So I dropped out of college. What the fuck do I do now?

[xilikeeggs0]

My school fucked me over when it came to my FAFSA, so I didn't get any financial aid, and I owe them about $2,000. I was planning on transferring anyways, but now I can't even do that until I pay the $2,000 so I can get the hold taken off of my account so I can get my transcripts.

I have a job right now that I love, but it's not something I want to make a career out of. I can still see myself doing it part-time for years to come, but I don't want to have to rely on it as my main source of income.

My long-term career goal is to open up a franchise of a place that I worked at while I was in high school, but they require "at least $75,000 in liquid capital, and a $250,000 net worth." Needless to say, I'm far from that right now.

I have no idea what the fuck to do in order to get there, though. I guess I could just get a shitty real job that pays the bills and try to save as much money as I can, but that will take forever.

I thought that going to college would give me a few extra years to work things out, but it just seemed like a huge waste of time and money to me, and I guess I was right about that. Now, not only am I $5,000 in debt with nothing to show for it, I also just fucked up my chances of getting that well paying dream job that everyone wants to get once they graduate.

[ArgonPlasma2000]

What I would do is use my job to pay off my debt ASAP. Even if you need to get a loan from a friend or family. I was there, too, last year. Any other student loan debt needs to get paid quickly. Don't get married or buy a new car or house or something like that. Live cheap and get your debt paid off. Maybe even get a second job?

How well would the franchise do now? How well would it do 5 years from now? 10 years from now? Is the area bringing in more people? Don't throw away a quarter million on a pipe dream that will never net you a profit, even if that is something you want to do. Opening a franchise is not for everyone, and it's not something that a young person such as you and I could probably run well anyway. You need some serious managerial or business experience before you even should consider taking out a loan for it. I would just put it on the back burner for a few years while you could wait for the economy to turn around and seriously consider if you really do want to buy it.

My brother is a quasi-manager of a local franchise and he is fairly good friends with the owner. They have never had overwhelming success with the business and it's been quite bad for them lately. Thankfully, the remade Sonic has gotten a bad reputation so they've had a surge in business. It's just not a great climate for food franchises unless you are building one with good real estate in a rich town, or unless you can get a cheap, quality product in the hands of customers who have nowhere else to turn to.

Don't sweat it. If you take learning seriously, it's worth it, even if you don't take college learning seriously. College has changed me from a Bible thumping fuckhead into someone who doesn't want to see the world from a single point of view. I know many, many, many things I never would have wanted to know when I started. I have gained IT, fabrication, and programming skills, how to program embedded devices, learned much more about electronics, etc. I don't sweat giving up on school, because I'm a much better person, even if I am now in $15 or so grand in the hole. In a year or two, I'll have all that shit paid off and a great education, even if I don't have a piece of paper to show for it.

[xilikeeggs0]

What I would do is use my job to pay off my debt ASAP. Even if you need to get a loan from a friend or family. I was there, too, last year. Any other student loan debt needs to get paid quickly. Don't get married or buy a new car or house or something like that. Live cheap and get your debt paid off. Maybe even get a second job?
I just started looking today... I applied at Petsmart and I'm looking into being a bartender.

How well would the franchise do now? How well would it do 5 years from now? 10 years from now? Is the area bringing in more people? Don't throw away a quarter million on a pipe dream that will never net you a profit, even if that is something you want to do.
I have no idea, to be honest. I wouldn't open it here anyways. My plan was to graduate college, get a job back on the east coast, live there for a few years while saving money/paying off debt/getting to know the area, then going ahead and opening it. Now I have no idea what I'm going to do.

Opening a franchise is not for everyone, and it's not something that a young person such as you and I could probably run well anyway. You need some serious managerial or business experience before you even should consider taking out a loan for it. I would just put it on the back burner for a few years while you could wait for the economy to turn around and seriously consider if you really do want to buy it.
I really do want to own one. The one that I worked at was great; it wasn't at all what I expected fast food to be like (although they only have frozen treats, so it's not your typical fast food place). The owner was maybe 24 or 25. He opened it up right after he graduated from college, but he got his dad to co-sign on the loan for him, which is how he qualified for it. He made it seem great; he used to come to work and talk about how nice it was to only have to work 6 months out of the year (it's a seasonal business), how he gets to wear shorts and a polo to work, while all of his friends have to wear suits, and how it's not stressful at all. I do realize that the description I just gave probably makes me sound really lazy, but I promise I'm not, at least when it comes to something that I care about.

