Maybe college isn't for me?

[Wild Flower]

I am doing college for one reason, since my family wanted me to do it.  It's free, but whatever... I'm just drifting now.

But I don't think it's for me anymore, since at first I was driven by medical school. I look down the decade, and I don't think it will bring me true happiness. I don't really know, but I don't want to be poor.

I am only talented at art really... and I think I could make it as a tattoo artist. I could survive for the next couple of years pretty well.

I just feel like withdrawing now, and following my own path. Then if I am motivated again, I'll come back in the future.

[Padma]

I think on the whole, hardly anyone has a vocation that in itself brings them "true happiness" - that's usually something you have to sort out from within, not something you can get entirely out of external activities or career.

That said, if you're studying something that you're not at all motivated to do, you'd be better off doing something you're motivated to do. But you have to be pretty honest with yourself about whether you're genuinely moving towards something better, or whether you're just motivated to get out of the current, unappealing situation. So I'd advise taking your time, really thinking this through, talking it over with people who know you, and trying out stuff you might want to do instead before committing to it.

If I sound like yer grandmaw, so be it .

[kelly_aus]

I think on the whole, hardly anyone has a vocation that in itself brings them "true happiness" - that's usually something you have to sort out from within, not something you can get entirely out of external activities or career.

That said, if you're studying something that you're not at all motivated to do, you'd be better off doing something you're motivated to do. But you have to be pretty honest with yourself about whether you're genuinely moving towards something better, or whether you're just motivated to get out of the current, unappealing situation. So I'd advise taking your time, really thinking this through, talking it over with people who know you, and trying out stuff you might want to do instead before committing to it.

If I sound like yer grandmaw, so be it .

Granny Padma  has given such good advice, I'm just going to agree with her..

[Tamaki]

Granny Padma gives good advice!

I think you'll find that there are a lot of people in college because it's what their parents want, that's why I was there. You'll also find a lot of them aren't happy.

There is a reality to your situation given the current economic state that you might want to consider. Times are tough out there and having a college degree isn't going to get you a job. If you're getting your education paid for you might want to take advantage of it. That will open some doors for you later. There will be jobs open to you just because you have a degree and it's going to delay your entry into the job market until, hopefully, things are a little better and you might find work easier.

The other thing to remember is that most degrees don't prepare/qualify you for a specific job. Things like accounting do but art and biology don't. If you can get any kind of internship or job experience through school that gives you a huge leg up.

You might consider taking classes that interest you and exploring. Nothing says that you can't get an art degree and then go be a tattoo artist. Pursuing what interests you is much more fun than taking what someone else wants you to.

I went to college for four year and finally dropped out and went into the trades which paid really well. A few years later I decided that I wanted to finish my degree and went back. I only took classes that interested me and had so much fun. Now I'm a degree holding construction worker. No moral to that story it just is what happened.

[Annah]

I am doing college for one reason, since my family wanted me to do it.  It's free, but whatever... I'm just drifting now.

But I don't think it's for me anymore, since at first I was driven by medical school. I look down the decade, and I don't think it will bring me true happiness. I don't really know, but I don't want to be poor.

I am only talented at art really... and I think I could make it as a tattoo artist. I could survive for the next couple of years pretty well.

I just feel like withdrawing now, and following my own path. Then if I am motivated again, I'll come back in the future.

I was exactly in your shoes 15 years ago. I was in college for pre med prep to go into medical school in the podiatry program. My college fees were completely paid for and I left college to pursue whatever dreams I had in the past...which was being a police officer.

That was probably one of the worse mistakes in my life.

It wasn't a bad mistake because I changed my mind about school but it was a bad mistake that I just dropped the college education.

I was a police officer for about two years before I realize it wasn't for me. Then I went back to school and this time I had to pay for it. Not fun considering it use to be free.

So if you are in college and it's free for you please think twice before dropping out. Talk to a course counselor about exploring other professions that would make you happy and support yourself financially at the same time.  My ex brother in law was a tattoo artist and he had to abandoned it because it did not make any money...well not enough to be comfortable.

Because I didn't follow some wise advice in my past, I now owe about 100,000 in college loans. It could have been just 20,000

[tekla]

The other thing to remember is that most degrees don't prepare/qualify you for a specific job.

True.  But the lack of one will disqualify you from lots, and lots, and lots of jobs.

[Padma]

The other thing to remember is that most degrees don't prepare/qualify you for a specific job.

True.  But the lack of one will disqualify you from lots, and lots, and lots of jobs.

Don't I know it .

