In September 2012 I began to study for a degree in Computer Science at the University of Manchester. By January time I found myself really not enjoying it there and wanting to leave. I did not have a back up plan and knew if I left I would be unemployed, deciding whether to leave or not was a big decision to make.

I had a brief look into the possibility of getting an IT job without a degree and thought it would be possible and I would be enjoying myself more than at the University. I knew if I stayed I would be there for another 3 years which I really didn’t like the thought of so made the decision to leave. I knew I wanted to get a job in IT, and after looking at job listings I decided to aim for a technical support role in IT (as opposed to software development) as there were many more roles available and generally less qualifications were required. At heart I am a software developer but decided to be realistic since my main goal was to get a job in IT (beggars can’t be choosers!) and began to study for IT exams (COMPTIA A+) to eventually get a job in a technical support role.

I am currently writing this on a train, paid for by the company I now work for. I have gained my dream job working for a major IT company as a software developer, gaining this job makes my decision to leave University, the biggest but best decision of my life.

Ultimately, we only get one chance to live and why waste it doing something you don’t enjoy.  We have to take chances sometimes to get what we want or need. This should obviously be taken with a pinch of salt, everyone  has to work and not everyday can be perfect but if you find everyday is a chore then maybe it is time to take a chance.

When I left University I knew I wanted to get a job in IT since it is what my passion is, and felt capable of getting a job. Luckily, I was able to make the decision to leave without pressure to stay (eg. Financially if it was a job).  If you are in a job you really don’t enjoy, maybe you could start studying during the hours you don’t work towards a job you are passionate about and think you would enjoy. It may be hard working essentially doing maybe twice as much work but as long as you put the work in it will pay off eventually.

I feel like the following speech by Steve Jobs sums it up the best.