My brother is a quasi-manager of a local franchise and he is fairly good friends with the owner. They have never had overwhelming success with the business and it's been quite bad for them lately. Thankfully, the remade Sonic has gotten a bad reputation so they've had a surge in business. It's just not a great climate for food franchises unless you are building one with good real estate in a rich town, or unless you can get a cheap, quality product in the hands of customers who have nowhere else to turn to.
Yea, like I said, it's not something I want to do right now. I just have no idea what to do with my life for the next couple of years until I'm in a better position to be able to do what I really want to.

And yea, it is a great product at a great price (I'm not just bragging here). I lived in Maryland when I worked there, and you could get a regular sized italian ice for like $1.20 or $1.50 at an actual store. Down here in Texas, those shitty shaved ice/raspa things are like $1.50 or $2.00 out of some Mexican's trailer that they set up on the side of the road.

Don't sweat it. If you take learning seriously, it's worth it, even if you don't take college learning seriously. College has changed me from a Bible thumping fuckhead into someone who doesn't want to see the world from a single point of view. I know many, many, many things I never would have wanted to know when I started. I have gained IT, fabrication, and programming skills, how to program embedded devices, learned much more about electronics, etc. I don't sweat giving up on school, because I'm a much better person, even if I am now in $15 or so grand in the hole. In a year or two, I'll have all that shit paid off and a great education, even if I don't have a piece of paper to show for it.
That's the problem - I went to college expecting to learn. I feel like I got ripped off because I really didn't learn much at all during the two years that I spent there. I'm just scared because everyone makes it seem like you need a college degree if you want to do anything with your life or be even remotely successful.

What do you do now, by the way?

[ArgonPlasma2000]

That's the problem - I went to college expecting to learn. I feel like I got ripped off because I really didn't learn much at all during the two years that I spent there. I'm just scared because everyone makes it seem like you need a college degree if you want to do anything with your life or be even remotely successful.

What do you do now, by the way?

I went in thinking the exact same thing. I thought there was going to be some mind blowing shit I've never even thought about, and it really wasn't anything like I expected. I could have learned alot of the same stuff by just reading and understanding the electronics books I had before I went in.

I will be staying on with the USDA as a GS2 technician. Not a bad living for being single and having no car payments. Buy a gun here and there, pay off debts and all. I can't rise over a GS4, which caps out at $34k/year unless I get a bachelor's degree in something. I will stay with this job for a while and either go back and get some degree in a few years or become a mechanic. My current boss is going to retire sometime in the next 7 or so years, so I doubt I'll want to make this a lifelong career without a degree. A vehicle mechanic is something I would enjoy doing, and they make decent money.

Alot of people gauge success as how fat your wallet is. I don't. 34 grand a year is decent money for where I'm at now in life. I'm getting to the point now where I don't give a shit about money since I will have alot saved by making whatever I need. I've fancied making solar heating and power supplies for whatever I would need. Water could be had by digging a well, or using a Stirling engine to suck moisture out of the air. The humidity is very high in this region.

Basically I'm taking on a survivalist mentality, learning skills I would need if our species were to be threatened by killing the environment. Learning about guns, fabricating shit, learning how to grow, shit like that. I'm even extremely interested in building a relay computer that could survive a nuclear apocalypse.

[lostmyface]

get a job ftw?

[whocares123]

Aw man, go back to school. All this quitting school shit depresses me.

$5,000 debt is nothing compared to what most, like me, are paying for their education. And a quick $2,000 student loan would also be nothing. I'm assuming you've already maxed out your Stafford Loan options, which should be $7500/year for a junior or senior.