[gennee]

Wild Flower, what do YOU want to do? If art is what you want to do, go for it. If it's something else then pursue it. What's right for one may not be for some one else.

[Amazon D]

Being a surgeon is also being an artist. The future will hold many creative things for surgeons too. You might be conctructing vagina's or penis's or working with super fibers to give people back limbs they lost. etc etc   wow to get free college wow .. besides right now the economy sucks so going to college is your best time filler.. and its freeeee wheeee freeeeeee

[Lyric]

Here's the deal: College may or may not lead you to a satisfactory career. What it does is give you options. A degree in our society is a ticket. It gets you though doors that would be closed otherwise. I've heard as many as half the people with college degrees are not in an occupation related to their degree. But for many jobs, you just need to have a degree-- it doesn't always matter what it's in.

Being a tattoo artist may your future lifelong gig or it may not. I suspect not for the long term. A few years of study hassles now is worth it to have the option of doing something even cooler someday.

[Annah]

Don't I know it .

Yeah Tekla is right.

At least in the United States, many companies do not care what degree you have just as long as you have one. Three of my jobs before I went back to grad school required the use of my Bachelor's Degree....which is in Theology and Counseling. Liberty Mutual still took it because it was a degree.

The job differences (on average) is amazing between a company that does not require a degree versus those that do. For example, at Target, without a degree, the highest you could go was Team Leader with a cap of about 16 an hour. With a degree you can skip everything and go to Executive Management with a Cap of about 65,000 and average pay was 44,000. When i worked for Target, I was getting 46,000. Simply because I had a degree. A person with so much more experience without a degree could only make 16 an hour.

Liberty Mutual paid me 65,000 (the pay i was getting the year I left). Those without a degree could only do customer service and the max was 28,000. My starting salary at Liberty Mutual was 50,000 as an entry lvl person.

This is how it is in the US at least. So i would highly recommend staying in college since it's free. You may not see it now, but if you leave it's gonna sting a bit and you may feel you just have to go right back into school...and the second time around may not be free!

[tekla]

College is not for everyone.  And lots of people make great money (with no huge loan assumption) doing real craft work.  But, like college, real craft work is not for everyone either.  You typically need average to above average physical strength, real good hand to eye coordination, basic math skills, and a real love for very hard work.

[Tamaki]

College is not for everyone.  And lots of people make great money (with no huge loan assumption) doing real craft work.  But, like college, real craft work is not for everyone either.  You typically need average to above average physical strength, real good hand to eye coordination, basic math skills, and a real love for very hard work.

I agree, I made as much as Annah working as a construction foreman. The trades tend to be looked down upon but they can be great careers if you're interested. With the economy the way it is it may be tough to get a job in a trade depending on where you live.


If I were in you place I would take advantage of a free education and get a college degree in something, anything. If you don't doors close for you, if you do doors open. You may not need or want to go through those doors but they give you choices were you had none before and when times get tough you may come out ahead. 

One last suggestion and it's a long shot. Portland State University's student insurance (Atena) covers SRS. I have no idea where you are going to school and what their insurance is like but it worth a look. It might make a nice graduation present to yourself.

[tekla]

I know people in my union who are making $150K+++ a year, but they are in special positions requiring far more than just a journeyman card.  For example: Most Technical Directors at major venues are licensed C10 (highest commercial level in California) contractors, as well as being IATSE journeymen.  A good friend of mine is an expert at doing explosions for film, and he makes a huge pile every year, as would be expected for someone blowing up a tanker truck of gas.  He also has an $80K personal liability insurance bill every year though.  Though unions are in the business of preserving work for their members, and that being said we have radically restricted the number of people in our apprenticeship programs and in the last 8 years have had two years where we didn't even have a new one (they last 6 years).  I know of other unions that have done the same. 

[Annah]

One last suggestion and it's a long shot. Portland State University's student insurance (Atena) covers SRS. I have no idea where you are going to school and what their insurance is like but it worth a look. It might make a nice graduation present to yourself.

Ya, UPenn and Penn State offers complete transgender coverage from therapy to hrt to srs. Good to see colleges getting on board.

[Chrissy1]

If you can stay in college I would do that. I have been trying for 2 years now to get an apprenticeship at any tattoo shop. Start bringing your sketch book to different shops to see what they think. Only you can decide what is best for you. Maybe can you add some art classes to what you are curretly taking?

[JessicaH]

Most people don't like what they do for a living and a career that you love is a luxury for most people. I'd highly suggest getting the education now while someone else is paying and do some tatoo artistry on the side. BTW, you can make a lot more money takng tatoos OFF people than putting them ON!  :-)