Why I Dropped Out Of College

A year and a half ago I dropped out of college at the beginning of my junior year to pursue a dream I had of working in the film industry.

I filed my paperwork for leaving college, quit my job, and began to figure out how to take steps toward accomplishing this dream that seemed so far away.

For the next two months I ended up shadowing my friends Kyle and Susan as they edited a film called "The Stanford Prison Experiment". For two months I watched them edit 5 days a week. It was in that editing room, at Kyle's house, that I really began to realize how much I love to tell stories and it reassured me that I was on the right path.

After the film was complete, I didn't know what I was going to do next. But jobs came along. A couple months later I made my first dollar working in the film industry on a commercial and since then it seems like anything I try to do can be possible if I'm willing to take the risk and put in the time.

My plans have greatly changed since dropping out of college. YouTube wasn't even in the plan when I decided I was going to dropout! But I am extremely grateful for this platform. The small community I have found on here is an incredible inspiration.

Thank you for watching, for your comments, and for your emails. Connecting with people is one of the most satisfying feelings I have come to know. I promise to never beg for views, likes, or subscribers because I know those are only temporary. I would so much rather work harder at telling a story about something I have gone through that will connect with someone. Because that means much more in the long run. No one will remember the video they "liked" on that old platform called YouTube back in the day.

But I have a feeling people will remember how a video made them feel, and that's what I'm going for.

And with no further adieu, here is my video on why I dropped out of college.

Shot on:
A7rii

[noobie]

I dropped out after the first fall semester in community college. Absolutely hated it. It felt like students were being dumbed down even further rather than learning much. This girl I know was even placed in such a low class, that they were stuck doing basic math and literature skills from 8th grade. And quite frankly, each day my friend and I pulled up into the parking lot, I felt a wave of depression fall over me. I never wanted to be there. As everybody's would know, we only really go to make our parents happy

[PracticalPsychologyTips]

I dropped university to work on this channel, best decision ever <3

[thunderdrake]

Honestly they tell you GE is there to make you a more well rounded student but in reality its really there just to make more profit. A lot of people question why schools don't teach students more about our health/fitness and financial literacy and I think this quote best explains why
" Governments don't want well-informed, well-educated people capable of critical thinking. That is against their interests.
They want obedient workers who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork. And just dumb enough to passively accept it.

[ANRALOGI]

dude.. I cried watching this in the library.. I just.. so much feel and thoughts being put into making this video.. I'm actually at the crossroad right now.. whether to drop out of college or change my major.. I'm going on my fourth year now and somehow, life is more fun outside my study field..

[SamanthaJoReed]

This is EXACTLY what I tell people when they ask why I'm droppnig out. I'm glad I'm not the only one that cares more about happiness than my net worth.

[churelle]

I'm not dropping out of college, and I don't plan to. However, I truly believe in everything you said. You have hit so many points that I have been feeling since I started my freshman year in college. A college degree use to be valued, but now I feel like people choose it because it's comfortable. I appreciate college and I love to learn. But I find myself hating school not because of the work load, but because of the topics. My general classes feel absolutely pointless to me, like High School all over again. But I find myself looking forward to class when the course isn't general and it relates to my major. I definitely think if our general classes were focused on life skills, maybe we would see improvements in not just college students, but college graduates. We would not only be prepared for out future careers, but our living. Thanks for sharing your story, the video was so well shot! I think you are doing something amazing for yourself.

[knm]

This is how you make a video about dropping out of college, not the happy-go-lucky type of videos all over the internet.

[mnknoplanb]

I dropped out of college almost 2 years ago. I was at Humboldt university in Berlin. I dropped out to devote myself to my music career and it was the best decision i have ever made. I can't exactly describe it, but after I dropped out I didn't even think about it afterwards, it seemed like the most obvious decision to make and also there was a ton of quality work to be done... Long story short : If you ever jump once, you'll never think twice. Close your eyes, focus on the opportunities, forget about your parents, friends etc. and jump.

[cheerstar]

yesterday I decided I was going to finish this semester and be done will college. I switched my Major 5 times. At a point I was ahead a year and now I am behind. I was always so stressed out and not completely into it. I had previous talks with my mom about it and she would always get really frustrated with me and never fully understood how i felt until yesterday. Yesterday I broke down and I am not one to cry at all. My mom finally stopped talking ad listened to what I had to say. I am gladly taking a break and chasing my dream of Photography. If i ever decide to go back to college I will, but right now is not my time.
What people do not think, that it is okay for you to have no idea and to be stuck. Take some time off and think about it. You have your whole life to think about what you want to do. Dont let someone pressure you into doing something you do not want to do.

