I headed to Alaska in the summer of 1993 to work on a commercial fishing boat. The realization struck me like a bolt of lightning — my heart was not in my studies. I was attending Pacific Lutheran University, a small private university near Seattle and, to be honest, sleep and parties seemed of much greater importance than the nuisance of attending class.These thoughts may seem familiar to some of you. I suppose this article isn’t written for the students who have always known without a shadow of a doubt their destiny was to be a doctor, lawyer or engineer — although I hope they at least gain some sort of amusement from it. If nothing else, they can critique and criticize this 35-year-old finance junior/senior (whatever my current classification might be). “Why is a 35-year-old a junior at LSU?” I hear it all the time. To be honest, it’s the result of the best decision I ever made, even though at the time I was hardly concerned with the wisdom in my decision.If you are just cruising through school, scraping by with D’s, C’s and the occasional B, drop out!You don’t need to go to college to party. You can do that while you work. And just think — you won’t destroy the possibility of academic opportunities in the future. In fact, if you make a few wise decisions (these can be made by default — I joined the military), you can gain valuable experience, enhance your resume and even build a nest-egg — all while you party. Let me once again state my disclaimer: This option isn’t for everyone — only for the confused, lost and searching. Perhaps you’re here because your parents expect it, or maybe it’s just for fun. Whatever the reason, realize your grades might not matter now, and they might not matter in certain jobs. But if you ever change your mind as I have and decide that someday you do want to become a lawyer or attend a decent graduate school, all your past sins will catch up with you. These types of thoughts are hard to reason through in a stupor of alcohol fumes. Which is why that realization in Alaska, elementary to some (probably those same intelligent students — you know, the ones who were lawyers and doctors before they were born) struck me so intensely. After all, I had to sober up and stay awake to work. These weren’t requirements in sociology 101.So do yourself a favor — if you are unsure of what you want to do with your life and your grades are suffering because of it, take a break! Go find yourself. You will change, grow and realize what you want in life in the process. You’ll be driven to excel when or if you do decide to return to finish your degree.When I left college nearly 15 years ago, my parents told me I probably would never return to finish my degree — if I did, they would not help financially. I accepted these conditions and travelled the world, seeing and experiencing things that few will ever have the privilege to see.All my experiences have added a unique depth to my resume, which no other applicants will be able to reproduce. My goals and focus in school are completely different this time.A college degree is not required to make a decent paycheck. I will actually make considerably less money after I graduate than I did as a commercial diver. But I’m not here now to earn a piece of paper so I can get a job. I will always be able to get a job. I am here now because I actually want to learn.And that makes all the difference. Nathan Shull is a 35-year-old finance junior from Seattle. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_nshull.
 
 
 
—-Contact Nathan Shull at [email protected]