I just dropped out of college. Lets talk about alternatives

[Noahsteelers34]

I was supposed to leave for my freshman year on the 16th, after taking the purpose course I decided to drop out at the last second. My whole family was shocked, my dad screamed at me,  and they are unwilling to give me any financial support, so I'm out on my own with $2000. I bought a one-way ticket to Miami on the 16th. my plan is to find creative ways to live so inexpensively that I can save up the money to self educate. I wanted to start this thread to open a discussion about living, minimalisticly, saving money, self education, and really anything related to these kind of topics. Please share any advice, ideas ect

[Roy]

This sounds extremely brash. Is it all said and done? Can you not get a refund for your plane ticket? Or get your college tuition back to invest in another form of education?

I would strongly suggest you sit down and revise all this. It's going to suck but you need to have a talk with your parents. Explain to them what you're feeling and why your heart isn't in your current schooling, and that you need time and support to figure out your next steps.

If they are good parents they should understand why you want to be happy.

I know you probably have this strong inner urge to get up and go but $2000 is honestly fuck all let alone for a city like Miami. It's important to be strategic about life and not just follow your impulses at first feel.

This could end up being a really stupid decision. Sorry to put it that way but it must be said.

[Flint]

@Noahsteelers34

Don't do anything rash. You're very young and you have no idea about what you're doing yet.

You can go to college and explore any interests and life purposes you might have on the side. It is important to have structure to grow and it will provide you with security and the right opportunities to develop further.

With 2000 dollars in Miami you're most likely just going to be robbed, broken, finish in the streets and become a junkie. It's a horribly bad plan.

Apologize to your parents and get back a track. You have your entire life to strategicaly pursue your life purpose. Don't throw it all away on a whim.

[Noahsteelers34]

we've had the discussions, they said if I'm not in college then I'm working full time and paying them rent. so I could stay home and save enough money but if I'm paying rent here, I might as well find roommates somewhere else. even though my dad screemed at me, we have discussed it for hours and we are ok now. I tried to convince them to support me in educating myself but they don't buy it. they think actualized.org is a scam or a cult, so for now I'm gonna have to go into wage slavery and work my as of for a little while so I can take the time to build valuable skills. 

[Thought Art]

I would say go to school, but It's really up to you. You will have time at school to work on yourself and be creative. You'll grow so much. If you are working some shit job your just wasting all that time.

[Noahsteelers34]

what about leos videos about college?

 

 

[Roy]

I would stay home and work. You'll have to make sacrifices but life will be easier for a while with family. You'll have more spare time to learn and educate yourself with your parents doing housework, and you'll be able to save a lot more money than being with roommates.

Don't explain to them any of the actualized stuff, they won't get it. Just explain to them what you're interested in doing and your tangible plans for it. They don't need to understand anything else.

Or don't share anything! Just live frugally and save money so you can get your independence faster and invest in your self education.

Also, you need to drop the "wage slavery" bullshit ASAP. It's extremely toxic to your mind and your self-esteem. You won't be able to excel and get the most out of any lower end job if you resent it.

View it more as a building block and first step moving towards where you want to be, not as a trap.

[Thought Art]

7 minutes ago, Noahsteelers34 said:

what about leos videos about college?

You have to make your own decisions, but finding anyway to avoid wage slavery and putting all your time into gaining experience, education etc I say is the best investment.

But, you can still find a job you enjoy that teaches you about reality. 

Every moment is a chance to learn.

If you already know what you want to teach yourself, and you've proven you can make your own modules, projects, etc then go ahead. But, school is really great. 

Life is long, this is a great learning experience if you use it properly regardless. Just, really put the work in. 

Edited August 11, 2021 by Thought Art

[Noahsteelers34]

I talked to my dad, he's gonna let me stay at home, he's gonna save the rent to give it back to me. I can build up credit, live frugally, and  I'm enrolling in art classes. I'm also gonna get a job at a local college so I can make friends with college kids. I agree moving to Miami is brash, but the college thing has been on my mind for almost a year and I'm confident in that decision. thanks for the advice and please share any more thoughts.

[Matt23]

27 minutes ago, Roy said:

Don't explain to them any of the actualized stuff, they won't get it.

Ya.  Agreed.  

I've tried the whole "moving to a bigger city and just going by the seat of my pants" thing once.  It ended .  

I think one lesson I've learned and am learning is that even though a feeling, intuition, or impulse may be true and valid, that doesn't mean you just follow it blindly without pragmatic considerations.  For example, maybe my desire to become a monk is actually a truly authentic and meaningful desire I have.  But that doesn't mean I'm just going to drop everything, move to Nepal, and try to become a monk.  Hell no.  I'm gunna do research, go spend some time in monasteries, have other life experiences to see if that's truly a good choice for me, etc..  And all this could take years, even decades, before I actually commit to being a monk.  I know one monk who said he spent 14 years before he decided.  

Now, obviously there are exceptions and ultimately you gotta go by your own intuitions and decisions.  Like ya, sometimes maybe the best choice is to just go off.  

But remember, each choice you make you have to take full responsibility for the outcomes and effects.

I'm not saying you gotta go to college.  That's fine.  But also, I'd say the Miami thing sounded a bit drastic to me.

I think just getting some stability while you consider what you want to do next is key.  Like, make one big life decision at a time, and create the space and stability you need to further you plans in a sane and rational way can help. 

I also think trying to find another place to live other than your parent's house isn't a bad idea.  

