I learned a lot during college. How to communicate effectively to an audience, how to critically evaluate an issue, how to work on a team and how to work by myself. My education improved me as a person and was an invaluable experience.
However, there comes a time to move beyond the classroom. It took me months to come to terms with the reality that I don’t need school anymore.
I crave structure. When I decided to change fields, my first instinct was to look at educational options- degrees, bootcamps. In the end, I even dished out money for on an online program. I got through about half the curriculum on Thinkful’s front-end web development course, but I didn’t finish it. I paused the course indefinitely last month, knowing I couldn’t really justify paying another $300. I’m more relieved to be free of it than disappointed, honestly.
I’ve learned more through working on my own projects and seeking out educational resources than anything else these past couple months. I’m finally at the point where I don’t need, or want, to be in a classroom environment. I’m determining projects I want to work on, and then doing them. I’m reading books and blogs and watching Treehouse videos. I’ve joined meetups and gone to two conferences. I’m continuing the volunteer, and just last week, I launched the North Star LGBT Community Center’s new website.
Even though I’m worried about my impending student loan payments and stressed over job searching, I’m the most fulfilled I’ve been in a long time. And I think it’s because I’ve finally put enough space between myself and the classroom.
This really means my colleges did what they were supposed to. My undergrad wanted me to “learn to think,” and so I’ve learned to teach myself the marketable skills I need.
My take-away advice: don’t rush back for another degree if you decide to change fields. Give yourself the chance to figure out if it’s something you actually want before investing that much cash. You may find you learn far more on your own.