My cousin said dropping out meant I 'gave up', but my friend who runs a shop in Toledo told me it was just switching tracks.

We were at a family thing last weekend and my cousin went on about how I quit my path, but later my friend who owns a vinyl record store said he saw it as a strategic pivot, not a failure. That really stuck with me because he built something real without a degree. Do you think dropping out is more about quitting or just choosing a different road?

3 comments

3 Comments

sageellis2d ago

What did you actually drop out of, and what are you doing now instead? I left a program that felt wrong and started fixing up old furniture to sell, which turned into my main thing. The people who call it quitting are usually just stuck on one narrow idea of success.

aaronf402d ago

Actually, I never dropped out of anything. I just finished my degree later than most. But I get the point about people having a narrow view.

christopher9522d agoTop Commenter

Right, exactly. Finishing later is still finishing, it's not dropping out at all. People get so hung up on the standard timeline like it's the only way to do things. Your path is just as valid, and it's good you pointed that out. That narrow view of success misses all the different ways people can get where they're going.