Going to college was a dream of mine. Going to a place where I could learn, Where I wasn't, babysat the whole time. No unnecessary interruptions by idiots who clearly didn't want to be there.

I consider myself lucky; I’ve known pretty much what I’ve wanted out of my life Since I’ve been a child. I’ve always loved science, and when I turned 12, I developed a strong passion for fine art.

My major of choice was fairly easy: Geology.

I always dreamed of going to Utah Valley University, But due to certain circumstances, I ended up going to SLCC from the start. Once I completed many of my classes, I almost transferred over there.

College wasn’t exactly what I expected. The classes were easy and boring; My professors seemed inexperienced and lame. I figured maybe I’m just choosing the wrong classes! Semester after semester went by, And I still was unhappy.

I wasn’t able to do art anymore, With full-time school and my part time job, I had hardly any time for anything.
The typical life of a college student…
The grant was really helpful, But unfortunately, I wasn’t able to keep it. I had to go the hospital to have my appendix removed. At the age of 19, I had no health insurance.
So I went out and got a full-time job at a nearby hotel. I was a housekeeper. I kept my part-time job. And continued school full time. That is how I failed my classes. Trying to pay medical bills.

After I had gotten over that hill, I kept going to school; I kept fighting! I was determined to be the first College graduate in my family! I was already the first High school Graduate! Because my family is full of high school drop outs!
But that didn’t happen. I started to get angry; I wasn’t learning anything, why am I spending thousands on a piece of paper!?
That’s when I read the book “Choose Yourself” by James Altucher.
This guy is a lunatic I thought! He doesn’t know what he is talking about.

###“Kids at 18 have no idea what they want to do in life. The world is a very big place. It's bigger than five classes a day on philosophy or chemical engineering” James Altucher###

I still wasn’t convinced this guy knew anything. I mean I know EXACTLY what I want out of my life.
Another snippet from one of his articles:

To summarize:

A) You learn very little that you use in real life

B) You are so burdened by debt that you can’t use your new-found

knowledge to create real freedom and joy for yourself

C) A young person can use their energy in many other ways than just college.

I kept reading books by Altucher because I was fascinated by his bizarre opinions. And his words started to torment me as I continued to go to my college classes. I looked at my debt… $4,000 In student loans, And I was paying most of the tuition out of my pocket by working full time and attending school…
I also biked to school everyday. Because I couldn’t afford to even have a car! Even when it was snowing or raining, Id bike 7 miles to school, Then 7 miles back. On my cheap 200 bicycle. But it was worth it right! I basically could have bought a fairly reasonable used car with the money I was making. But it went into this so-called “Lie” called college.
After a while, I became disgusted with how much they were charging me… I could afford a pretty nice vacation for every semester I went to school.

Here are some college Alternatives Altucher suggests: http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2011/01/8-alternatives-to-college/

I made the hard decision of quitting; I felt it was the right decision. I was terrified, though, Some of the questions I pondered were,

1. Am I going to be a failure, Because I am choosing to drop out of college?
2. Will I be able to get fun, a High paying job without college?
3. Can I survive without college?

Luckily, As the world starts to change, You can’t get by without college easily, More employers are whiling to hire you without a college education.
After I had quit school, I continued working my 2 part time jobs, and I started doing art again. It was an amazing feeling, I started to read non-fiction, and I started looking for ways to turn my art into a steady income. I learned how to write books and Started to write; My writing isn’t the best, but I was able to produce a reasonably selling, 5-star kindle book: “Sell Everything” and “Stress less, Invest more.” In October of 2015 I released my first coloring book “Animal Forest”, I don’t have a lot of money right now, But I have so much more than I ever did going to college. Instead of sitting in a classroom,
**Over the last year and a half, **

• I wrote 3 Kindle books
• Published over 27 coloring books,
• Flew in a plane for my first time
• Got out over 47,000 of debt!
• Got a shiny new bicycle.
• Traveled to: Las Vegas, San Francisco, Pheonix Arizona.
• Took a ton of Udemy classes, And learned new skills with making money online.
• Worked 5 different jobs,
• Went out and did a ton of activities that I would never have had time to do back then.

So far I have no regrets with dropping out of college, I’ve been working hard, and I am almost fully self-employed. I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I think for myself, which seems to be rare these days! I feel like college conditions you to be like everyone else. To have no mind of your own, I feel like quitting school has given me opportunities to learn and grow and make my own decisions.

I feel like an adult now; I felt like a high school student who was scared of the world. I can rely on myself now, for so much more.

And for once in my life, I feel completely FREE! It’s like when you get out for Christmas break for school as a kid. When you feel like you can do anything you want in the world. Except I get this almost every day, And once I’m fully self-employed I’ll be unstoppable. Drawing for 5 hours a day Is already a dream come true!

These days people need to think long and hard about whether college is right for them! Don’t believe everything that you hear! You give up a lot by going to college, MAKE SURE IT’S THE RIGHT CHOICE.