How I Took The Decision To Dropout of College

Hi,

Over the past few months, i have come to appreciate the notion of “VALUE” in my life. In fact, it’s a framework for me.

A year ago, I decided to drop out of college, but the urge to do so was there for a very long time. In fact, it first popped up at the end of my first semester when I was making a meagre $90 Monthly(Rs. 5000) from an internship. But, the question always remained in my head,

Will I be able to justify it to my parents/family/friends and most importantly myself?

Turns out, i could not. I could not justify it to any of the people listed above because it turns out I don’t have any money to fulfill my parents’ dreams, my dream. Oh, FUCK Dreams, I don’t have enough money to make a living for myself.(But, trust, Rs. 5000 was a ton for me as pocket money.)

Fast forward, 18 months later, I remember sleeping in the Quant Exam because I was working on a side project last night. Then, a teacher came to me and asked if I needed some water to stay awake and finish the exam.

But, eh? I didn’t know shit about what was there in the paper. I guess i flunked that exam.(Sweet, eh?)

After that, enroute home from college, I started evaluated myself again on the previous question,

Will I be able to justify it to my parents/family/friends and most importantly myself?

Turns, out, the answer was YES, A MILLION TIMES YES.

At that moment, I realized I can dropout of college, I can be free, I can support my parents(This is the part which makes me the happiest), I can work remotely(I work at Prism Labs, a Y Combinator(S17) Company) and enjoy my life as well.

With that said, one more thing, I wanted to point you to this tweet by Josh Wolfe, Partner at Lux Capital. I discovered this tweet a few months back only but this is something which I relate to the most.

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8/ What drove me? Passion mattered BUT mostly FEAR... -of being poor/resenting rich kids born lucky -of no access to experiences or stuff I wanted -of not making my mom or grandparents proud -of not earning esteem of friends -of not attracting a partner in life, building a family

 — @wolfejosh

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How I Took The Decision To Dropout of College was originally published in Hacker Noon on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.