[RileyBarrad]

I'm nervous on dropping out of college. I'll feel like a failure.

[Carl_fromOutterSpace]

This was extremely comforting. I've been feeling the urge to drop out of college and pursue my own happiness and learn and experience without being tethered to an institution that I didn't want to commit to. Thank you for this video!

[forestfloor]

I only went through one semester of college when I dropped out. I needed a few more years to realize who I am as a person and now I know what I want to do and I'm so glad I didn't get a degree In something that I wasn't passionate in

[JoshuaDanielGeorge]

Hi Spencer, your video has been in my 'recommended for you' for a few days now, so I finally decided to watch it. That was so inspiring and motivating! I am happy for you that you are pursuing your dream and I wish you well for the future!

[_Ptat_]

I've known since I began high school, that I did not want to go to college, I struggled big time in grade school. I didn't want another 4 years of baloney most of which I would never use in my career. So why did I go? We'll cause it seemed my parents wanted to me. Everyone said I would be so successful. So I gave it a try. After my second week, I surprised I haven't had a heart attack from the stress. I've decided to drop out. I hate college. People said it would be fun and I would make friends. Well, it's not and I wasn't.

[jesseldaniel]

I wholeheartedly agree with your views. Most of what you said are really speeches I rehearse over and over again in my head in anticipation for other people asking me, "You wanna drop out? Why? How are you gonna provide for your family? What are you gonna show to others?". I hit some sort of existential crisis brought along by my onset depression and I realise that happiness is truly the best goal to have. While I am still stuck in a rut, feeling lost and hopeless as I see my friends talking about GPAs and internships while I'm sitting down in front of a laptop commenting on a Youtube video, the thought that dropping out is the best decision for me never wavers. Thank you for a great video, in ways you might not realise this has been very helpful to me.

[melodymachado]

I started college Fall semester 2014. Starting out I had the vision in my head that I would get my AA in psychology. As time went by I slowly started hating college. I had no motivation to learn because most of what was being taught I had already learned in high school. Instead of dropping out I did what most people say to do when you feel unmotivated. I changed my major to education because I love kids and I thought it would be easy teaching elementary students. I started Fall semester 2015 with my new major. Now it's spring and I have stopped going to my classes. I decided college isn't for me and all I truly care about is my happiness and my dream job of being a youtuber. Everything you said in this video I 100% agree with and support. We pretty much dropped out for the same exact reason lol... anyways now my family is all up my ass about me dropping out. My parents say they're disappointed in me for chasing my dreams... how lame is that. I just know I'll make something of myself one day and I'll prove them wrong. GREAT video!

[willpadilla]

Amazing video. I'm in college right now at a big time university, but feel that I'm missing out on a lot of my happiness, school is just school to me, there is nothing that drives me keep going, I'm only here because of the social and societal pressures that my friends and family have placed on me to get my degree

[vincenternst]

I love your cinematography, the way you leave so much headroom over your position in the classroom, room for possibility. Very impressive.

[assleycourtney]

Your channel is absolute gold. Thank you for being on this website.

[DoglinsShadow]

great video! I dropped out of college after my first semester when I was 17 years old. I had graduated high school early. I had a full ride and everything but I realized that I didn't want what college would give me and I couldn't wait four years before I could even begin to make a somewhat decent income. so, at 18 years old, I began investing my money into business ideas. 3 crash businesses and a lot of learning, mentors, and books, I'm on my 4th in the projected profit is 4500 a month by March 2017. I turn 19 in May. we both dropped out but our education did not stop. We invested in education which was more vital to our growth. for me also, dropping out was the best decision of my life. it took months, once even working 90 hours a week, but now I am preparing to travel the world this year while also growing my business. By the first quarter of 2018, it is anticipated we will be making six figures of profit.
I'm not saying this to brag. I'm just saying this because I knew what I wanted and I went and I got it. I wanted to travel, Adventure, and be passionate about my life and have full control over that. So I was destined to be an entrepreneur. And I became the entrepreneur. good on you man for finding out what you want and going for it.