I'm back after about a year – My College Experience Thus Far and Evaluating My Future

[Jeffrey Lester]

Hi all, 

It's been a while. I've been very busy this year and was never extremely active on the forums, but I have been an avid reader on the site and a regular Podcast listener. 

A while ago, I posted to the forums, "What would be the best college degree to compliment my REI career?" I had numerous different suggestions, and the question even got asked in the Fire Round on a Podcast last July. It seemed like Accounting/Management was the way to go in many peoples' opinions. And, in fact, Accounting is my declared major as of now.

Anyway, now that I'm about 3/4 done with my freshman year, I have thought a lot about what I want to do with my life. 

First in foremost, I honestly still have no idea. I have thought about consulting, being a financial analyst, investment banking, and all sorts of stuff. But, honestly, I'm still tempted to become a real estate agent. I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit and I find the idea of that career exciting, mostly because it's up to me to either make or break my own success. 

My first point leads me to my second: I may drop out. It's not that I don't like college or that I think it's a bad investment of my money, I just don't know if the degree I'm pursuing will really give me an edge given the things I would like to do and accomplish. For instance, I would like to start a business. Would an accounting degree help? Of course! Is it needed? Not at all. I'm still considering the pros and cons of college, and in the process of considering this decision, I am applying some knowledge that I gained in my microeconomics class: do not let sunk costs affect a decision, as the money has already been spent and cannot be recovered. Sure, I took out $8k in loans this year for school (even with considerable scholarships), but in the long run, that $8k is minimal. And, in comparing myself to most college graduates (who tend to have, on average, about $29k in debt upon graduation), I'm not in terrible shape. 

So, this is my update. It has been a fun/strenuous/stressful year, and I have learned a lot about myself. I'm hoping I'll have made my decision made this summer. I'm going to be more active on the forums from here on out, because I have realized that this is a vital point in my life in terms of REI – my first investment may be only a year or two away, so it would be best if I engage with others on the forums.

I'm hoping everyone else has experienced their own personal growth in the last ten months, because I know I sure have. 

Best, 

Jeff