I’m A Proud College Dropout. Think about it.

Imagine reaching your mid-20s still having no idea what you want to do with your life. I'm a proud college dropout and let me tell you why.

Everyone in my family told me that I needed a degree to succeed. If not that, I needed to go to vocational school to become a nurse.

I can understand their reasoning though. My brother got his master's degree in history and has been working for the government for as long as I can remember.

To them, out of all the children or and their first nieces and nephews... my brother set the example.

Go to school. Get your degree. Then you’ll be successful.

I believed this fact forever which is why during more than half of my life I aimed for nothing but low-paying jobs. I believed there was no way anyone would ever pay me the money I actually earn today.

But boy was I wrong. Very wrong.

Some people say I was simply lucky. Well, it’s true. But... I worked my ass off like no other.

I gave up gaming. I remember staying up until 3am on a daily basis trying to grow my skill and produce content.

I remember people making fun of me for “trying to be a YouTuber” (from both family and friends). They wouldn’t have guessed I’d ever been reaching 100k subs which I will within a few months.

I did what was unorthodox to use. I dropped out of 4 colleges. I tried to make money on the internet. And little stupid me thought I could be a software developer without a degree.

5 years later... Fortunately, I've been able to help change tens of thousands of lives (if not more).

I’ve built a small brand that has been recognized throughout the world.

And it’s all because I simply kept trying.

I didn’t give up (as much as I wanted to).

I will never tell my children they need college. I’d prefer they didn’t go. I’ll start teaching them how to code as young as 7 years old.

And even if they did want to go, I’d pay for their school in cash (as long as it’s not in a useless degree).

I did not take the normal route and I am sure as hell proud of that.

And after all of this, I now get to live doing my dream job that does not feel like a job whatsoever.

Again... I’m a 4x college dropout and I am sure as hell proud of that. #devLife

Chris Sean
Developer Relations Engineer | New Relic

I'll be speaking at my very first conference next month! I'd really appreciate you signing up here 🙏🙏🙏.