[jsiarto]

While obviously stories like this work out for some people--I think the general advice of dropping out of college to start a startup is a very bad idea. First, maybe 5% of people are driven/motivated enough to actually have a chance of making that decision work out. Second, odds are your startup will fail and you may need to fall back on that degree to get a new job.

I would also argue that there are missed opportunities by leaving school early. Some of my best professional relationships started at Michigan State and they continue to help me build my career.

Also, $200K+ in student loan debt? Where the hell was he going?

EDIT: Also, why not just start the damn company while you're still in school? I'm sorry, but I had more free time in college than I can remember and having a side project was not a huge deal. No different than when people start their business on the side while still maintaining their 9-5.

EDIT 2: Full disclosure: I work for MSU as an adjunct so I have a strong financial interest in people getting their degrees (especially in STEM fields!).

[untog]

Exactly. The majority of startups fail. The majority of college degrees are worth it.

Before anyone chimes in- yes, I think there is a debate to be had about whether they should be worth it. As an example, I am a Politics and History grad that develops web sites for a living. I do not use my degree, yet every job out there requires a college education. But that's besides the point, here.

[genwin]

I observe the opposite. The developer ads I've seen almost always say "college degree or equivalent experience". For a good developer who wants to stay a developer, college is a waste of money. It might be great for other reasons though.

[jabits]

Don't bet on it. I have been consulting for many years, and the majority of my clients discount those with no college degree (doesn't usually matter what in), if they consider them at all. I don't really like to admit it, and I know many counter-examples personally, but this is generally my default view as well.

[genwin]

It might be the city. I moved from a city where there was a lot of silliness like that. Now I'm in a city with a lot of tech jobs. I haven't had an education section on my resume for a long time through many interviews; I usually get the job. No interviewer even mentioned the omission. (Although one did express surprise later that he hadn't noticed it!)

[pg]

I think the general advice of dropping out of college to start a startup is a very bad idea.

I agree. There's no rush; there will still be plenty of ideas left to work on after college.

[larrys]

"plenty of ideas left to work on after college"

HN is certainly full of plenty of disclosures and comments about that pitfalls of startups and success. (And things like what you just said above as if you are going to tell people to drop out of college or something..) But yet people will always focus on what they want to see, just like in a casino, which is the winners (that's why the machines make noise). On HN, TC etc. the bells are always ringing and the effect is quite clear. And obviously in the traditional media as well. Everybody wants to be a superstar. And thinks they can be a superstar or should have been a superstar. People apologetically talk about how they have chosen to be happy instead with their little "lifestyle" business and every now and then people acknowledge that that's ok.

This is really no different than what happens in any industry which is a pyramid. Entertainment, sports as two examples.

People have to take reality into account when making life decisions. But I can see how difficult that is now that there are more examples that younger people can see of people their age being great successes.

Added: "great successes" meaning the typical trappings of success even if that means just getting funded or even picked for YC.

[brlewis]

The attempt to become a superstar is rewarding even if you don't make it.

[gxs]

It's really interesting how people corner themselves into false dichotomies.

Why limit yourself to one thing when you can have it all? Why not go to college, get your degree, then go all in with a startup?

No one says you can't go to a state school if money is your concern. Additionally, I would say actual classroom learning accounted for just about half of what I enjoyed from college. The other half was just meeting all sorts of people with different interests, girls, partying, etc. Different strokes, I guess.

[cmcewen]

There's also plenty of college left to work on after ideas.

Maybe taking a break is a better term, but I don't understand why "dropping out" means you will never get a degree.

[randomdata]

Dropping out has come to mean you will never get a degree because most people only consider college in the first place because they perceive a workplace advantage to having a degree. When they get out into the real world and realize they can live comfortably without one, there is little reason to go back. Someone who loves learning and is in college for reasons not related to future employment is not likely to leave over an idea in the first place.

Because of that, the number of people who leave and then go back is significantly small. Though I think you make good points anyway.

[earbitscom]

Damn mobile. Sorry for the accidental downvote, PG.

[rauljara]

35K tuition + 15k room and board is not all that pricey for a private school. I work at Notre Dame, where the 50k figure is a couple of years out of date. Goes up 5% each year, like clockwork. Typing that out literally made me nauseous. I personally know a bunch of smart kids that, while they are getting a good education, are just going to be crushed by those numbers.

