Drop out of uni and go freelance?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3857047

by joshuahornby • 14 years ago

8 20 14 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

So here is the question, I hate Uni I'm not a education person, can not revise to save my life and don't enjoy it. Is it the right move to drop out and go freelance? While teaching my self JavaScript, PHP and ruby? There's no point doing something you dont enjoy? Right?

mtrimpe• 14 years ago

I also dropped out of Uni, in my case because I was hiding my real orientation behind copious amounts of alcohol, and went on to freelance and did quite well.

I'm still wish I finished though, I still get uncomfortable when I have to share that I didn't finish Uni, I still defend myself when the issue comes up and I still wonder what my life would have been like if I did finish.

I always told myself that I was smart enough to finish but just didn't want to. Recently a friend said to me that if I really was that smart, I would've finished it anyhow, which really hit home.

So my advice, if you're really that smart just finish it next to all your other stuff. If you're not really that smart, just grind it out and become a stronger (and smarter) man through it.

joshuahornby7• 14 years ago

It bores me to death and the time taken learning about pointless stuff could be used learning something useful in my eyes anyway. My only worry is if I go freelance I'll drop off the radar, my plan is freelance then go to some design studios show them my work and say please please please hire me!!

dnlhoust• 14 years ago

What's stopping you doing that now in your free time?

bdfh42• 14 years ago

Freelance without a portfolio of completed projects or strong skills sounds like a recipe for hard times.

joshuahornby7• 14 years ago

Yes this is a worry. How do I get the experience though?

tnigtbtnight• 14 years ago

Freelance while at Uni? I did that and I was studying a Chemistry degree...

ColinWright4• 14 years ago

A few things to think about. This isn't advice, they are questions that might help you think about the right things.

If you can't apply yourself to studying things that you're not totally fascinated by (but which might be useful in ways you can't yet imagine) what makes you think you'll be able to deal with the tedious parts of freelancing, like finding clients, tracking your time, invoicing, bookkeeping, tax returns, documentation, and half a hundred tedious other tasks?

Where is your portfolio? What are your skills? You talk about teaching yourself JavaScript, PHP and Ruby, what is it that you can do already?

Where are you going to get your clients from? How much will you charge them? What is your expected cash-flow? How will you support yourself while looking for you first 20 gigs?

There's more, but I'm certainly not going to offer advice or opinions until I know more about who you are and what you can do. Even then, why are you seeking validation from a group of strangers? I would guess that you've made up your mind, and are asking the question of people who you know, en masse, to be anti-formal education.

Or have I got that wrong?

So my suggestion is this: write a proper blog post outlining your plans, and pointing at work you've done. Then let people critique that.

And yes, sometimes there is a point in doing stuff you don't enjoy. I don't enjoy invoicing, bookkeeping, or doing my tax return, just to give three examples. In truth, I don't much enjoy eating either, but that's a different story.

joshuahornby7• 14 years ago

The reason i am thinking about dropping out of uni isn't because i don't enjoy it as such its more that the education system isn't for me. I am not someone who does great in exams and don't enjoy the british education system.

My portfolio as the moment is one humble website.. http://breakanycontract.com/

Its not great but its a start, and everyone has to start somewhere right?

The reason i ask because i wondered if other people maybe have been in the same boat as me and could offer some insight.

I also have my site which is a WIP.. www.joshhornby.co.uk

ColinWright4• 14 years ago

What are you studying? What Uni are you at? How are you spending your spare time? Are you already learning Ruby? PHP? Python? Do any uni departments offer service courses in these subjects?

Uni isn't for everyone, but there's a lot to be gained if you use your time well, far, far more than you think. If you want to be a freelancer/entrepreneur/business person then you need to be able to think laterally, and make the most of every situation. Uni can be expensive, but there are more opportunities there than there are outside.

And speaking entirely for myself, you'd make a better impression if you correctly put apostrophes in "it's" and correctly capitalised "I". These things make a difference if you want to impress people and get them to give you money. The impression here is that you don't pay attention to the sort of nit-picking detail that makes a difference in a web site.

And if I sound harsh, wait till you get your first real client from the wild. And in the interests of full disclosure, I got a PhD and did enjoy my time at university, but I did a lot of stuff outside my coursework/studies, and the benefits from that are still being felt 30 years later.

DanBC• 14 years ago

Are you in the UK?

There are significant financial implications to dropping out; especially if you might ever want to go to university again.

You'll also need to explain the gap to potential employers, but I guess some solid freelancing would be okay on your CV.

I suggest you start talking to people at your University and explain the problems you're having. They should be able to provide some help.

There's not much you can do about hating it. But there are things you can do about revision. There are many different systems for revision and note-taking.

Cornell Notes: (http://coe.jmu.edu/learningtoolbox/cornellnotes.html)

Study Skills: (http://coe.jmu.edu/learningtoolbox/study.html)

Doing something you don't enjoy shows employers that you have the ability to grind through unpleasant experiences. It prepares you for work - sometimes jobs are great, but often there are irritants.

How many hours are you doing at Uni? Now include the extra hours you spend at home / library. Now include some free time for social activity. Now include some time for paid work. Do you have 15 - 30 minutes left per day? That's time that can be used for learning Javascript, PHP, and Ruby.

In my opinion discipline is a learned skill. It's a good idea to learn it early, if at all possible.

Having said all this, if university is actively making you miserable, and you think you're at risk of depression, then you need to get better advice. You could defer, or you could drop out.

And please, don't think that dropping out is bad. It's certainly a valid choice.

Good Luck!

jat1• 14 years ago

Consider the experience at Uni as a challenge. Try and do your best to make it through, it is valuable and it gives you the confidence to make it through something your not particularly enjoying (which will happen again either in the work place or freelancing) but it will also keep your social network quite large and give you a qualification which in the UK does matter. See if you can transfer onto a course that is more interesting to you, or at least some modules. The uni probably has an advisor you can speak to about it. What year are you in?

I struggled with exams, but I found that at uni a large percentage of the assessments was based on assignments and projects. This meant I did not have to worry so much about the exams and was able to get good marks.

Enjoy uni, it really is a good experience and I wish I could go back (I am aware that technically I could, but age wouldn't be on my side this time)!

rprasad• 14 years ago

Stay in UNI, and do freelance at the same time. That way, by the time you finish, you'll have a decent client base from which to do freelancing full-time.

joshuahornby7• 14 years ago

I agree, and looks like i will be heading that way.

Drop out of uni and go freelance?

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