Do you know anyone who failed out of or didn't attend college? How are they doing now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I failed out of a two year college. It was like I left high school, and then it was as if there were 10 years of learning I didn't get and THEN my college. I was completely lost. I remember in my biology class there were lectures and labs, and I went to the lab and all these kids from my lecture were scarring around and I thought "How do they know what to do?" and I was so completely overwhelmed and embarrassed that I didn't even know how to say to my teacher "I don't know how to begin." She might as well have been talking in Japanese - that's how NOTHING I understood.

I remember walking up the library stairs thinking "Don't cry yet, don't cry yet, shit you share a room you can't cry there where can I cry, where the hell do I go to cry?" and I literally walked into the woods to have privacy to cry. Every class felt like that. In my English class I would attempt to write the essays we'd get assigned and the teacher would tell me I missed the subject it was supposed to be about. So I'd scrap it and try again and that would be wrong too. I'd go to office hours and write down what she said to do, think I did that, and still get it wrong.

I was not someone who partied. I have never been drunk or high in my life. Just totally lost. By the second day of classes I thought "I think this is going to be a problem." By two weeks in I knew I was going to fail out.

Went home, took a year off, worked, then went to the local community college never taking more than three classes at once (and that was 1.5 too many). My parents literally went through the course catalog and picked the major for me that they thought would be easiest for me to get through that would get me a job I could support myself on. There was no talk of "what do you WANT to be when you grow up?" but it was "What CAN you muddle your way through?"

It took me five years to get an associates degree going part time. I got D's in several classes, and they waived some requirements for me. Before I graduated I had a job as a legal secretary. I am much better at working than learning. But for years I would have to walk out of my office to stand outside and cry hysterically because I didn't know how to do what I'd been told to do. I got fired a lot. I cried before, during and after office trainings for new programs.

23 years after starting work in this field I probably only cry two or three times a year. But I support myself. I have no debt. And a lot of people are shocked that I don't have a bachelor's degree because I come across as smart, competent and confident.

Have you ever been tested for learning disabilities or ADHD? Your story is very common among people with those diagnoses.

[Anonymous]

Yes.

Well-published journalist and novelist. Also owns a bar in Brooklyn. Has a good life.

[Anonymous]

I had 1 brother go to MC for 2 years, construction company, made a UMC income.

i had 1 brother go to no school, construction company, made a sh*t ton of money... retired at 57.

I know a guy that paints cars (60yo) he makes about $100K/year, his son (26) does too makes $80k

I know a guy that has no college, runs a gas station and they also fix cars, he has a house and a beach house and his kids are in private so I guess he does well. His wife doesn't work.

I know a guy that has no college, he works in property management, makes about $75K / year.

I work in IT, many technicians/engineers have not college... they make anywhere from $75K-$140K

[Anonymous]

Nephew failed college and left. Joined the army, tried again to go to college after he got out, failed again. He's probably suffering from undiagnosed anxiety issues and a learning disability, his family has money to treat but has always been in denial. Now he works a minimum wage service job.

[Anonymous]

My brother. He has some learning disability that my parents and he refused to admit. I suspect ADHD, anxiety, and dyslexia. Very talented in tech, stem, just can’t learn in a traditional way/setting.

He started working in tech companies after his freshman year, then dropped out of college altogether, and ten years after is making good money in one of the tech giants like FB.

[Anonymous]

My husband dropped out of college. He was a journalist, now works in public policy - he gets interviewed on NPR a lot. I think most people would be shocked to learn he doesn't have a degree. He's the smartest person I know.

[Anonymous]

OP, this makes it sound like this college drop-out or didn't attend college is a rare animal. Not sure what circles you travel in, but I know a lot of people who didn't go or dropped out. Also know plenty who did go and have struggled after, with careers, with personal issues, what have you.

[Anonymous]

yep, didn't finish and works at Jimmy Johns as delivery man. 28 years old.

[Anonymous]

My brother dropped out. He is a CEO of a very successful company.

[Anonymous]

op, what kind of story you want to hear? You know the people who frequently come here for a reason, which is to get their children a good college education.

If you are really interested in the life of non-college educated people, there are statistics that you can google.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just curious

2.

1) my MIL didn’t go because she barely got a HS education in the segregated Deep South in the 1950s. She worked in a food packing factory and eventually became a type of manager. She is working class, but not poor.

2) my dad attended a segregated vo-tech, then served in the military and learned a lot of skills that he later used to get a white collar job. He dealt with a lot of prejudice in his field, some in his company and some from clients. He made sure that we all had the chance to go to college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, this makes it sound like this college drop-out or didn't attend college is a rare animal. Not sure what circles you travel in, but I know a lot of people who didn't go or dropped out. Also know plenty who did go and have struggled after, with careers, with personal issues, what have you.

OP. I'm aware that many people don't go to college or drop out, and I definitely don't think college guarantees personal/professional success. I was just curious as I personally don't know many who didn't attend.

[Anonymous]

About 10 years ago I was a producer for a Syndicated CBS radio show that Shared the stories of very successful CEOs - companies ranged from 10 million to billions. Since it was DC many of the biggest were government contractors - but there were many industries represented. Each week we interviewed 4 CEOs and like clockwork one of the 4 was a college drop out, or barely graduated from schools nobody heard of.. It really changed my perspective on success. It made me see that many people were motivated to lead and be successful because school was not their thing. They wanted to prove their worth and had drive and Vision. My take away was that failure breeds success. Drop outs are some of the most successful people out there.

[Anonymous]

Most people In my life didn’t go to college. At least two are multimillionaires. Both owned their own small businesses and worked hard — and were noticeably frugal with their money.

Generally, “successful” people, by normal person standards (not the usual DCUM status obsessed striver standards), with no degree, fall into three groups:

- Own their own business
- Some kind of skilled tradesman (plumber, carpentry, electrician, etc.)
- Tech stuff (usually with various industry certifications)
- Steady blue collar public sector jobs (law enforcement, firefighters)

Less successful ones never really get a career going and seem to juggle multiple service industry jobs or attempt to style themselves as “handymen.” This usually works out better for women since they aren’t as defined by their career as men.

[Anonymous]

A nephew. Bumbled about before going to welding school. He does pretty well.

But the richest guy I know (billions, not millions) never went to college. Began working in an investment house during high school, then was making too much money to go to school. Made a killing in the housing crisis (think Christian Bale in The Big Short). Yet he still feels insecure about not having a BA. Go figure.