So I've come to the conclusion that dropping out would be in my best interests..

College Life
1

<p>And I’m having a hard time arguing against it. I’m a second semester sophomore currently studying abroad majoring in film production and practicing other forms of media. I’ve come to a point where I feel two years of college has taught me exactly what I need to know and has brought me where I want to be. For something like film production a degree is absolutely worthless. My grades are absolutely awful right now, especially in classes not related to my interests (mandatory/core classes). It’s not that I’m not bright, or even that I’m lazy. It’s that I don’t find the value in tedious reading and writing assignments, or going to classes that aren’t directly beneficial to my career goals. Last year I failed a basic math class simply because I couldn’t care less. I find that it is nearly impossible for me to do what I need to do in school while also crafting my media business, networking, and doing my own projects. I’d much rather be out making music videos, doing wedding videography, working on completing my own films, photography, commercials, and much much more. Due to me studying abroad, I was given a tuition reimbursement which I used to get all my necessary lighting/lenses/microphones/etc. This is not always the case though, and staying in school would require me to graduate with 16 grand in debt versus getting out now and having only half that to pay back.</p>

<p>The year and a half I have experienced so far has been crucial to me, and I would absolutely go to school again if I had to do it all over. I got into production and media just after applying ED to my school (which I have come to hate, also). I figured out what I wanted to do, how I needed to do it, and picked up other important skills I wouldn’t have learned otherwise. Ex: being on the mock trial team has undoubtedly helped me in leadership and teamwork skills when directing. These 4 semesters I have tried to take primarily film courses, but my school had a very weak department and was very limited in networking, location, equipment, and classes. I was also very unhappy and miserable by my school due to its location, social politics, and other things. I made the decision I would transfer. Ultimately, I instead chose to go abroad and was going to transfer after…which brings me to where I am now.</p>

<p>Abroad has been great, and I’ve been able to discover myself fully as well as take some awesome classes in my major. Though I still have not found myself doing any work for my other non major classes. Still though, no regrets. However midway through the semester, an interesting opportunity to direct a film has arisen. And due to my increasing abilities and equipment, I am in a much better position to expand on the scope and nature of my projects, and find myself with an increasing number of interested clients back home. In fact, I’m ready to pack up my bags and focus 100% on my career. While videography and photography aren’t the most lucrative things in the world and require lots of luck, I’ve never been one who needed fancy things to survive. In fact, I have drawn up a budget and thought about how much I need to survive. Furthermore I have developed up a strong marketing and distribution plan for my media business. I’d like to jump on that NOW. I want to put my wedding videography portfolio together before the summer, direct my film next month, and waste no time in establishing networks in the record industry to continue doing music videos, concerts, and more. </p>

<p>Schooling has taught me the technicalities, and how to think creatively…but experience is what is going to drive this career, not a piece of paper. Plus it doesn’t help that some of my idols have taken eerily similar career paths :P</p>

<p>The one thing that I’m most worried about but will have to face is disappoint my mother. She is a single mother who sacrificed everything to put me through a private elementary and high school, and subsequently a very prestigious LAC. For years almost every single day she has reinforced me getting my degree. She sees that piece of paper as ones only hope of success and feels that if I don’t get it, then it’s almost as if she has wasted 19 years of her life. I’m also a first generation student, and my entire family (which is pretty big) sees me as the crown jewel. My moms friends/neighbors have always expected me to fail and return home anyday now. The gossip upon returning home would be enormous. </p>

<p>This is the one thing that has been holding me back, but over the past few days I have grown increasingly confident in my plans and abilities. I truly believe that going to school for 2 more years (or hell, even 2 more months) would start to do more harm than good for my specific career plans. Plus, school will always be there should I want to do back. I’d have to live at home for a few months as I work hard to get the funds for my car and a few months rent. But I believe I’d be able to support myself (not lavishly, but support myself nonetheless) after a few months. </p>

<p>tldr; im a film major with 2 years of college who wants to pack his bags next week and try to maximize the growth and potential of his production business but my mom might die of disappointment. regardless, my heart tells me this needs to be done.</p>

<p>Thanks to anyone who reads this over and can offer any words of wisdom! :)</p>

2

<p>I think if you’ve really thought out your decision, you have a plan to support yourself, and you have a vision for how your life will be at least for the near future…go for it. College will be an option later if you need it or want it, and that’s something I would advise being open to in the future, if you find you do need a degree or want to pursue a different field.</p>

3

<p>Given that you are currently mired deeply in film production, you must know that the field is an unstable and unpredictable one, with far more workers than there are jobs. Moreover, I’m kind of surprised that a future film producer finds no interest in things that don’t seem directly related to their work. The creative arts (film included) draw inspiration from every day life, and a liberal arts education is likely to broaden your horizons AND the kinds of things you have experience with and can film. Not only that, but writing is an important skill to have in any field - but especially in film. All fields require workers to write effectively to get their point across, so there is definitely value in learning how to write effectively.</p>

