I am planning to drop from college, for the third time | Hacker News Reader

I am planning to drop from college, for the third time

2 pointsalonsovm444 comments

I first got into Nanotech Engineering but within the same month of being accepted i switched to Energy Engineering because it "had more future", i got depressed because of personal problems after a year and didnt go to school for a month, lost the semester, but they gave me a second chance, i repeated the year but failed again. I went then to another university and switched to Industrial Engineering, started with an A++ grades and now i am sucking more than ever because of depression and sloth. Then discovered in dec 2025 that software is what i have talent for. Made an OS kernel and a programming language as a hobby. I am 23 and living with my parents, if I drop again from college they're kicking me out. I am looking for a coding job. pls help

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Might I recommend that you get assessed by a mental health professional? You could have a condition that can be treated by drugs to even out your swings (I’m not a doctor but bipolar affective disorder is characterized by swings of enthusiasm/effectiveness and depression)

If there’s something you like and are good at there’s no reason your schooling can’t focus on that area. (I don’t know how school works in your country but here you can switch your major in between class terms, finish out this term, meet professors in the comp sci department, ask to switch)

This is a weird (hard) time to be getting into software. It is basically impossible to break in because there are so many experienced people available. Some people break in by contributing to open source projects (sometimes contributing to something that you really like that has a paid version and then building connections and trust to that company)

It’s going to take a while. I recommend not being homeless while that’s happening.

I hope you can manage to stay away for good, this time. I quit college for good on my first try, and got a job in manufacturing and electrical engineering, and it made all of the difference. There's no point in getting in debt for something that isn't benefiting you.

Build up a portfolio of useful projects and document them well. Contact developers of open-source operating systems and see ask if they can delegate some tasks to you. Show them off at whatever forums you can, places like Maker Faires and Open Sauce, or any local event that will let you have a booth for free, and let guests know you're available for work. Low-level development is a small market, but it is in high demand.

If you like low-level software projects, try playing around with FPGAs, too.

Take a step back for a second, take a deep breath, and think about where you want to be in 5 years. Make a list of things you want and where you want to be. Include at least 10 items on that list. Do actual research into what it will take to achieve those goals. Pick your top 3 and act on them today, right now. I can't tell you if you should go to college, I don't know you. I can tell you there are a lot of resources out there for software engineers that didn't go to college. If you have skills then you can build a portfolio and start applying.

You have a clearly demonstrated track record of failure. Why would anyone hire you over spending money on tokens for coders with a positive track record? This is not just a rhetorical question. Justify why anyone would hire you at this point.

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