5 Warning Signs You’re Not Ready to Drop out of College

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After four years of studying, I finally decided to drop out of college.

When I tell people that I’ll move to Portugal instead of continuing my master’s program, I can hear the alarm bells ringing in their heads. What about college?! Are you going to drop out? Don’t you want to finish first? Or is it just a gap year?

My answer is always the same: Yes.

Dropping out of college always seems like it’s this definitive decision. Well, it’s not. You can always go back to college. It’s not all black and white.

However, that doesn’t mean you should drop out as soon as the slightest spark tells you so. Dropping out of college before you’re ready can beam you to the realms of regret, anxiety, and misery. So don’t make this decision on a whim.

Here are five warning signs to consider carefully before you take the plunge to drop out of college.

1. You romanticize the idea of dropping out

My first year of college sucked.

I overworked myself. I found that I study more than others while getting worse grades. I also found out that I hate my engineering major and have close to zero talent in this area.

The three years after that didn’t get much better.

I still had a glimmer of hope that engineering might be what I want to do after all. The hope that if I just keep trying, I will fall in love with engineering.

Of course, that hope never came true.

Why didn’t I quit? Because college is the best default option if you don’t have your life planned out. I was completely lost after graduating high school and finishing my undergraduate degree. So, in both cases, I attended college.

Life is not going to get easier after you dropped out.

It’s quite the opposite. Dropping out of college can be a horrible mistake if you romanticize the idea and assume it makes you a braver, better, or smarter human being just because you take the leap.

The decision is only brave if you know what you’re giving up.

Checkbox #1: You know what you’ll do with your life after dropping out of college. You’re ready for a difficult transition.

2. You don’t have a Plan B

Let’s assume you have a clear strategy for what you’re going to do after your dropout. In my case, it’s moving to a different country, learning Portuguese, and becoming a full-time writer.

But that’s not enough. If you want to drop out anxiety-free, you want to have some kind of backup plan — aka Plan B or emergency toolkit.

My backup plan is my bachelor’s degree. (Who would have thought the suffering would be worth it?) I can always accept a reasonable job with that degree.

Now, will I love that job? Unlikely. Is this an area I’m passionate about? Nope. Am I going to stay in this field for the rest of my life? Never. But it’s something I can rely on. Something that will keep me from financial and personal ruin.

A backup plan will save you from a hydraulic press of anxiety squeezing your brain into mashed potatoes.

Checkbox #2: You have a Plan B that allows you to pursue your dreams stress-free.

3. You don’t have a safety net

During my bachelor’s degree, I was getting a reasonable monthly salary because I worked for a company on the side. However, I also sacrificed all my semester holidays and moved every three months to attend work.

This grind was crunching me into little pieces. But it allowed me to build up reasonable financial savings. (Also, college is free where I live, but that’s a different topic. You can still do financially well with student debt.)

With these resources, I can go through one year of kickstarting my passions without accepting another job. Sure, I won’t be able to live like a royal. But I can still go out for coffee, shop for my favorite groceries, and buy new books.

Checkbox #3: You have a financial plan or safety net that keeps you out of bankruptcy for a while.

4. You do poorly in college

Many people think college prepares them for a specific career.

It doesn’t.

Instead, college teaches you how to live. It molds you into a balanced human being. The time you spend in college is a playground to learn what it means to be an adult. You learn how to navigate complex relationships. How to deal with grumpy professors. How to teach yourself things and how to pass exams you thought would be impossible to pass.

That’s what college is actually about.

Dropping out of college is unlikely to accelerate these qualities of character unless you have an exact plan of what you’re otherwise going to do.

Many people — not everybody — who do poorly in college will do poorly in life. Why? Because college, like life, is a defined system. Inside these boundaries, you have to navigate your way to success. (Whatever success means for you.)

Your professor giving you bad grades and life hitting you with bricks are not so far apart from each other. It’s your job, not anyone else’s, to deal with the situation and make the best of it.

Blaming your circumstances won’t take you anywhere.

Checkbox #4: You learned your lessons from college. By dropping out, you are aware that you give up an important mentor.

5. You didn’t give the decision enough time and space

Yes, I know. Life is short, and we should all follow our dreams. But sometimes, we just tell ourselves that we have certain dreams and don’t realize how lucky we are with what we already have.

That’s why you should give the decision to drop out of college enough time and space.

Talk to relatives, close friends, and maybe other dropouts. They’ll bring up doubts and worries. Then, like a lawyer in court, you’ll have to defend yourself and justify your arguments. It’s the perfect method to see if you know what you’re doing or if you’re chasing after a fantasy.

But even more important than that, spend time alone.

Lots of time alone. And by that, I really mean alone. Not with your phone, not with your TV, and not with Alexa. Go on long walks, journal, meditate — do whatever helps organize your thoughts. Did I mention spending time alone helps?

Reflecting on your life goals in solitude reveals your true character and intentions.

Checkbox #5: You have discussed your decision to drop out of college with multiple people. You have reflected on your plan without distractions over the course of several weeks.


Did these signs confirm your decision? Can you check all the boxes? Then, by all means, take the plunge and drop out of college.

But don’t mistake dropping out of college for an overnight success story. Life will be tough after dropping out. Because, suddenly, the world is open to you. The opportunities of our modern world are endless. That can be scary. So be prepared to take life 100% into your own hands.

I’m ready for it.

Are you?