If you’re in college and hate every minute of it, you’re probably thinking about dropping out and asking yourself, “Is college necessary for a successful future?” Of course, people would want you to believe that you need to attend college to make money and afford the cost of living or any luxury items you might want. However, you should never let others fool you into staying at a college that you don’t like, majoring in something that no longer interests you. 

 

If you drop out, you save yourself time, effort, and money while opening the door to endless possibilities. You have the potential to become something much bigger than you can even imagine if you’re willing to go for it and take that risk.

#1. You Have More Time to Focus on What You Want

 

Dropping out of college means having more time to focus on what you want. People change their minds all the time, so you may find yourself wanting to get into one field and then making a switch a year or two later. Even if you decide to do something like this, you have the time to do so because you’re still young. However, if you’re wasting years in college, you won’t have as much time to figure out what you’d like to do, whether you want to get into a specific field or even start a business.

 

People who spend years of their lives in college are losing out on so much of their younger years because they become slaves to the education system. They find themselves struggling to balance a personal life or hold down a job because they’re spending so much time in school or studying for school-related exams and tests. If you don’t want to feel like you’re going to spend the next several years learning things that aren’t important to you, dropping out is your best bet. It can help you clear your mind and focus on the bigger picture — the steps you need to take to get to where you want to be in life.

#2. A Degree Might Not Be Necessary for Your Line of Work

 

Some people go to college, earn a degree, and then get a job that doesn’t even require them to have one. So, why would they waste time and money doing that? Well, most people who do that are only going to college because they’ve been told it’s something they should do by those around them, such as their parents, teachers, or college-bound friends. 

 

There is always this talk of peer pressure and how teens and young adults often get talked into smoking, drinking, and more, but no one brings up the fact that these individuals also get pressured into going to college when not all of them want to be there in the first place.

 

If a degree isn’t something you need in the line of work you’re interested in, don’t waste your time in college. It’s only going to waste years of your life that you could’ve spent working, receiving raises, and gaining the experience needed to get ahead in your career.

#3. College Could Be Draining You

 

Not many people talk about the negative impact college can have on your mental health. If you feel like it’s draining you and taking a toll on your emotional wellness, it’s the right time to drop out. It’s not worth staying at school and making yourself miserable to graduate and earn a useless degree. It’s only a piece of paper that doesn’t represent who you are, what you’ve been through, or how good you are at doing certain things.

 

Prioritize your mental health over everything else around you. College can have such an impact on mental health because it’s often overwhelming and stressful. If you feel like you can’t tolerate it anymore, you don’t have to stay enrolled. Dropping out may be the best decision you make for the sake of your mental and emotional wellbeing.

#4. You’re Experiencing a Financial Strain Because of College

 

Are you experiencing the financial burden of taking out student loans to afford your college courses? Not only do you need loans to pay for the college tuition, but also for those expensive textbooks they expect students to purchase and use every once in a while. In addition, if you’re spending so much time in school, you might not have much time left to work a job to afford basic expenses, such as the cost of your phone bill, toiletries, and other essentials.

 

If college is already putting a financial strain on you, staying there any longer will only make the situation worse. For example, if you’ve only been in college for a year and are already struggling with finances, imagine how much worse it can get over the next three years. You could graduate, have a degree, and still struggle because you have to start paying back the debt you’ve accrued over those years. 

 

The financial strain isn’t worth it to most people. Dropping out of college gives you more time to find a high-paying job that will help you afford basic necessities and so much more, so you never have to stress over where you’re going to get your next meal.

 

#5. You Feel Confident You Can Find a Job Without the Degree

 

If you’ve thought about what you want to do and have realized you don’t need a college degree to make it happen, dropping out makes the most sense. Why would anyone want to continue to get into any more debt with student loans when they can start working without a degree? It simply doesn’t make sense. Even if your first career of choice doesn’t work out, there are always plenty of backup plans that you can set up for yourself because dozens of jobs are available that won’t require you to have a degree.

#6. You’re No Longer Interested in Your Current Major

 

Do you know how many people have stayed in college while studying a major that they’ve fallen out of love with because they felt it was something they had to do? So many people realize that their majors aren’t for them when they’re in the middle of college. Don’t be one of those people who continues to do something because you feel like you need to finish it. It’s not worth the stress, hours spent in classes, or the money you’ll end up wasting on tuition if you don’t plan to use that degree to start your career.

 

There is nothing wrong with changing your mind. You may have thought that something was right for you until you learned more about it, and that is fine. The only bad thing about changing your mind is forcing yourself to stay in college because you don’t want to disappoint others. It’s better to get out now and follow your dreams instead of letting college hold you back from what you truly want in life.

#7. You Can Put Yourself Out There

 

Dropping out of college gives you more than enough time to start putting yourself out there by applying for any job you think sounds interesting. Does it mean you’ll get hired for everything you apply for at the end of the day? No, but it does mean that you’re heading in the right direction by applying to different positions and getting attention from hiring managers within various industries. It’s the kind of thing you probably wouldn’t have time to do if you were still in college.

 

#8. Plenty of Jobs Don’t Require Employees to Have a Degree

 

Many people feel like you need to have a degree to get hired for high-paying jobs, but it’s such a misconception. Thousands of jobs will hire intelligent people to work without a degree and provide them with an unbeatable hourly wage or salary. Before you apply for jobs, think about the hourly wage you’d like to make, and then apply for positions that offer that amount or higher. You can find employment within various sectors that won’t expect you to have a degree, including the pest control, plumbing, HVAC, cosmetology, customer service, and data entry industries, to name a few.

 

Think again if you thought you had to go to college and get a degree to get paid well. And, if you’ve thought about becoming an entrepreneur because you’d like to run a business doing something you’re good at, you won’t need a college degree to go for it either.

 

With many reasons why you don’t need a college degree to be successful, you shouldn’t feel bad that you’re dropping out of college. It’s not for everyone. If you don’t want to spend long days in classes, receiving lectures, and getting stuck taking exams while living off ramen and Dollar Tree snacks, you don’t have to do that anymore. Dropping out could turn into the best decision you’ve ever made by providing you with more than enough time to figure out what you’re going to do in life and what path you wish to take.