Which would be more prudent, to finish up and get my bachelors or to take a break of sorts and pursue a job opportunity with a close friend?

It will be helpful to have the schooling, but if you finish it later then that is fine.

get the degree. always have that in your back pocket

It’s difficult to finish a degree once you get rolling on something else. I would finish your degree since it opens so many doors, and these days it’s pretty difficult to do anything in the software industry without at least a bachelors.

If you’re competent with computers, what you need is the formal training. Being good with computers is one thing, but possessing the knowledge to wield your talent is another entirely.

Well I’ve been hearing a lot that you absolutely need a bachelors but in all honesty there are so many certification programs and entry level IT jobs that only require high school diplomas that would allow you to grow. I do admit that a degree would take you further but is it really necessary. Also I could continue taking classes working towards a degree while down in florida helping my buddy run his business. I just figured I’d be a bit happier there then stuck at home dragging my feet to get this degree finished. Any further thoughts?

@papasmurfxD I suppose it’s an alternative, but in my opinion the degree is so important that it’s better off to just finish it than accrue credits slowly. It might take you many times longer to finish your degree than it would have to go straight through.

What is it exactly that your friends computer business is? Do you really need a computer science degree, or some sort of technical degree (networking/IT, etc)?

Get the degree. You could finish your degree in FL and try to do some of both, but your main focus should be the degree I think. It’s much harder to go back and finish it up later, and if you have only gone to community college maybe you have not experienced living on campus, the whole dorm life thing. I recommend it, if you are able to do it. This is the only time in your life that you will ever have the opportunity to be 19, 20, 21, however old you are and live in a place where everyone is your age and life is centers around school and fun.

@JLeslie I did spend a year at SUNY Binghamton and experienced the dorm life full throttle. But I realized I was spending way too much money and transferred back home to start over. There were just too many distractions and fake people at that school and I got tired of the atmosphere.

@noyesa Well from what i can gather his business is a computer repair/networking/web design business. Its multi-faceted. I would like an IT related degree. I don’t really enjoy school, or havent yet. I just wanna see what I like I guess. Explore my interests if you know what I mean. Take a plunge in the deep end.

@papasmurfxD In that case I think a certification or an associates would probably be alright for what you want to do, at least for now. I can’t really stress enough how important it is that you finish your degree someday.

“Well from what i can gather his business is a computer repair/networking/web design business. Its multi-faceted. I would like an IT related degree. I don’t really enjoy school, or havent yet. I just wanna see what I like I guess. Explore my interests if you know what I mean. Take a plunge in the deep end.”

I was going to ask what you meant by “job opportunity.” If he was maybe working at a successful company and able to get your foot in the door, that would be pretty worthwhile. It sounds like his business might not have really taken off yet, and he’s looking for someone to share in the risk at this stage. Also the phrase “from what I gather” makes me think that you should take a closer look at his company and be very informed before you make a big decision.

Small businesses tend to be most successful when they are very focused, partially because specializing allows you to compete with bigger companies by becoming an expert in your field. His business model at this point is pretty vague. I’m a business major, and I’ve also seen friends, family members, and even one of my employers fail at running a small business. It’s usually because they have the technical skills to run a business, but don’t know how to market it or make it profitable. How has he registered his business? It’s probably a sole proprietorship or an LLC. If he has a sole proprietorship, or if he expands it to a partnership with you, you are both fully liable for any debts incurred by the business. If you’re an LLC, the company exists as its own entity and you’re more protected. Does he have a customer base yet; is he profitable? (Most businesses don’t turn any profit in the first year or two, so you’ll need enough savings to get through at least that much time.)

I’m not saying your friend is going to fail, but these are all things you should consider before you leave your education to get on board with him.

Why are you convinced that you have to leave school to work with him? You could work part time, during a summer, or take a leave of absence and see if it’s what you want. Some colleges even give you credits for “life experiences” if you can document that you’re learning relevant work skills by doing this. You should talk to an advisor or someone from your school and see if that’s an option. Anyway, there’s a lot of stuff to think about. It sounds like you could easily start a company like this, especially once you have the training that comes with a degree. Or you could go into business with him then.

Having worked all the way through my undergraduate program and my law school program, I think I have real experience with this.

Although it is possible to take a break from pursuing a degree and picking it up later, the reality is that most people who stop studying and working toward the degree (other than short breaks, like summer) do not usually manage to go back and finish the requirements necessary for obtaining the degree. Life tends to intervene, so to speak. So, if having a degree is part of your long term goals, stick with it.

A viable option is to scale back the number of course hours you are taking to allow yourself time to work more. This has a much better chance of success than a true break. It seems that working more or less steadily towards the goal is more important in the long run than how much progress you make in any given unit of time. If you also take summer courses you can make up for a lot of the lost hours which result from pursuing a part time program. For example, a normal law school curriculum is three years, with summers off. I worked full time through law school and took summer courses. I finished in three and one-half years, just one semester longer than if I had been a typical full time student. I also managed to come out with minimal student loan debt that way.

Good luck.

@Haleth I understand exactly where your coming from and thank you for those comments. He haasn’t started the business yet. He’s planning to start it in the next year or so once he gets the money together. The main focus will be computer repair which is almost always in demand. I will press him for more details, as to how we will advertise and make sure we are creating a substantial customer base so that the company doesn’t fail before it begins. He’s very good with the technical side but he’s also quite a good people person so I think he or we could pull it off.

@semblance I see your point in not stopping school. Unfortunately I’m dragging with me quite a bit of debt from my previous year at out of state schooling. I will have to continue school while I’m down there to keep my loans at bay. I will also research now to see if there are decent universities offering online type courses that would allow me that flexibility to work with him and continue towards that degree.

It’s all really tentative at the moment and just wanted some feedback from others that maybe have similar life experiences and have some good advice. Thank you all. :)