Why I Walked Away From College

Cello to the few people out there who give this blog some of your time, I do appreciate it :) Today I wanted to write about something that’s been on my heart for quite a while; something that is one of the great debates of modern American society. That is: do you need to go to college in order to be successful, in order to be “smart”, in order to be anything?

I’m sure everyone has their own opinions, some stronger than others. Well, I would like to share my thoughts, and I hope you are open to taking the time to read them. I will warn you that this ended up being a long post, as I wanted to give you the background of my reasoning before getting to the choice itself.  

         I was always planning on going to college. At 13 I was dreaming of it—heck, I was already exploring university websites, their majors and minors, dorms, campuses, location, you name it. The idea of focusing on the one thing you love, being independent, on a beautiful campus, and meeting all kinds of people is such an exciting feeling. All throughout high school I was planning what my major would be. For the longest time I had my mind set on majoring in anime production and minoring creative writing. As you can imagine, this major didn’t exactly pop up in every college…but long story short, I fell out of love with that idea, while at the same time, my love for cello playing grew. I started thinking of what I wanted to do after I graduated. Given the situation I was in, college wasn’t my first choice. I’m a late starter on the cello (15 when I began lessons) and definitely wouldn’t be audition ready by the time I graduated. But I still looked at the options for cello playing in college: performance, teaching, therapy, composing…and I wanted to do them all. I just wanted to be absorbed in all aspects of music.

          Other than my experience disadvantage, I also never qualified for scholarships or financial aid (we make just too much to qualify and too little to afford college without going into debt), and neither I nor my parents believe in going in debt. So I looked to see what my community college offered, and discovered a new music program they had created only a few years ago. Then I realized what I wanted to do with my cello in the future, and that was and still is to open a small music school for homeschool kids, someday. So the idea of getting a two-year degree and starting to teach right after that had me in pure bliss…

Until I found out (a few weeks before the semester began) that the program couldn’t fit it in their budget to let me major in cello. The only options I had were to either not attend college, or choose a major in piano, voice, or guitar. With not much time to decide, I settled on the option that sounded most reasonable, to major in piano. I had previous experience, and since it’s the foundational instrument for any teaching it sounded right. Of course, I wouldn’t stop cello, since that is my first music love. I would just have to continue in private lessons. Having done dual enrollment during high school, I already had some gen eds out of the way and would be able to jump full-throttle into music classes.

          So when college started my schedule consisted of being a part-time student, driving 300 miles a week to and from school, working between 22-28 hours a week, and every day requiring at least an hour of piano and cello each, and a couple hours of homework. And then there were responsibilities I had outside school, including joining an orchestra. The point is I realized I had gotten myself in a situation that was not humanly possible (if you are hoping to eat and sleep enough to sustain yourself). So, as you can imagine, I got to some very deep thinking.

I thank God that He blessed me with two wonderful supporting parents to help me throughout my life—especially at this time when I was in dire need their advice!

After an extensive amount of time discussing my situation and options with them, we came to the conclusion that the best direction at this time would be to withdraw from college.

Now, the reasons.

One of the first red flags was that I wouldn’t be able to devote the amount of time I needed to pursue my cello studies, which ironically was the whole reason I wanted to go in the first place! The piano major stole and demanded all the time I could give it.

I know what you’re thinking: If my dream is to teach, how do I expect to get a job without a degree?

First of all, there are many private and independent teachers (NOT just in music) who are without a college education and still doing very well.

Second, I do not want to work for a school, I want to start my own, but primarily focus on teaching cello. And this is very possible to do without a degree.

So now you ask, what am I doing with my life? Well for now, I devote most of my time to cello playing through lessons and an orchestra, and working. But I am also able to work on my books and art, and help my parents at home. I won’t lie, there are days when I question myself on whether I made the right decision in declining college. But overall, I am content and trust that God is governing my life, which is all that matters in the end.

But the biggest reasoning behind my decision, is that whatever I end up choosing to do career-wise in the future, it is not going to be my full-time job—and this is the point where many may disagree with me.

I am not a feminist. I’ve always been a full-supporter of traditional mothers, who stay at home to take care of their family and household. This is ultimately what I want to be someday, and do I need a degree for this? I’ll settle this quickly: No.

Now this is where I get to the point of the question: does everyone need to go to college to be smart, successful, and something? Quite frankly, no. However, I am not telling everyone to drop out of college! I am just stating that you really need to consider if the major you are spending thousands of dollars to pursue is going to pay you back when you graduate…not to mention that there are plenty of options other than college (skilled trades, for one). And you have to decide what your priorities in life are, whether you want to be independent or married, have a family or pets, and simply how you are going to live.

Here are a few extremely important things you need to consider about your future before you graduate from high school…

Ladies:

1. If you’re a woman who believes in traditional family life and wants to get married, you should probably start off by learning to run a household :) or else you’ll be in a pickle.

2. Start saving! It’s never a bad idea to think ahead and save money for whatever might come in the future.

3. Have a backup plan in case of a financial disaster. Discover what gifts you have and learn to use them to your full potential! And look into skilled trades, they're not just for guys!

4. If you want to be a full-time working mom, that is your own personal decision and can also be the best one for your individual situation.

Gentlemen:

1. If you plan on having a family, you need to be able to support them. This means work. You can’t just put off the fact until the time comes, you need to be prepared, and you’re never too young to develop a good work ethic.

2. Prepare. Have a plan. If your dream is to do anything in the arts world, it would probably be very wise to have another plan of making money (the term “starving artist” is not just a saying…).

3. Now decide whether college is the right path. If you’re going into a science and technology field, college is probably you’re best choice. But if your heart gravitates towards the art world, college may not be. You really have to consider if whether all the thousands of dollars you’re spending to become a museum historian is really worth it. If when you graduate you are paying off student loans for decades to come, how do you expect to be able to support a family and their future? Just my thoughts.

4. Consider a skilled trade. They are dying so quickly, yet everyone needs them…and they’re making more money than most college educated folks these days. Carpenters, electricians, blacksmiths, upholsterers, instrument makers, leather workers…there’s an endless list.

5. This goes for both guys and girls: If you plan on just living in your parents basement all day playing videogames and eating takeout, going to parties and getting drunk, and living off all the other hardworking people out there, discard everything I just said.

So there are my thoughts. If you chose to read and consider them, thanks for giving me your time. I hope that maybe they were able to help one person in the great debate we all get thrown in. My bottom line is this: Whatever you choose to do, the only thing that really matters is that you’re following God’s will. Because if you do that, then everything else falls into place. Your worth can not be determined by your education, it has already been determined by God, and He loves you and has a plan for you, if you are willing to follow it.

Have a great day! :)