I dropped out... What now?
Updated: May 6, 2021
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This is the situation in which I found myself in October 2020.
A confusing time for sure, but I felt good with my decision and was certain that it was the right thing for me to do. My certainty has wavered a few times since then, but it's just a road of ups and downs, a road that always leads to the same destination, university was not my best option.
So how has it gone? Six months have passed by since then and what do I have to show for it? In all honesty, not too much. I've taken up a few new hobbies and have dabbled in some business ventures, but none of these have proven profitable (or fun) and have fallen flat on their faces. So was my decision to leave university stupid, considering it was to chase my dream lifestyle? No, it wasn't. The way I see it is that I'm on my path to my dream destination, this path was never going to be easy, these failures are simply obstacles that I must overcome to be granted the privilege of chasing my dreams. A privilege that so many neglect. A privilege that I am so very grateful for.
Now, dropping out or choosing not to go to uni may not be the best idea for everybody (Yeah, just to confuse you a little more, teehee!) Some people may have a specific career path that they know they would genuinely enjoy and give them that feeling of fulfilment. GREAT! That's awesome, you know your path and now you need to follow it, work hard and reap your rewards. However for some of us, we don't have a career path planned out, we haven't found something that would leave us waking up every morning with a scarily large smile plastered across our faces. Here is where university seems a little less useful to me, it feels as if university is simply used to defer life in these instances, at least this is how I thought it would be for me. So, I got out of there and I was left without any real purpose for a while, I was on a path of ✨discovery✨.
Discovery
Like most people, I have things I like to do, but I wanted to try something new. Surprisingly enough, this was a simple decision for me, I had wanted a camera for about two years but I could never warrant spending the money because I didn't really know why I wanted it, I just loved photos! So, I bought my "Canon EOS 250D" with a "RODE mic" and a "JOBY tripod" and got off to work.
I went into Chinatown, London for some nighttime photography with my girlfriend because there is some really nice lighting there, as well as having a couple of photography meetups with my friends where we could have a laugh and take some photos. Lockdown and general Corona restrictions obviously ended up getting in the way of a lot of this fun, but in the end, it was my lack of drive that meant that I didn't continue with my photography for a while.
Another reason I bought my camera was because I thought that it would open some doors in terms of earning money in a way that was in line with my goals, mainly YouTube, but you don't need fancy equipment and software to get a YouTube channel going, you just need determination and have to be willing to put in the work. I see that now and because I wasn't in love with the idea, because I just wanted the money, I didn't push through and make something that I would be proud of. So hear me out, I know it's a bit of a cliche but it's true, you have to love what you're doing, it makes such a difference! It will improve the quality of your work, how much effort you put in, and in the end, how much money you make.
Improving yourself
Now, there's nothing I love more than a good bit of self improvement! It benefits your life in so many ways but for me, the most important is how it makes you feel. When you dedicate your time and energy to self-improvement, it's like you're telling yourself that you're important and that you are valuable. Why else would you spend so much effort on yourself?
The benefits that I have found mostly lie within the way it has made me view myself however, the benefits can be visual too when we consider physical exercise, even though exercise also greatly helps with your self-image and has been found to reduce both anxiety and depression!
So here are my favourite self-improvement ideas:
Exercise regularly
Read self-help - 'reading list coming soon'
Find a good sleep schedule that works for YOU
Eat healthily and drink lots of water
Now, these aren't my complete list but they are more than enough to get you started and leave you with a good challenge. It seems simple, but trying to form any kind of habit is going to be tricky. I'll write something about the best way to build healthy habits soon to give you guys a hand. To make this work, you need to truly value yourself, love yourself, and know that you are worth it, because if you don't think these things, why would put so much effort in? So let me tell you, you are worth it! So c'mon then, get to work!
Wait, what should I do?
Be happy. At the end of the day, that's all any of us are really striving for. I haven't got as far as I would have hoped this year but as long as I know and feel as if I'm doing what's best for me, and that I'm en route to where I want to be, my happiness is evergreen. I hope whether you go, don't go, or have dropped out of university that this has helped you in some way. If there's anything specific that you want to talk about be sure to check out the forum!
Keep loving life!
-Tiago
PS: This is my first ever post! So, please leave any criticisms or advice in the comments! Thanks!