 

Edited August 11, 2021 by Matt23

[Bob Seeker]

Would you have to take on student loans or would college be paid for?

if you’d need to take on debt it is a bit more complicated.

What were you going to study on college?

Was that linked to a career path?

the point of Leo’s video is to pitch to you the idea of using your resources and time wisely to set you up for Life Purpose and starting your own business or having your dream career if it already exists out there.

yes, working just any job to pay rent is likely a bigger time and energy suck than going to college. There are other upsides to college too.

I don’t know your interests but there are good resources for serious business students to spend time working on business while in college.

again, taking out loans by yourself complicates things.

Edited August 11, 2021 by Bob Seeker

[Noahsteelers34]

@Bob Seeker

-taking on 150k debt

-mechanical engineering studying 60-80 hours a week and I'm lukewarm about it, I was gonna do it to get a good job to save up so I could quit and pursue something else so if figured I might aswell pursue it Now? 

Edited August 11, 2021 by Noahsteelers34

[Bob Seeker]

Here’s an option:

Get a refund for your plane ticket or cancel it. Your friends are probably going to make it way harder for you to get on your feet. They will distract you and pull you into alcohol, possibly drugs, and time wasting buffoonery.

Miami sounds fun on the beach and stuff but it won’t be the place of your dreams. Not until you earn it at least.

negotiate with family or with relatives to stay with them for as little money as possible, in the most sane/quiet house available to you.

Get a part time job if that will cover your expenses, or a full time job if you must.

Focus daily your free time on developing a valuable skill. This is something you are interested in, but it doesn’t have to be your Life Purpose. The requirement is that it must be practical enough to earn you a good job that you will enjoy. Make sure you are able to advertise your skill to employers in a well-planned out way. Know what they are looking for and cater to it.

spend limited time with your friends and do not let them drag you into alcohol, drugs or partying. You can’t afford to be distracted like that if you do this. It is better to find friends who do not drink so that you can have people to relate to so you are not too lonely. Don’t get caught up on dating either.

your goal is to get a good paying enjoyable job using the skill you earned. Aim to move out of your parents house with this job by about  2 years from now.

other things to do with your free time is read booklist books, contemplate your life and meditation habit. don’t go down a spiritual enlightenment rabbit hole that will distract you from building your skill. That is way too advanced to focus on.

with this job you can move to a city you like, and begin socializing more, maybe practicing dating, learning new things, experiences and skills. You can learn more about business and consider working toward starting one.

If you have a remote job you may also travel while you work.

warning: this option takes a tremendous amount of commitment, hard work, discipline and integrity. Don’t underestimate it.

————————————

with that option out there, I’m not telling you to not go to college. You must assume full responsibility for your decisions. I don’t know you or how you feel. Use your own god-given intelligence to figure out your life. College should be something you give fair consideration to.

 

good luck, and know that you are always in good hands.

also, keep asking questions. This stuff is har to figure out on your own.

Edited August 11, 2021 by Bob Seeker

[Leo Gura]

@Noahsteelers34 How you gonna build skills if you are stuck in wage slavery?

[Matt23]

2 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

@Noahsteelers34 How you gonna build skills if you are stuck in wage slavery?

You gotta start somewhere.  Especially if he's already in wage slavery, waiting to get out it to then start building skills doesn't seem like a great strategy.  

Maybe just figure out a way to set yourself up with something comfortable.  Even moving cities can be good if it gives you knew experiences.  Just as long as you can float it with $ etc.. 

I've moved many times in my life and have never had an issue finding a place or making money.  Though, I'm in a different part of the world than you.  

The one thing I sort of wish I had though, now, is finding a place where I felt more secure and could settle for longer periods of time.  It sounds like this isn't your situation though.  So maybe moving isn't a bad idea.  But I'd simply recommend making the decision from a more sober place.  I dunno.  

 

[AtheisticNonduality]

@Leo Gura College slavery is just wage slavery but without the wage part. So slavery. Okay, I guess you get relatively free housing. EDIT: COLLEGE IS A SCAM.

Edited August 12, 2021 by AtheisticNonduality

[Hello from Russia]

Nice, man, you have my respect! Just gotta be strategic about your finances now

[AtheisticNonduality]

1 hour ago, AtheisticNonduality said:

free housing.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Only at very kind generous academic institutions of love, muh friend.

Edited August 12, 2021 by AtheisticNonduality

[Jai]

I work at a college in admissions. I used to teach in an adjunct type role also. I really think college is NOT worth the debt for the majority of students. Most colleges need you more than you need them. If I could do it again I would've built my finances and freedom first. I could talk a lot on this topic but generally unless college is paid for probably not all that good of a deal for most kids.

[Matt23]

27 minutes ago, Jai said:

I work at a college in admissions. I used to teach in an adjunct type role also. I really think college is NOT worth the debt for the majority of students. Most colleges need you more than you need them. If I could do it again I would've built my finances and freedom first. I could talk a lot on this topic but generally unless college is paid for probably not all that good of a deal for most kids.

I tend to agree. 

In terms of the quality of education I got from one of my classes last semester, it was literally memorizing a list of words and their definitions... Fair, it was online due to covid.  But still, that was not worth the few hundred dollars I paid for that course.  

Even with a decent teacher teaching decent content, I still think that most college education isn't worth it.  Especially if it's in the humanities or arts and you're not certain you want to pursue a career that absolutely needs some specific sort of education.  Most of that type of education you can learn on your own.  I'm sure this is even somewhat true for the other disciplines as well.