College Dropout, Not by Kanye

In my earlier attempts in life at starting (and failing) at writing a blog I started various "weekly challenges" and daily rants on my experiences and current life happenings. Since I maintained that blog for less than a month I wanted to archive per se, a few of my favorite posts by posting them here, and commenting on what has changed since then.

source "Life up until Graduation" digital, artwork is not mine

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April 6th, 2016:

Sometimes I feel unsure of my decision. Which I have every right be be. I am the minority of the flock of birds heading east, who made a rash decision to divert and land alone to experience the real world before my peers did. Its the uncertainty that scares me. The idea that if I apply at a job and they narrow the candidates down to two, I wont be the one chosen because of my lack of proper paperwork saying I've earned an education.

I know I'm in the minority when I talk about higher education. If you know you want to become a lawyer or a surgeon, then obviously you need to get a degree to pursue that. Just don't spend some of the best years of your life trying to force yourself to conform to what all your friends are doing.

Dont get me wrong though, I am happy that I made the decision to drop out of college. I am proud of myself for being the one who recognized that I don't thrive in that environment. I learn better when I am doing the work and research on my own without a set curriculum. James Altucher, author of the National Bestseller, Choose Yourself, explains the shortcomings oh higher education perfectly,

I would argue that college is a way to avoid learning how to think. If I want to learn how to play tennis, the best thing to do is go out on a tennis court and play tennis. If I want to learn how to drive a car, I better get behind a wheel and drive. If I want to learn how to live and how to think, then the best thing to do is begin living my life and thinking my thoughts instead of still having my parents pay for my life and my professors giving me my thoughts.

Our education system is fucked up. Sorry for the language kids, but I'm just being honest. Every student is taught the same way with essays, homework, tests but not every student thrives and learns in that way. We learn how to be good at cramming and memorizing as much as possible, to then vomit it all out of our brains when we're handed our final exam. We all mindlessly follow a pre-established path that doesn't inspire self-discovery or spark creativity. College doesn't teach us how to think as individuals and think creatively for ourselves, it gives us guidelines that have been used for hundred of years. The way we're taught hasn't evolved at all, only the gadgets we use to help us along the way have. With technology constantly embedding itself into our lives, we have more access to information today then we've ever had. A person with a smartphone in their hand has more information then someone in the largest library in the world. Never before have there been so many educational opportunities right at our fingertips, for the cost of absolutely nothing.

I felt as if I was in a crisis, I was at a cross roads in my life overwhelmed with the anxiety of what I want to do, and I took the path less traveled. By not going down the traditional path, it allows me to explore my creativity and invest time into myself and my passions. Not having a degree has been pushing me out of my comfort zone to make my own success and not let a piece of paper determine that. Dropping out of college forces me to grasp incredible opportunities faster. Steve Jobs said it better than I ever could,

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

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Reading this back, gives me quite the assortment of mixed emotions. A year and a half after I dropped out of college, I've decided to re-enroll. Now I get that from what you just read you must be quite confused with my sudden change of heart. And let me just re-assure you, this decision t was not at all easy. I went back and forth fighting with the devil and angel on either of my shoulders. The truth is, I can't afford to not have a degree as millennial. It's just a fact. I cant afford my rent, bills, food let alone my avocado toast addiction (Yeah I see you Tim Gurner but youre still wack for thinking its just my avocado addiction.) with a minimum wage job. Let alone in California of all places.

So I'm sure some of you will be proud, some let down. But regardless of what you might think, I still believe that I am the only one who can make myself successful. If youre interested, I will most definitely be writing about the classes and teachers and experiences while I'm attending the University of Colorado at Boulder again this fall.

With Love,

Lauren