It seems to me that the actual problem here is depression. And an important question is whether your model (school will make you depressed, anything else will make you happy) is correct. If it is, then obviously you should drop out, because no diploma is better than diploma+suicide.
But it seems to me that you ignore the possibility of addressing the depression while staying at school, by doing something differently. For example, virtual classes suck, because you spend a lot of time alone. But maybe some of your classmates have the same problem, and some of them might be willing to meet in person, either after the classes, or maybe even some form of “coworking” where you would sit next to each other and watch the same lesson together.
If you think that school is mindless obedience training, wait until you experience JIRA tickets and daily “agile” meetings. Spending 8.5 hours at job, plus an hour or two of commute, means that you leave your home in the morning and return in the evening… how many days of vacation do you get in USA each year? anyway, the latest trend is “unlimited PTO” which in practice means even less… now keep doing this 5 days a week, for 50 years. On the other hand, it’s not like you can actually avoid this by staying at school...
Would it make sense to start working on your big project while staying at school? That way, you could get some experience and a diploma, too. If the school doesn’t leave you enough time and energy for your own projects, I would guess it will only get worse at a job. Maybe you could start some project together with your classmates.
No matter how you decide, whether you stay or leave—stay in contact with your current classmates. It is called “networking” and it is how many people get their best jobs.
It seems to me that the actual problem here is depression. And an important question is whether your model (school will make you depressed, anything else will make you happy) is correct. If it is, then obviously you should drop out, because no diploma is better than diploma+suicide.
But it seems to me that you ignore the possibility of addressing the depression while staying at school, by doing something differently. For example, virtual classes suck, because you spend a lot of time alone. But maybe some of your classmates have the same problem, and some of them might be willing to meet in person, either after the classes, or maybe even some form of “coworking” where you would sit next to each other and watch the same lesson together.
If you think that school is mindless obedience training, wait until you experience JIRA tickets and daily “agile” meetings. Spending 8.5 hours at job, plus an hour or two of commute, means that you leave your home in the morning and return in the evening… how many days of vacation do you get in USA each year? anyway, the latest trend is “unlimited PTO” which in practice means even less… now keep doing this 5 days a week, for 50 years. On the other hand, it’s not like you can actually avoid this by staying at school...
Would it make sense to start working on your big project while staying at school? That way, you could get some experience and a diploma, too. If the school doesn’t leave you enough time and energy for your own projects, I would guess it will only get worse at a job. Maybe you could start some project together with your classmates.
No matter how you decide, whether you stay or leave—stay in contact with your current classmates. It is called “networking” and it is how many people get their best jobs.