Drop Out Of University To Start Your Own Business

Dropping Out Could Be The Best Move You Make This Year - Here's Why

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Eight months.

Eight months is how long it has been since I last touched a school textbook. It’s how long it’s been since I dropped out of university.

I can still recall carefully unfolding my acceptance letter into McGill University in Montreal. It was the most gratifying moment of my life to have been accepted into one of the top institutions in North America.

I remember saying to myself: “This is it. I made it.”

At school, I was surrounded by peers who were far smarter and more ambitious than me, and I took intriguing courses that piqued my brain’s curiosity.

Every moment was a privilege.

You may now be wondering, why the hell did I drop out of school if every moment was a privilege? Let me start off by saying — it was the hardest decision I’ve ever made. Not just for myself, but for my family.

My mom, who was brought up in a conservative Korean background, was more excited than I was to see me hurl my graduation cap in the air for convocation. The truth is, the phrase “self-employed” is not uttered among our family often, while the word “dropout” is strictly forbidden. When I broke the news, apart from the immediate surprise, I could sense they were overwhelmingly worried about my decision.

The questions of doubts continuously piled up one after another every time we spoke.

I knew I had to back up my decision.

I spent months doing research and spoke with several career advisors and successful business leaders before I made a final decision — I had to make sure I was making the right choice.

Now I’m going to share with you what I learned through this process to help you decide if school is for you.

It’s Not A Safer Decision

More and more school graduates are realizing that they can no longer exchange their degree for a job upon graduation. The old promise made by our education system was that if you put in your time at school, you would be guaranteed a stable job as a reward for your efforts.

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York:

“51% (1.5 million) of recent graduates were either jobless or underemployed in 2013. This is up from 47% in 2007. Yet, the number of bachelor degree-holders has increased by 38% since 2000.”

A degree is supposed to signal to employers and the world that you are above average. You are smart. You are hard-working. You are driven. You are worth investing in or taking a chance on. That may have been true at one time, but not anymore.