This month makes it 1 year since I withdrew from all of my classes at UNC Charlotte. That was probably one of the scariest moments of my life (so far). Could I actually be successful with my little ol’ web and graphic design business or would I end up being a degreeless hobo?
The thing is, I envisioned myself to do great things. My “little ol’ web and graphic design business” was so much more than that to me. Within the last 365 days, I’ve done so much more than I ever imagined for myself.
Let’s start from the beginning.
What was my breaking point?
Many things irritated me about the idea of having to leave my house and stop working to go to class. At the time I had a little car that I purchased on Craigslist that I HATED driving. It was a black 1999 Chevy Cavalier with the worst turn radius ever. I thought it would fall apart every time I got on the interstate. It was only by the grace of God that my car didn’t disintegrate just by turning the engine on.
Just the deed of driving to school was frustrating. Then when I finally got to school to relieve myself of my driving duties, I had to play the 20-minute game of “find a parking spot that’s not 7 miles away from your class.” By the time I had found a parking spot, I was late for my first class. By the time I was done for the day, I would have a $20-$80 parking ticket because I ended up parking where I wasn’t supposed to. I had refused to pay for a $400 parking pass at a school that had the worst parking structure ever. My parking fees still ended up being around $300, not including the days I actually paid the $8 to park as a guest (like I was supposed to do).
Crappy driving. Crappy parking. Crappy tickets.
These were all things I was willing to put up with just to earn my degree. This isn’t even mentioning the sleepless nights of anxiety due to my mind battling the fact that I was doing something religiously that my heart didn’t agree with.
So fall rolls around, and I had been working on a big project for one of my clients for the SEMA show in Las Vegas (the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world). I helped him out with a lot of last minute designs, printing, shipping, etc. He offered to pay for me and my boyfriend to come to Vegas, see my work in person and meet some business associates.
“Oh sorry, sir. I’ll have to pass up on a free tip to Vegas because of school.”
Yeah, right! A few weeks before SEMA, I checked with my instructors to see if I would be able to make up my assignments and tests when I got back in town. I was even open to taking some tests early. It was one instructor that changed the course of my 2014. I let him know I would be out of town the week of a test and asked what my options were. He said I would just have to fail and hope another test replaced the grade.
Whhhheeettttt?!
I never set foot back on that campus (as a student). Get the entire heck out of here. The fact that he was so comfortable with the idea of one of his students failing was beyond me. It’s absolutely my responsibility to make sure I need to do what I can to succeed in school, but what’s the point of having someone in charge of your grades that doesn’t care about them?
Anyway. I digress. Never going back to UNCC as a student was the easy part. Vegas was awesome and I can’t wait to go back a 3rd time. What’s funny is I had the opportunity to go again for free this month but I turned it down because I wanted to focus on work. It’s clear that my heart is more into my business than it ever would have been with school.
The hardest part?
The hardest part about it was telling my parents. I was so scared to tell them. During this whole time I was taking care of myself, paying my bills, etc. I didn’t need their financial support to do what I wanted, but their moral support and pride in me going to school is what really kept me going. I knew I would lose that if I decided to quit school.
I told my mom and we had a huge fight. Eh.
My dad is a man of few words. He told me he disagreed, but he responded better than I thought.
The good news is they let me and boyfriend fly in for Thanksgiving. I figured that meant they still loved me. I had gotten past the hardest part of following my dreams. Confronting my parents. How? My amazing boyfriend and his dad were there for me when I needed the moral support, and I will never forget that. My friend Nneka was also a good shoulder to lean on during this time. Having people close to me that believed in me during the time that the two people I looked up to most considered me to be a disappointment meant the world to me. I never needed a support system more than during that moment.
Since then?
Since then, I never thought I would learn and grow so much! Even though I’m a college dropout, I’m in love with education. I realized that formal education wasn’t my cup of tea.
I had a fun and successful vision board event with two friends/clients.
I spoke at NC A&T about becoming a full-time entrepreneur.
I did business with Volvo.
I bought an iMac.
I became a published photographer.
I started blogging full-time.
I renamed my creative agency.
I took on a mentee.
I figured out my niche.
I spoke at UNCC with one of my best friends.
I started consulting passionate entrepreneurs.
I failed at a lot of things.
I succeeded in even more things.
I quadrupled my emailing list.
