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Here's my third entry for #100DaysToOffload
http://write.as/cameojiraffe/im-a-dropout
@zpartacoos Thanks for sharing, it's pretty much the same story as your cousin. I'm in software engineering and although I'm pretty sure I can get around without a degree. I noticed that for some positions they require you to have the degree. It's a bit depressing when I'm considered for a promotion but get rejected only because of the degree.
As you suggested currently I'm working on building my portfolio so that I have something that can back me up. I think I will make a higher priority since right now it's only several half-assed projects.
@CameoJiraffe
I have 3 months left of my last year, and I'm dying to end it now. Crazy.
@CameoJiraffe your story reminds me of my cousin. She actually tried to finish college for about 9 years and kept lying to the family claiming that she had switched from one engineering degree to another. In the end, she realized that for what she wanted to do (business management) the degree didn't matter too much and the only real reason for her wanting to do it in the first place was due to my uncle forcing it on her and saying that if you don't get an education you'll be a nobody.
I think in this day and age, this is certainly not the case. So, if you want to be a doctor, sure get a degree. Almost any other career makes it optional. Accountants can get certified without degrees. Even in more technical fields like software engineering or if you want to be a mechanical engineer you can learn math up to differential equations online (i.e Khan academy) then take some coursera courses on fluid mechanics, thermodynamics and CAD modelling then apply that to a real project and fill a personal portfolio. You'll probably learn more than in the degree and be better prepared for industry where you'll always need to be teaching yourself new things anyway. Idk, that's my 2 cents.