I’m Not “Educated”: Part 2
For a number of years, many have commented on my lack of a college degree. When interviewing for jobs, the interviewer always asks me why I dropped out of school after being so close to finishing; I completed three years and was classified as a junior. I have always given a vague answer instead of the real answer to that question because it’s really no one’s business why I decided to leave school. I’m sure some may have/do think the following:
- I flunked out of school.
- I ran out of money to go to school.
- I lost my scholarship money.
- I ran into personal/family issues that forced me to drop out of school.
None of those apply in my case. For the record, I was a member of a Greek-affiliated national honor society. I never ran out of money; I had plenty of money to go to school. While I didn’t have a scholarship when I started college, I could have gotten one through my school based on my academic excellence. I didn’t have any personal/family issues where I had to return home to the fold to take care of things. The real reason that I left school is quite simple yet complicated: I wasn’t getting what I needed out of my “education” and needed to find myself because I knew I wasn’t on the right path. I did not like being steered into predefined programs that taught me how to get a job, not how to think and be an individual. I’m all about self construction, not mass reproduction. In terms of my college experience, I was becoming part of the system instead of becoming the architect in order to design my own system. Therefore, I left college to find and define my own path in life.
Because of my lack of “education,” people find it surprising when I tell them I didn’t finish school considering the line of work I’m in. I have often been amused in the past by some people’s reactions, but a recent incident emitted a different reaction from me. First, I need to provide some background.
I work with someone who I will refer to as “Nick,” who is new to my team and doesn’t know much about me and my work. We had a disagreement about a task that I was recently assigned by him. I completed the work as verbally instructed by Nick, but he decided to contradict his instructions via email the next morning…after I spent two hours of my time working on the task. Nick didn’t react very well when I sent the work I’d completed to him for review. Why? Because I missed one small detail that he changed. Not, two. Not, ten. Not more. Just one. He got his boxers in a bunch and reacted with an attitude and a tone full of condemnation, which instantly put me on the defensive and pissed me off. In a nutshell, I was asked to perform “substandard” work because he wanted it a certain way (his way), and I think he got a bit mad because I did it my way (the right way according to all standards), which was the correct way for the task based on how I’ve done the work in the past. Every company has a person with control issues. These people think nothing can be done without their stamp of approval. I finally found that person in my company, and unfortunately, they are on my team…for the moment. Well, I didn’t forget the incident, although he tried to clear the air later that day with compliments. I’m a nice person, yes, but I do hold a grudge, especially when what happened was totally uncalled for. Later, we were in a meeting together and the only people in the conference room at the time. Now, unlike some people, I’m the kind of person who doesn’t feel the need to make small talk. Silence is comforting to me but not to some. While we were waiting on the other meeting attendees, Nick decided to inquire into my life. Oddly enough, the first thing out of his mouth was the college question: where did I attend college? I gave one-word answers because I was still a bit peeved but also because I don’t get into personal things about myself with coworkers as a rule. When he asked further questions into my college experience and I told him that I didn’t finish, I could see the surprise yet questioning look in his face. He was bold enough (and nosy enough) to ask me why. I told him simply, “I’ve been getting along just fine in life without college.” He then proceeded to suggest some schools that I could go to, as if what I said didn’t mean anything. It made me angry and yes, probably because it was coming from him and I hadn’t forgot our little incident earlier that day. Still, I did have some justification in my anger. Why do people assume because I didn’t finish college that I need to finish college?
This is an issue that grows increasingly frustrating for me. I just don’t understand why my lack of a college degree is everybody’s business and why they want to send me off to college to finish it. I don’t need it. As I have said before, I have continued my education since I dropped out by educating myself. I am sick and tired of people saying that “I’m too intelligent not to have finished college.” That statement is as broken to me as the music industry. I am pretty sure no one says these kinds of things to Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Mark Zuckerburg, or Kevin Rose, who are all college drop outs by the way. They have thriving careers, as do I. My lack of a degree does not bother me, but apparently, it’s an issue for others because in their minds, you can’t make it as far without one.
For the record, I am not against a college education. I just believe that college is not for everybody. When I dropped out of school, I realized, at the time, that college was not for me. Am I completely closed off to returning to school? No. I am open to the idea of completing my degree, but unless I can find something interesting enough for me to continue my “higher education” efforts, I’m fine with being a college drop out. I’m intelligent, and I know it. I don’t need a piece of paper to prove that. Nor do I need it to “make it” in this world. I have already gone a lot farther in my career than many predicted for my future when I quit school, and the funny thing is I’m not even doing everything that I’m capable of accomplishing. I know I can do more, and with or without a degree, I will succeed. In fact, I’m just getting started.