[jere]

Yup. I went to a dirt cheap state university and came out with no debt and a great engineering degree. I can't imagine coming out with roughly the same thing and $200k in debt.

>Also, why not just start the damn company while you're still in school?

It worked for Zuckerberg.

[eddie_the_head]

Where'd you go to school?

[jere]

North Carolina State

It's never going to be on top of the rankings (except for value), but I think that's the nature of it being inexpensive: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/02/14/110214fa_fact_...

[scrumper]

Your point about free time in college is especially relevant. YC might require a full-time commitment, but college is the absolute perfect time to try and bootstrap something. Never again after college will there be such a perfect confluence of available, talented co-founders, ample time and low cost of living.

On a more flippant note, dropping out to launch a startup isn't that much different to dropping out with a band: it's the same 'take a wild shot at the big time' thing, only with fewer girls. Even if you hit the really big time there's still value in a degree: Brian May from Queen went back to finish his.

Good luck to the OP of course. I hope he's one of the successful ones.

[whichdan]

It says in the article - Boston University. It's roughly $56k per year[1].

[1] http://www.bu.edu/admissions/apply/costs-aid-scholarships/tu...

[jsiarto]

Ouch--the thought of that debt is just staggering. That is currently more than my mortgage and student loan combined. BU is a great school--not for $200K though. I can't image that there are that many degrees in which $200K is worth it...

[mikescar]

Well that is just dumb.

If you're young and don't know what you want to study, and change your major a few times, then yes, you should not be doing it while paying $56k a year. Leaving to go work for a while would be smarter until you lock it down a bit more.

But just drop the "i left BU to do awesome work" thing and how much academia held you back from doing that awesome work.

[samirahmed]

As a current Boston University student, in a major with one of the highest starting salaries - I can certainly say that 200k is truly not worth the money regardless of major.

Any student not on scholarship, who is paying that full amount, is better off dropping out and getting a cheaper.

[randomdata]

I would argue that opportunities are missed because of being in school too. Like in engineering, life is about managing tradeoffs and choosing the solution that best fits your individual goals.

Blanket statements of "you should go to school" or "you should drop out" are meaningless because they ignore the conditions under which the choices are being made. It is kind of like saying "you should use Ruby," even if the problem space turns out to be small embedded electronics.

It's good to equip potential students with information, but trying to sell them one way or another seems kind of dangerous. You're going to leave them trying to run a massive Ruby on Rails application on an 8-bit micro, so to speak.

[caw]

I agree on starting a company while in school. Your schedule is crazy in college, but I'm fairly certain most students have more free time in school than they have when they work.

At school, you can create connections and meet people that could help you along the way. I know of several people who started something while in school, with their school friends.

If you gain traction, and start making money, then maybe then you could drop out of school.

[sliverstorm]

> Also, why not just start the damn company while you're still in school?

Because it's not nearly as dramatic!

[salman89]

Went to UCLA - when I took out a loan for a year the estimated cost was ~$27k a year (In-state). Friends of mine who were international students were already paying $50k+ at UCLA.

Could easily imagine $50k/year for private schools.

[randomdata]

And not to forget the $30K/year (average income of a high school grad) that you are missing out on by spending time in school instead of working. Not knocking the education, but it is something that needs to be considered.

For those who are about to say that there are no jobs without a degree, recent data suggests that people fresh out of high school have more job opportunities than fresh college graduates and the vast majority of the population, at all ages, are employed without a degree.

[tzs]

Top private schools are often effectively cheaper than UCLA for most people. For instance, Stanford waives tuition for students from households in the US with income in the bottom 80% (under $100k). For students from households in the bottom 50% or so, they also waive room and board.

[tptacek]

Which is ironic? is maybe the word? given how difficult it is for people from families in the bottom 50% on income earners to get into Stanford; that's something like 15% of the each incoming class. Admissions at Stanford is need-blind, but many important college admissions criteria are proxies for need.

[genwin]

A good developer shouldn't need to fall back on a degree; they usually aren't required to get a job, I've seen.