Last year after nearly two years of being a college drop-out I re-enrolled in classes at Saginaw Valley State University.

In two years I had learned about myself and life. I learned what I really wanted to do with my career and learned how hard it really is to enter the workforce without any skills or education. I became a Certified Nursing Assistant and learned how hard that job really is mentally and physically. I gained a lot of respect for the people who do that for a career because I learned it just wasn't for me.

Long hours and back-breaking work helped make my decision to come back to SVSU.

When I dropped out I really didn't care about school. I began school with the goal to be a teacher. After taking the intro course to education I found that I wasn't cut out to work with children. I tried to take some other classes, but nothing interested me and I didn't know my own path.

What really drove me to leave college was not knowing my path. I didn't have any reason to take classes if I thought they weren't taking me anywhere. After two long years of registering then dropping all my classes because I didn't have the motivation to do them I finally stuck with my classes and found a major I absolutely love.

This past year I took classes in professional and technical writing and have really grown as a person and a writer. I learned that there is a job out there for everyone and that you shouldn't quit looking when your first option doesn't work out. After dropping out and coming back I appreciate my education much more. I experienced life without higher education and my career options were severely limited.

Excluding skilled trades, it's difficult to find a job that pays well without any education. Without training or education, jobs don't pay as well and it's difficult to live off minimum wage or slightly above. I now look at education as an investment in my future. I learned to appreciate that I have the privilege to attend a four-year university and attain a bachelor's degree. Not everyone gets the chance and throwing that away in the first place was foolish of me.

However, I do not regret taking time off from college to discover what I really needed out of life to be happy.

I learned more about myself than I could have if I had simply kept on with the teaching program despite being unhappy in it. Complacency is never the answer and taking the jump first to leave school was vital in creating the college student I am now.

I don't necessarily recommend leaving school for two years after your first year and a half of college because watching all your high school friends graduate when you still have 2 years left is bogus, however it is a better option than spending money on classes you are going to put half effort in and not want to be in. I am more motivated now than I was entering my third semester of college (which I never finished) and I receive better grades. What it really boils down to is that I want to be here and understand fully how lucky I am to be here.