<p>I also get the sense that film production is a hierarchical field. Many producers begin as production assistants and work their way up and through the field. Production assistants with degrees are preferred over those who have none.</p>

<p>If you really want to focus on your career, why can’t you do that while finishing your degree? Yes, you may not be able to work 40 hours a week, but you can certainly turn it into a part-time job for two years while you finish your degree. There are lots of cash-strapped couples that would be willing to hire you at a lower cost than other wedding videographers. You can market yourself while finishing up school. Since you already know what you want to do, choose your classes wisely and focus on the things that will help you in production: business, art, and film/journalism classes if your school has those. Cross-register at schools that do have them, if your school doesn’t.</p>

<p>However, it’s true that college will be there if you want to return (although the financing options will be different). And don’t worry about the gossip - people will talk about you no matter what you do, but if you are as driven and ambitious as you present yourself, the talk won’t matter as your pursue your career. I would just think carefully about the idea that at 20, you really know everything you need to know about entering the film production business and that a bachelor’s degree will bring you no benefit. Lots of the big film producers from earlier times may not have completed theirs, but times have changed a lot since that world. It used to be far easier for high school graduates to find jobs in all fields and nowadays, a bachelor’s is becoming a prerequisite even for jobs that don’t need them and previously did not require them. A lot of people cite Bill Gates’ dropping out of college, for example, but the truth is in computer science nowadays a guy without a BS in that field would not be taken very seriously. I wonder if the same is true in film.</p>

4

<p>So what you are saying is that you are going to just drop out now and throw all the tuition dollars down the drain. I would be really furious if you were my kid. The responsible and appreciative student would finish the semester out and at least have the two full years of college instead of dropping out now before the semester ends. The reason I personally have a problem with your plan is because you can’t seem to muster up the strength to just finish one semester and this is from a kid who was raised by a single mom whose dream it was to see her child graduate college. </p>

<p>Are you receiving any financial aid to attend this expensive LAC that your single mom has dreamed of you graduating from?</p>

5

<p>Thanks for the responses all! </p>

<p>@Julliet - It’s not that I don’t find interest in things not directly related to my work, after-all inspiration has to come from somewhere! It’s that in the college setting I feel too restricted and limited. I’d like to travel and learn by experience, and if I have to learn by textbook then I can teach myself instead of paying to do it, whilst having to worry about and complete assignments that I don’t find much of a value in.</p>

<p>For example: Instead of sitting in a political science class and writing a formal paper about how the Occupy Wall St. movement resembles the tea party, I much rather hop on the subway with my camera/notebook and spend a few days filming a protest and getting involved with the group, and then turn that into a video/commercial/whatever that I could use. In such an example I am able to turn my work into money and experience, all while learning about something I had no idea of or interest in before. Furthermore I am excited and driven to complete such a project…the paper in my poli sci class?.. Not so much. Catch my drift?</p>

<p>But due to the ever-changing schedule and demands of what I would like to do, I can’t go out and focus on what I would most like to do if I need to worry about doing well in school. Its practically the same stuff I’d be doing after graduation, I just have the urge to go ahead now, because college isn’t quite “enough” for me. I also have new ideas for marketing and distribution that may have already been done or not even relevant by the time I were to graduate, and I’d like to give them a try. </p>

<p>As far as the state of the field that I would like to work in…yes it’s extremely competitive, and it is only going to be more competitive as technology becomes cheaper and more accessible. But with strong marketing, networking, taking up several different projects, and some good ole’ hustling… I think I can succeed. As far as starting off in some production house as an assistant or janitor and working your way up, those days are long over. And if I were to miss out on any potential internships and such due to my lack of a degree, I think the tradeoff that I gain in work experience and building my own company over the next 2 and a half years would far exceed said internship anyway.</p>

<p>@Momma-three -</p>

<p>Just because I may not get that piece of diploma paper does not mean these tuition dollars are going down the drain. As I said, I have gotten a great deal out of my time spent in school. It has taught me the skills I need in not only filmmaking technique, but also writing, leadership, and critical thinking. I just feel that going forward I won’t get much more out of it. The reason for me not completing the semester is that I would be spending all of April, May, and the rest of this month to work on a film project I do feel strongly about (and the time sensitive nature of this semi documentary project requires it to be done in april). </p>

<p>Fortunately my financial aid package was extremely generous, and I was able to attend with little out of pocket costs, especially for the school that I attended. However, I still have a few thousand I have to take out each year in loans.</p>

<p>I see college as an investment. Essentially, you invest in the education in the hopes that you’ll receive a very healthy return on said investment. When I take an objective look at the cost-benefit of staying in school, I find that while my investment has been fairly positive for the first year or so, I think that staying in school longer will start giving me negative returns.</p>

