Dropping out of college isn’t something most people ever plan on happening, it just happens. For some it would’ve been a pretty tough decision, for others perhaps it wasn’t even an option. Whatever your reasons for dropping out of college, we’re here to tell you that it’s not all doom and gloom. Despite what we’re often told, there are many college dropouts who go on to lead incredibly successful and fulfilling lives.
Leaving the education system, whether by choice or not, can be both liberating and incredibly daunting. Why? Well it’s liberating in the sense that you’re finally free of exams and study but daunting because it’s all you’ve ever known. You’re no longer in a classroom surrounded by your peers, given timetables and assessments – up until now you’ve never really had to face the “real” world.
Perhaps you think that without a college education you’re destined to work a low-paid job that you hate or that you’ll never surmount to anything. These are all common beliefs society has ingrained into us, making us believe that we have to go to college in order to be successful. And do you know what we say to all of that? Bullsh*t! Thankfully times are changing and you no longer have to subscribe to that old notion. You can still be financially successful even after dropping out of college and the solution we provide is through an online job.
Online jobs are becoming the popular choice for many people nowadays especially for those who want to work remotely. It’s open for anyone and yes, including school “dropouts” like yourself.
They can be a much more preferable route than working a traditional job for the following reasons:
- You don’t need to spend money and time commuting
- You don’t have to be in an office to do your job (welcome the pj’s!)
- Your work hours are flexible
- Unlimited range of earning
- It only requires you to have a laptop and reliable internet connection to start working
- The skills can be learned and acquired even without a degree
These are few of the biggest reasons why getting an online job or even starting up your own online business is a great choice. Here are some options that you can choose from and what you can expect about each of them.
Option 1: The Easy Way
(Paid for the time you spend on your tasks aka your income is relative to the amount of hours you work)
The easy option would be to work remotely under an employer or for a client. We call this the ‘easy option’ because it’s relatively little to no risk but it’s a great starting point to those fresh out of college. Examples of the type of work you can do straight off the bat includes being a virtual assistant or freelancing (we’ve done a whole guide on this). Being a virtual assistant is someone who helps run a company or business by providing creative, administrative or technical assistance and you can read more about Christine’s experience of being a virtual assistant here.
Option 2: Taking Some Initiative
(Sacrifice some of your time in order to create other streams of income, without being paid at first)
This option is something we definitely recommend everyone tries. Whether you decide to get a full-time traditional or online job, we still highly encourage individuals to take some initiative and utilise the opportunities available online.
A common example is affiliate marketing. With affiliate marketing you can sell other people’s digital products and in return you earn a percentage of every sale you make. What’s great about it is that it works best by targeting certain niches – a group of people that share a common interest – so you can make it about something you’re actually interested in.
For instance, perhaps your hobby is fishing. You could set up a blog all about fishing and have a whole page dedicated to your favourite fishing books/guides and equipment (stuff that you personally recommend) on your blog or you do the occasional product review. Anyone who clicks through and makes a purchase with your special affiliate link earns you money! It’s at no extra cost to the customer and when a blog begins to gain regular readers it’s a great and easy way for your them to say ‘thanks’ for your content.
It’s important to note that making money through affiliate marketing is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It involves sacrificing your time and putting in the initial effort but hopefully in a niche you’re actually interested and passionate about.
Option 3: The Life of a Digital Entrepreneur
(Starting your own online business. This requires a lot of time, patience, persistence and more upfront cost – you have more to loose but also more to gain. Your earning potentials are higher (uncapped), and it can be the most rewarding and liberating)
The life of a digital entrepreneur isn’t an easy one. You’ll have many people telling you it can’t be done. You’ll have to sacrifice personal and social time, time outside of your everyday job. For you to be a digital entrepreneur you’ll have to really want it. And we don’t say that lightly. The best advice we can give you is you have to go in with the mindset of all in or not at all.
“I began to realise how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. If you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it full speed. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good.” – Roald Dahl
The good news is that starting an online business has uncapped earning potentials. It has the ability to provide you residual income that will continue to pay off for years. It can open the doors to new opportunities and to more time and personal freedom. What’s more, unlike conventional businesses, starting an online business can almost being fully automated. There’s plenty of cool services and tools out there from email automation to website analytics that all help to make your life a whole lot easier – view our digital tools for a better idea.
In Conclusion
There are plenty of online opportunities, no matter your current situation, qualifications, age and so on. The problem is simply the potential of online jobs and entrepreneurship isn’t fully recognised or encouraged in schools. School teaching systems tend to be outdated, if not entirely focused on “traditional” career paths. In this article we’ve only touched the surface on what’s available out there, it’s up to you to give yourself a good ass kicking and get researching.
Luckily for you we’ve curated a free digital ebook you can download below and we’d highly recommend you give it a read. All it takes is an open mind and a willingness to learn new skills for a world of opportunities and possibilities to open up for you.
