good work! It's stressful being depended on for finances. I hope you're able to take care of yourself (mentally, physically, et cetera) while handling all of the other things going on in your life.

I went for part of one semester at a community college and just stopped going. I'm not even sure why.

I guess it was for the best. I was going for a math and science degree and I'm bad at math and chemistry lab scares me. I have no idea what I would have done with the degree if I got it. They didn't have science alone as a degree when I went but they do now.

Hmm that's great for people who actually have a skill that is in high demand...also I do not like the notion one who is autistic should work twice as hard for less and only to burn them self out sooner then they would if they had taken things at a slower more reasonable pace.

I am not talking about skills someone already has-I am talking about skills someone goes through training to learn. It's called job training-regardless of the level of school or training. Whether it is post high school certificate program or a PhD program-it's job training to learn a skill. Nobody comes to the table already possessing those skills.

There are a lot of things that I don't like-but there are cold hard realities of the real world. I am as stubborn and orny as they come, and I refuse to be disabled by my disability. In school I already know I probably work at least twice as hard for twice as long to accomplish the same thing as my classmates, but those are the cards that I have been dealt. If applying for SSI is what works for you-than go for it-that is your right. I get what your saying about a reasonable pace. That's is why I said a person needs to figure out what works for them. When I finish school, I would be qualified to work in a hospital, but the intensity of the environment would kill me, so I am most likely going to work with inner city kids.

Well do what you have to do, everyone's different so if that works for you I am in no position to tell you its wrong. I tried being stubborn and not letting it slow me down, but that approach just screwed things up more so its time for a different approach I guess.