<p>I am currently taking 5.5 credits. I’m thinking that I’ll withdraw from 2 or maybe 3 of my classes now, and then work hard to complete the final projects for my better classes before I have to leave campus. That way I still can squeeze in a couple of decent grades and get some credit (should I decide to go back/transfer in the future for whatever reason).</p>

6

<p>Unfortunately you will join the army of students who attend college on need based aid who drop out. Don’t get me wrong my kids received some need based aid but I just can’t accept that students are given this opportunity and than mid way through a semester or a degree they throw that tax payer money away. This is a perfect example of why so many full pay parents resent families whose children receive financial aid. </p>

<p>I suspected you received alot of aid when you said your single mom was a first generation and your family viewed you in high regard. That is not a typical situation for a family who sends most of the kids to college.</p>

<p>I can’t imagine your mothers reaction when you tell her this news. Is it possible to take incompletes in some of the classes so that you could complete them in the summer? Throwing credits away is a WASTE of time and MONEY when it comes time to show those transcripts at some point in the future.</p>

<p>It doesn’t matter how you spin it to anyone you will not be continuing on with college. There will always be opportunities that arise and you can make that happen latter IMHO. This is an opportunity that you can’t get back. By the way it may also effect your ability to get future need based aid if you leave before you finish this semester of credits with grades.</p>

7

<p>I think the OP has a good head on their shoulders and is absolutely right in some aspects (I know nothing about the film industry, so I’m typing this post in regards to the general academic situation, not the future career situation).</p>

<p>As s/he said, the tuition $ won’t go to waste. It’s not like if you don’t receive a piece of card stock from a school would mean you didn’t actually LEARN anything. I’ll bet the OP would learn A LOT more in 4 years after college than the 4 years in college - both personally and academically.</p>

<p>I know exactly what the OP is saying when they feel they are being constrained in school. School cirriculum can be strict, ridgid, and often repetitive. A lot of classes actually fail on sparking the imagination of the human mind simply based on how they’re structured towards specific learning techniques essentially keeping the student stuck in a limbo of intellectual expansion until they either graduate or find a class that can adequately stimulate them. As an older student I often think in the back of my mind ‘Seriously, I’ve learned a lot more about people from 1. being in the military before, 2. making huge life decisions like getting married or buying a car/house, etc etc etc than any sociology or liberal arts class will be able to convey to my younger classmates.’ Sure, I’ll learn some facts through textbooks and projects, but nothing will ever trump life exp in almost any situation.</p>

<p>However, I do agree with critics that you should at least finish the second year if anything to make it easier for you to go back to school later in the future. And be realistic and not suprised if eventually the film thing does not work out and you find yourself trying to back to school. You can fail just as easily as you can succeed, but you sound like you’d do all you can to do the right things and push foward the right way through a career.</p>

8

<p>Here it is from a Dad.</p>

<h1>1. I urge you to finish this semester. This is nonnegotiable. Talk about a waster your Mom deserves better this is not about you this is for Mom.</h1>

<h1>2. I would try to find some employment in your field while you are still in school. Find out what the market will yield with your current experience and knowledge.</h1>

<h1>3. Do you have any contacts in the industry? Get some advice from them. Find out if a degree is mandatory or if not having a degree is a deal breaker?</h1>

<h1>4. How good are you? I mean really how good are you? Find out NOW send some of your work to a headhunter in the industry. And get some feedback.</h1>

<p>That should be enough for now. Whatever you do dont drop out finish the semester. And if you decide to drop out in May? Then tell your Mom you have an opportunity that you cannot turn down. Tell her you have to take some time to build your resume and this is the the time.</p>

<p>I hope you read my reply 3 or 4 times so it really sinks in.</p>

9

<p>Buckets,
I don’t know why your post is bothering me so much but it really is. I hope you will think about the reality of what you are about to do. It is really tough out there right now and you have an opportunity to complete your degree and enter the job market in two years. Please think about what seems to you like a good opportunity at this moment. If you are good don’t you think the opportunities will be there in two years. I remember when my son was offered a position in his summer job right before senior year at MIT. I almost fell off my chair that he actually considered it. Long story short the same company hired him after graduation. If you are good you will have a chance to work for the rest of your life.</p>

10

<p>Dude,</p>

<p>Go for it. You are only young once. I wish finish the semester, however, and then move on to bigger and better things.</p>

<p>If I had known what I know now, I would have taken a year off after finishing high school to travel and learn more about myself and the world.</p>

11

<p>Please just graduate! You have the rest of your life to work. Why don’t you do your videography on the side? I know the papers and curriculum may not be hands on, but a degree, in my opinion, is worth it in these days. An example is Zoe Damacela, a sophomore at Northwestern University. She has a fashion line, manages her business and sewing in her dorm room, attends business conferences, and keeps up with classes.</p>