I bought a car. With a full range turn radius.
I became an aunt – although I can’t take any credit for that.
I decorated my home office (I get to avoid parking woes).
I took on the best financial advisors in Charlotte as my clients.
MakesCents2Me.com & TheFinanceBar.com
I’ve built really great relationships with clients and other bloggers.
I built my relationship with my sister, which is one of the most important relationships I’ll ever have.
What’s next?
Our vision board event is this Sunday – with over 2x the registrants from last year.
I’m starting a 5 week email series after my vision board event called Unlocking Your Full Potential.
I’m developing an eCourse on monetizing your blog.
It’s so true that everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear. The scariest moment of my life turned out to be the best moment of my life.
There’s so much more in store for this college dropout. Being a degreeless hobo isn’t included.
I can’t even begin to tell you how the words in this article are speaking to me… I’m glad i’m not the only one who feels like how i do
So glad you could relate, Willis! Thanks so much for your comment.
Loved this so much Maya! You’re doing amazing things and it’s all about hard work, dedication, and networking. You chose your clients well and it’s working fantastically for you. Also, if you ever feel bad about dropping out, you can say at least you went. ;P I’ve never taken a single college class.
Hahaha! Thanks so much, Angel! So far no regrets! 🙂
So inspiring, Maya! Degree or not, I believe success stems from the combination of passion + hard work. Congrats on your success and keep living such an inspiring life! I’m praying to have a similar story this time next year. xo
I’m so glad that you wrote your story!!! I’ve just really begun to come to terms with the fact that the traditional education route is not for me. Our stories are very similar as I’m also a college dropout and I have my own design business. Reading this really just confirmed my feelings even more so thank you!!! I’m sure you will agree that the intensity of emotions that being an entrepreneur brings is worth it even all the sacrifices that have to be made a long the way. I absolutely love it!!! Congrats to you!!
Ahh! I can’t even lie, I wouldn’t have been bold enough to make this leap! It takes a strong mind to keep steadfast in the midst of others’ disapproval, especially your parents, but it’s all clearly paid off. Congrats on your success!
xo
Mel @ http://www.MAREVOLI.com
Thank you, Melody! Your comment means a lot!
Congratulations on all that you have accomplished and for taking such a big “risk.” Sometimes you have to make those hard decisions but in the end it is usually worth it. I a huge leap of faith last year and left my job to pursue other things and even though it has been rocky I feel like it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I look forward to following you on your journey and reading about your experiences. Great job!
http://www.hertaintedlips.com
I literally came across this post at the perfect time. I decided that when the summer semester started, instead of taking classes I would work on building my business as a designer & starting a creative agency. I finally pushed myself to really get involved with my business as opposed to a project here and there by using advice from you and your sister’s blog, and other bloggers online. It really motivated me to just push forward. This is my 4th year in college, but I don’t even see graduation in site. My classes bore me because I’ve already taught myself a lot of things about design and the programs we’re “learning” to use. I never wanted to come to college – I wanted to graduate high school and start the creative agency full time. But my heart is just not in school. It causes a lot of anxiety and depression for me, but I’ve stuck with it because I never wanted to disappoint my family. I’m realizing that being a college dropout will be the step for me. And I feel good with that. Thank you for this post. <3
Oh man. Fall semester starts Monday, I have the same crappy driving situation and I’m paying for school myself. The ONLY reason I’m still trying to graduate is because of my parents. They had me in college and had to go back when we were in middle school, and they have always told us we will go to college and do what they couldn’t. I’m so scared of letting them down and disappointing them but I really hate school.
Just like you, I love learning, I take online courses related to my business all the time. I can’t stand sitting in an accounting class, taking time away from work, to learn things I already do in my business every week. I’m struggling so much with this decision. I’m doing poorly in school because I’m not focused, but I only have 3 semesters left.
I have no idea what to do at this point, but your story helps me realize that if I do dropout, it’s not the end of the world. Just a challenging step. (Perfect timing for reading this, I’m going to see my counselor this afternoon to talk about options).
Awesome!!!! I love the way you clearly list the “pros” of your situation !!! Celebrate the steps large and small that results in your goal!!!!
This is such a great article! Just one thing: to help you reach more people, fix that typo in the lead image (“droupout”).
Thanks so much, Alex! Working on that this week. 🙂