College is an investment, people have to realize that. You don't want to be a carriage driver for the rest of your life, right? So what are you going to do? I thought you wanted to get a job with the government, foreign service or something.

I wouldn't quit school without a plan. You don't have a plan. My friends back home that have quit school without plans live with their parents, work terrible low paying jobs, and are constantly bored. The women are pregnant.

[xilikeeggs0]

Aw man, go back to school. All this quitting school shit depresses me.

$5,000 debt is nothing compared to what most, like me, are paying for their education. And a quick $2,000 student loan would also be nothing. I'm assuming you've already maxed out your Stafford Loan options, which should be $7500/year for a junior or senior.

College is an investment, people have to realize that. You don't want to be a carriage driver for the rest of your life, right? So what are you going to do? I thought you wanted to get a job with the government, foreign service or something.

I wouldn't quit school without a plan. You don't have a plan. My friends back home that have quit school without plans live with their parents, work terrible low paying jobs, and are constantly bored. The women are pregnant.

What is college an investment in? What does a college degree guarantee me? Absolutely nothing.

I can become a police officer and make $2300 a month as a cadet, $3012 a month as a probationary officer, and $3467 a month during my first year as a 'real' police officer. Plus an extra $350 a month if I work nights, and an extra $215 a month if I take 1 more class and get my associate's. Even if I don't do any of that, by my third year I'd be making $4172, which is $50,000 a year. That's more than probably 90% of college graduates are earning within 3-4 years of graduation.

How is quitting school without a plan any worse than finishing school without a plan? Either way, if I can't find a 'real' job, I'm screwed. A degree just makes it easier for me to get a job in an office, which is exactly what I don't want.

[whocares123]

What is college an investment in? What does a college degree guarantee me? Absolutely nothing.

I can become a police officer and make $2300 a month as a cadet, $3012 a month as a probationary officer, and $3467 a month during my first year as a 'real' police officer. Plus an extra $350 a month if I work nights, and an extra $215 a month if I take 1 more class and get my associate's. Even if I don't do any of that, by my third year I'd be making $4172, which is $50,000 a year. That's more than probably 90% of college graduates are earning within 3-4 years of graduation.

How is quitting school without a plan any worse than finishing school without a plan? Either way, if I can't find a 'real' job, I'm screwed. A degree just makes it easier for me to get a job in an office, which is exactly what I don't want.

I wasn't advocating graduating without a plan. Of course you should have a plan. You have four years to get your plan together. Anybody who graduates and doesn't know what they're doing as far as employment or grad school, at least for the next couple of years, is being stupid.

Yes, police officers make decent money and not all cities require college degrees. But even that profession is moving toward post secondary education requirements. It's all about being competitive in a job market that sucks as it is. You don't have a degree and someone else does. Guess who gets hired 9 times out of 10?

If you're going to be a police officer then I would suggest moving toward doing what you need to do to make that happen. If you were just throwing that out there as a job that people without a college degree can make good money at, then you better find something that you would be willing to do.

Look, my hometown is full of people that either didn't go to college or quit. And they don't do SHIT. If you're going to continue on this path, you better have a plan.

[Euda]

There are plenty of ways to be successful in life without immediate post-secondary and there's nothing saying that you won't eventually make you way back to school.

If you're a driven individual and have set goals, then you shouldn't have a problem succeeding with things.

I'd suggest building your experience-base and finding an industry that you can enjoy. Look for entry-level positions.

[xilikeeggs0]

If you're going to be a police officer then I would suggest moving toward doing what you need to do to make that happen. If you were just throwing that out there as a job that people without a college degree can make good money at, then you better find something that you would be willing to do.

It was a little bit of both. It's not something that I really want to do, but I'm not opposed to it either. Either way, I have to wait until March to meet the age requirements for going to the police academy, so I have time to think about it.

