

Ask HN: Should I drop out of uni? - whiteblizzard

At the time of writing this, I should be attending an exam.<p>I&#x27;m currently in my fifth semester, so in theory I should pass my bachelor&#x27;s degree in another 6 months. That will not be the case.<p>Some months before starting to study, I co-founded a company. No really exciting startup, just building products for clients. We pretty much bootstrapped and have 5 employees now, making a decent amount of money. But I haven&#x27;t been to uni for the last 1.5 years, because I was rather working. I haven&#x27;t told anyone yet that I haven&#x27;t passed or even attended a single exam after my second semester.
I&#x27;m not sure what exactly I&#x27;m asking for, but what are the Pros and Cons of completely dropping out of uni in favor of the secure job &#x2F; the company?
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facorreia
If I understand you correctly, you have already dropped out in practice, and
you're wondering if you should go back and finish it. Without knowing much
about your particular situation, in general I would encourage you to find a
way to do so, particularly if your major is in a field with "hard"
employability benefits (i.e. not "studies"). Of course there are exceptions
where brilliant people didn't complete their education and achieved great
success in business, but it's a huge gamble. Essentially the situation looks
like trading long-term benefits for short-term ones. My advice would be for
you to talk to your family and friends about this to reach a decision. They
probably can help you in unexpected ways.

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whiteblizzard
Thanks facorreia.

My "plan" (if you can say so) was to continue the company after my graduation,
anyway. So the degree would only serve as a backup in my view. But how much of
a backup would a bachelors degree be? From others I've heard that real life
work experience outweighs degrees in most tech companies, and I think this is
what I'm looking for support in.

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facorreia
I hear you. Let me offer one counterpoint, as food for thought. Life is long,
situations change. 10, 20, 30 years down the road you may regret missing some
opportunity which requires a degree. If you are able, it would be great to get
one while you're young. At any rate I wish you the best of luck.

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byoung2
Who has been paying your tuition all this time you haven't been attending?
What a waste of money!

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whiteblizzard
Here in Germany it's very cheap (only around 260€/semester). I paid it myself.
Nevertheless, the benefits that come with being a student here (health
insurance, lower tax rates) prevail the costs.

Some might think I've "stolen" the opportunity to study from someone else, but
in my field of study, we're always under capacity, so that's not a problem.

