Why I Quit College

A Journey

I was done with teachers, professors, educators, etc… just absolutely done.

My father had just cheated on my mother after a stable marriage of almost 25 years. The ensuing scandal gave me pause. Where was my life headed? I kept asking myself. That question haunted me, it chased me down dark corridors with a blunt little knife continually irritating me, but not sharp enough for a deadly blow. I didn’t have a definitive answer. I didn’t like my major—in fact, I hated it—business administration, ugh. What can I say, though, my parents had instilled the importance of a business degree.

Oh, and did I forget to mention I would be getting married to my high school sweetheart in a couple of months?

I rebelled. I walked into my parent’s house and I told them, “I quit.” It was final. There was no debating it.

The wedding went as planned. I lived with my wife in the States for two years and picked up Sign Language—ASL. I worked at a High School interpreting for Deaf and Heard-of-Hearing kids, as well as their teachers. It wasn’t enough, so my wife and I decided to leave the States.

The decision was unanimous we moved to, what at the time was, the second poorest country in South America, Paraguay, for three years. I dabbled in painting, banking, interpreting, and teaching. I lived in remote villages filled with strife and hunger. I walked for miles. Learned to drive stick shift and convert from miles to kilometers. I learned to run. I made great friends. I jumped off waterfalls. I witnessed human blood splattered on the streets. All of it, each minuscule experience, helped me discover something I already knew: I loved to write.

It took me years, but it was my journey to make. What I wanted from life was to pen my thoughts. I quit college to discover what I actually wanted to do.

Quick update

December 10, 2016

Since I posted this story, almost two years ago, I have gone back to college to finish my undergrad degree. I am one semester away from graduating with an English degree.

I guess what I learned was that sometimes it takes quitting to start again.