Here's the thing. Everywhere you go you should be learning. If you drop out of college and start to do stuff on your own you will lose access to the resources currently at hand, and you will no longer be forced/encouraged to do things outside your immediate interest.
If you start working on your own ventures you will make money - probably/maybe - and that will be cool. More, you can just work on the stuff you want to - maybe - but to earn money you may end up having to do a lot of grunt work that's not really enjoyable, not creative, and certainly neither stretches nor teaches you.
Do you really think you can make it on your own? Then do it now while still working on your degree. Having a startup is incredibly hard work. If you work that hard then you can do your degree and learn all this weird, wild-ass stuff that you otherwise wouldn't, and at the same time build something cool.
No, I wouldn't drop out. If you really have the drive you can make the most of this chance. It won't come again.
Thanks for the note. I certainly don't think I can make it on my own - I don't really feel prepared for "the real world" (as if you've never heard a 20 year old say that) - but the classes that remain to be taken in the CS program, especially the required ones (Real analysis? Sure, okay) don't seem like what I need to get myself there.
Also, I left out an important piece of information in my post—I'm not dropping out, just becoming a single major (music) instead of double.
Comments
Here's the thing. Everywhere you go you should be learning. If you drop out of college and start to do stuff on your own you will lose access to the resources currently at hand, and you will no longer be forced/encouraged to do things outside your immediate interest.
If you start working on your own ventures you will make money - probably/maybe - and that will be cool. More, you can just work on the stuff you want to - maybe - but to earn money you may end up having to do a lot of grunt work that's not really enjoyable, not creative, and certainly neither stretches nor teaches you.
Do you really think you can make it on your own? Then do it now while still working on your degree. Having a startup is incredibly hard work. If you work that hard then you can do your degree and learn all this weird, wild-ass stuff that you otherwise wouldn't, and at the same time build something cool.
No, I wouldn't drop out. If you really have the drive you can make the most of this chance. It won't come again.
Just my $0.02, YMWV.
Thanks for the note. I certainly don't think I can make it on my own - I don't really feel prepared for "the real world" (as if you've never heard a 20 year old say that) - but the classes that remain to be taken in the CS program, especially the required ones (Real analysis? Sure, okay) don't seem like what I need to get myself there.
Also, I left out an important piece of information in my post—I'm not dropping out, just becoming a single major (music) instead of double.