EDIT: This post was originally posted in La Acera about four years ago. The site’s current Head Honcho, sent it to me so I could post it here for posterity. Over the years I’ve noticed I’d had to clarify my views on the value of college, and this piece summarizes them rather well. Now on to the post…
Before I start, I want to tell a bit of my story because it brings some context into what I want to actually write about.
I spent 5 years, in 3 colleges, studying (in order) computer engineering, architecture, and PoliSci. Although I’m a better balanced renaissance man for it, my parents spent somewhere close to $20,000 for this unnecessary formation.
5 years ago my brother, some (now long lost) partners, and I, started our first company. We were idiots in the beginning and made tons of all sorts of mistakes. I remember that when we got our first client I stayed there at their office, after the closing meeting, waiting for my check. Still, as the years came and went we: changed offices, changed partners, gained knowledge, got battle scars, and grew; considerably. Although we’re still a small company of just 5 we’ve been able to establish ourselves as experts in the field of Web Development, and have found clients who have decided to pay us handsomely for our expertise and follow through. At 28 I’m where ambitious people expect to be in their mid-30s. Not a single one of my chosen fields of study helps in any direct way my current profession.
The best thing I could have done was quitting school and getting to work. Continue reading Drop Out