[Mr. Dazed and Confused]

Hang in there man, find a second job to help pay off your debt and go back to school. If you don't want to go to college, there are other education options. There are trade schools that teach you skills. You can make a good living as a plumber, putting in heating/cooling systems, contracting (if you learn skills like welding, metal work, building houses), and other trades. I'm a political science major, but I work for a contracting company during breaks and I've learned a ton of useful things that I could fall back on if the worse comes to work. I've considered taking a year off from school to earn $30,000 to help pay for school, but I might do that after I graduate, unless I go to grad or law school. You could also join the military, maybe the national guard or ROTC.

[whocares123]

Hang in there man, find a second job to help pay off your debt and go back to school. If you don't want to go to college, there are other education options. There are trade schools that teach you skills. You can make a good living as a plumber, putting in heating/cooling systems, contracting (if you learn skills like welding, metal work, building houses), and other trades. I'm a political science major, but I work for a contracting company during breaks and I've learned a ton of useful things that I could fall back on if the worse comes to work. I've considered taking a year off from school to earn $30,000 to help pay for school, but I might do that after I graduate, unless I go to grad or law school. You could also join the military, maybe the national guard or ROTC.

OP is a girl, fyi. And I believe she quit ROTC.

[NOX2]

OP is a girl, fyi. And I believe she quit ROTC.

Dont be sexist women can work with pipes.....:)

[welshopiumeater]

Option 1

Step 1: Pay your debt, preferably without taking another debt. That's like paying a credit card off with another credit card.

Step 2: Sort out your FAFSA. 20 minutes with your school's financial aid people will do it. FAFSA is not complicated. I've been getting FAFSA aid for over a year now, and I find it hard to believe that they "fucked you over." It's more likely that you fucked up some paperwork. Review it. Work with the people who know how to file it.

Step 3: Make sure your amended FAFSA has been cleared. If you didn't get an award letter in the mail, get it from the financial aid desk at your school.

Step 4: Re-enroll.

Step 5: Register for classes.

Step 6: Stay the fuck there.

Option 2

See step 1.

Enroll in Community College.

Get applicable credits transferred.

See step 2.

See step 3.

See step 5.

See step 6.

[whocares123]

^ It's too late dude, she's a bum now. Long gone out of school.

[xilikeeggs0]

Option 1

Step 1: Pay your debt, preferably without taking another debt. That's like paying a credit card off with another credit card.

Step 2: Sort out your FAFSA. 20 minutes with your school's financial aid people will do it. FAFSA is not complicated. I've been getting FAFSA aid for over a year now, and I find it hard to believe that they "fucked you over." It's more likely that you fucked up some paperwork. Review it. Work with the people who know how to file it.

Step 3: Make sure your amended FAFSA has been cleared. If you didn't get an award letter in the mail, get it from the financial aid desk at your school.

Step 4: Re-enroll.

Step 5: Register for classes.

Step 6: Stay the fuck there.

Option 2

See step 1.

Enroll in Community College.

Get applicable credits transferred.

See step 2.

See step 3.

See step 5.

See step 6.

Bull fucking shit. I've been trying to get this whole thing sorted out since the middle of fucking October. I was literally in the Financial Aid office every single week from October 22nd to November 24th before they finally figured out that my FAFSA wasn't signed. I would go in there and the stupid lady at the front desk would look at my file and say "Yea, it's going to be processed this week. Check back next week; it should be done by then."

Then finally on November 24th, they told me that my FAFSA hadn't been signed, so I got it signed that very same day, and it still took them until December 2nd to process it.

Now I took out all of thier stupid fucking loans that they made me take out just to get my transcripts so I could transfer the fuck out of there, and they can't figure out why the fuck they haven't been applied to my account yet.

I took the loan out the day after fucking Christmas, and 2 weeks later, it's the same shit over and over again. "It'll be applied to your account tomorrow, or definitely by Wednesday at the latest." So I call on Thursday to find out why it still hasn't been applied to my account, only to hear "I don't know why they told you that, we're not applying loan money until Monday." Then I told her it was for last semester, and she puts me on hold and never comes back.

And now they expect me to pay a fucking $150 late fee because of this shit? Fuck my school. :mad:

And I can't even go back to school now (this semester at least) because it's too fucking late to register, and the earliest that I can meet with anybody is (what a coincidence) on the day that classes start.