Senior year was here at last. I was fresh off an internship which resulted in a job opportunity. I ended up turning this down as I decided over summer, i no longer wanted to be a CFO. Now this was largely because I got discouraged. I saw the writing on the wall that the school I went to wasn't a top business school, and as such I believed I would never be able to climb the ladder to CFO of Disney. Instead, I chose to do real estate. In all honesty, I sometimes think I should try and go back down that route as I have come to realize, hard work beats all. So as I started my senior year, I also started my real estate classes.
Real estate requires a certain set of courses, and a certain certification in order to be a licensed Realtor. To take these courses and apply for the certification test, I found an online course that would allow me to complete this on my time frame with my busy class schedule. I made these courses a priority, and completed them in the minimum required time. I look back and remember setting a timer for myself to require a certain amount of study/course time per day. I essentially made it another class I had each day in addition to my normal class schedule.
Regular schooling was going much better than any other year as well. No more random classes, just classes that directly impacted my degree and things I was interested in. Senior year had more group projects, more presentations, and more studying than other years, but was still enjoyable. In all honesty, if all four years were like senior year, I would probably encourage more people to go to school. Instead, due to me taking these real estate courses, and subsequently getting my license and working as an agent in Tahoe, I realized there were a lot of alternatives to traditional school through online schooling. Many don't find out until they reach their career path, but there are more online schooling and course certifications out in the world that are accessible to most everyone than ever before. As a result, I would suggest looking into these different certifications and courses as they can make up the difference if an employer requires a degree.
Now I will let you in on a little secret of the real world. Not once, never a single time, has anyone asked me for my degree, or my transcripts to prove my GPA or my graduating from College at all. The most important thing about every job or employer I have talked with, is what your experience is. Most of my friends, coworkers, and acquaintances would agree, getting the degree largely only helps for the first job. This first job gets you the experience to get the next job and the next. This is why I truly believe, if you spent the four years of college gaining experience in your industry, working behind the scenes, and generally learning about the real world, you will be far ahead of those who went to school, and not only have no student loans, but likely have a savings account.
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