Why I’ve quitted University every time just before graduation?
Imagine you have just entered high school. Next 3 years with new subjects, new friends, so much to learn…
But also every adult in your family starts asking: “So, what are you going to study at the university?”
Come on, I just started high school!
I have been studying at unis since 2006 till this winter 2024.
Nursing at Tartu Health Care College, chemistry and medicine at The University of Tartu, civil engineering at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) and add a lot of little one-year long courses too.
I was in high school when I started studying at unis! It has been more than 17 years!
So how everything got started…
I wanted to become a doctor and that’s why medicine was the first one. We all know, it is hard to get in and for me high school was boring. So I joined the Youth Academy - a program, where pupils can study at uni before getting in. My parents and teachers didn’t know I was in two schools at once. At uni I took some subjects in anatomy, physiology and general medicine. All finished with straight A-s.
The main aim of the University of Tartu Youth Academy (henceforth UTYA) is to give opportunities and possibilities for the development of pupils who have a deeper interest in science. The UTYA offers both the facilities to enrich pupils’ knowledge beyond usual school curriculum and also the resources to spend their leisure time meaningfully.
https://teaduskool.ut.ee/en
But even high school and uni weren’t enough for me. I was working at a hospital too!
It’s IMPOSSIBLE?
Maybe for 99,99% of people yes.
Everything’s possible
Next step after getting the high school diploma, is of course the uni.
But I wasn’t sure if I wanted to study only medicine. Doctor’s life is so stressful. Curing patients is what we want to do, but all of the paperwork and hierarchy were too much. And when my doctor colleagues said they even can’t have nice free time after the shifts, because they were on call all of the time and when needed, they had to go straight back - I decided it’s not for me.
Yes, I had always wanted to become a doctor. Since I was 5! But the reality wasn’t what I wanted to live in.
So I chose chemistry.
What a hell - was my first thought after the first semester. It is so hard. Ok I studied more and more till I got everything right.
Some years there and one day I was just spending time talking to my professors how is the life and salary…
"What, the salary? You want to get money too? How much do you want to earn? “ they asked.
I told the country’s medium please. At least.
“No-no-no. Then you have to work some extra hours as a teacher or start a company. Teachers at uni get here less than a teacher in middle school and you can get fired easily, when our government doesn’t give money to the university as planned or the project has ended and there is no new project coming.”
So I left chemistry.
No, I didn’t waste any time more there. I want to live, enjoy my life, travel. Want to have bread, water and some meat. Not just “bread and water lifestyle”.
Yes, and I wasn’t that kind of a mad-scientist-type of a person too.
Ok, what else do we have here - I thought. I wasn’t ready to start my own company. I had no idea, how should I do it. And friends, who surrounded me back then, were also some kind of full-time workers. No entrepreneurs.
Oooh, what to choose. I searched all kinds of information in all areas and…
Let’s become a project manager in the field of architectural designing and civil engineering. I am going to have a team and we are going to design some buildings. After all my father was a builder and a building is like a human - ventilation, plumbing, and other systems have to work holistically too, like lungs and heart in us.
Isn’t it the same?
With no doubts - I got in (yes, I mean the uni again) and started learning again. After couple of years learning, I decided to find a job. Like it should be, yeah?
It is the fastest way, how to get in the field, right? I already attended all the free events there were in this topic. You know - show your face - then everyone notices you and you will get a job faster.
First months I didn’t know anything! What on Earth - I HAVE BEEN studying it. How I still don’t know, how the things have to be? I had to study even harder. Work is so different again than they are teaching us at the uni.
So I was there - part time at uni and full-time at work. Extra hard hours, days, weeks were passing by… I hated it.
I started thinking something is so wrong out here. How can uni be a waste of time?
Lets take it through:
They say - you’ll get so much to know, if you are studying at the uni.
You have text books, one is more expensive than the other. You have NEVER such time to read all of the books or attend to all of the lectures!
Ok, let’s see you HAVE studied all the mandatory topics listed and now you are taking the exams.
If you got wrong answers, then it is bad and you have to retake the exam - right?
Sometimes you have to study for the exams, rather than for yourself - right?
So you don’t read and study the topics, that aren’t mandatory. It means you are with limited knowledge.
But if you study for yourself, you read extra topics - expand your knowledges.
You boost your creativity! You can invent something new and get some money.
Oh yes, at uni you won’t have that extra time…
They say - studying at the uni is so expensive, you have wasted so much money!
Yes, it is so in many many countries. Rest your wallet in peace.
I don’t have any student loans. 0!
No, in my country studying at uni is mostly free…
You just have to complete certain amount of subjects per semester. No free lunches! And yes, you can come here to study too.
They say - you can earn more money when you have a diploma.
No - here you need a diploma, when you are an engineer or architect or have a special projects with the government.
You need skills, how to organize projects and manage people. How to start and finish the projects. How to be on time and don’t exeed the budget.
There’s no subject about it at uni! It’s you - do you have the skills or not! You have to read and I mean even some pshycology books. Because if your team members don’t do what they’ve supposed to do, then YOU- the project manager - have to motivate them.
And if you’re good - you earn well too. Better than a chemistry teacher or a professor.
They say - you get some friends, your network expands.
So and so. I was working too, so my network was more at work.
I attended some parties too of course, but if you aren’t drinking alcohol or always hanging with the team, then you aren’t the real deal for them.
I value more health, family and genuine friends. My child was born back then and she is my # 1.
I rather join with some smaller groups to learn about investing and entrepreneurship - these topics were still the weakest for me.
Free time
And there I was - with my expanded mind thinking again - I am still doing the wrong thing!
My salary is growing only 10 % per year, I have to work at least 40 hours per week and get to relax 4 weeks per year. No exceptions or your salary is dead.
Project manager is surrounded by stress-mountains and should get more free time from work.
4 weeks per year for vaccations and more than 8 hours long working days mean no proper sunlight or sleep.
Oh, you want to spend time with your kids or friends or do some workout too? And you still want to be creative and innovative?
This time, I knew - the I have to work in a full time position lifestyle - is the wrong way for me.
Not born for that.
I am a self learner. I am constantly reading something, doing some research, innovating at work and home, attending events, networking - these hours are all extra besides the 40 hour week.
I’m not a one field person. I want to be in different fields at the same time and it means founding a company after another. Like Adam Coffey or JT Foxx.
Don’t get me wrong - I love being at uni, the vibe is so young and fresh there.
And yes, I haven’t any diplomas in chemistry or civil engineering, but it doesn’t mean I’ll never complete these journeys. I can always complete them. Just I’ll do it later. Or one subject at a time.
My future now
With AI it isn’t the time anymore, where we can study only one thing and work at one place till the golden retirement. We have to learn constantly, we have to adapt, but let’s enjoy our lives too…
So I am looking for people, who wants to join me.
The first one is the real estate! It’s the field I’m at home.
I know people who have money and I am searching people, who wants to implement some crazy ideas.
Yours,
CK
