The weirdest thing about dropping out is how people assume you're just lazy

I left my business program three semesters in because I got a full-time offer at the hardware store I was working at. Now, whenever I meet someone new and they ask about college, I get this specific look of pity. They don't ask what I do now, they just assume I'm stuck. I'm actually managing a team of eight and making more than some of my friends who graduated. Has anyone else found that the 'college or bust' mindset is still this strong?

3 comments

3 Comments

ryan_kelly28d agoMost Upvoted

My cousin's degree got him a job paying less than my plumbing gig.

fisher.reese1mo ago

You know what's funny about that look of pity? It's based on a story they've already written in their head before you even speak. They hear "dropped out" and picture someone on a couch, not someone who got a better offer and took it. I bet if you said you left to start your own business, the look would change to impressed, even if you were doing the exact same job. The real problem is that people use college as a lazy shortcut to judge someone's whole life.

nathan7751mo ago

Yeah, that "look of pity" is them trying to do math in their head about your life. It's like they're adding "dropped out" plus "hardware store" and getting "failure," instead of "full-time offer" plus "manager" equals "doing just fine.