First of all I commend you for having the foresight to realize where your passions are. I was in the same situation as you but my situation ended because I ran out of money and could not continue down (once I think about it) an empty and unfulfilled career. While I agree with Rachel, my prospective is a little different. I have seen and known people who have went to school for 3-6 years, obtaining degrees in fields they thought was what they wanted just to graduate with huge college debt and the desire to not even work or seek employment in their field of study. Many have actually gone back to school for the degree they wanted, all the while incuring more debt. They may be happy but broke, lol. Those who decided to continue on with their degree (for the sake of money) end up bitter and asking themselves “What if I would have followed my passion the first time?”. Ultimately you have to make the decision to either tough it out or cut your loses because in the end you are the one who have to face the consequences. Just make sure it is the right choice you can live with and accept.

im 26, and still working on the self belief and confidence inside, to trust my own decisions, thoughts, and instincts.

whatever you decide, realising for yourself that you are not happy, why you feel that way, and that something needs to change is awesome.

dont think too too much, go with how you feel.

ive listened to everyone, feared my own decisions and instinct, not gone with my heart enough, way too many times. all i created is regret, or a larger problem within my own self/mind.

this is my experience however, not everyones, albeit if i had had the courage to go and get what i want, when i want, and not fear my own imagination of possible outcomes whether good or bad, i really wish i had done.

this is even down to not trusting myself on a horse racing bet, then the horse wins ;/ which has happened a lot.

hope this helps.

p.s. i had a private secondary education in the UK at 18,000 pounds a year, i have very good academic qualifications, this hasnt had any impact on my current level of happiness in my life lol 😛

I have two associates, a B.A. with a concentration and they mean absolutely nothing. Having switched majors halfway through because I was really unhappy with what I was doing, it took me much longer than everyone around me to finish. I wasted so many years in school because I listened to everyone telling me that I had to do it and that it’s almost a necessity now for a ‘career’. It caused a lot of harm to me in the end because it never did anything but make me feel that I’m too dumb to succeed in life and that I’m so inferior to everyone around me. Looking for work afterwards made me feel even worse because all I can get are jobs that I could have had straight out of high school. Even my current employer said in the interview that I’m over-educated and over-qualified for the position.

My advise to you, and something I really wish I had done, is to listen to yourself (which I know sounds much easier than it actually is). If you’re interested in something else, look into a certificate where you can get more involved with that. Try things out, and see where things go. If you decide you may want/need an academic credential to go after what you want to do, you can always go back to school; there’s no age limit.