As a Columbia graduate student, I thought an Ivy League degree would guarantee me a job. I was wrong.

Tech Insider : Business
a woman holding a pen, notebook, and coffee cup
The author (not pictured) felt ill-prepared after graduating from an Ivy League school.

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I was accepted into a well-regarded graduate program. I turned down the offer because AI is destroying my desired industry.

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
a woman sitting at her computer and writing in a notebook
The author (not pictured) decided not to enroll in graduate school.

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I quit my corporate job to start a laundry business, now worth millions of dollars. 'Cockroach mode' helped me become a successful entrepreneur.

Tech Insider : Business
Alex Smereczniak in a laundromat
The author first started a laundry business in college.

Courtesy of Alex Smereczniak

After I got my Ph.D., I realized I didn't want to work in that field. I was in financial ruin until I found the right job for me.

Tech Insider : Business
A woman wearing a cap and gown.

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I dropped out of Oxford because my workload was too much, and I had no time to enjoy college. It was the best decision.

Tech Insider : Business
headshot of Graham Price
The author dropped out of Oxford University.

Courtesy of Graham Price

I supported my son when he changed his college major from law to philosophy. His grandparents warned it was a huge mistake.

Tech Insider : Business, Sports
a group of college students in a classroom listening to their professor
The author's son (not pictured) decided to study philosophy.

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I was a low-income student, so college never seemed feasible. That changed when I took a college class as a high schooler.

Tech Insider : Business
a female student with a backpack staring into the camera
The author (not pictured) attended a college class as a high schooler.

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My son is in his first semester in college. I want to give him space, but I also miss talking to him every day.

Tech Insider : Business
a distraught woman leaning on the counter holding her phone
The author (not pictured) is struggling with communicating with her college son.

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My husband and I have two incomes and no kids, so I've opened college savings accounts for my nephew and nieces

Tech Insider : Business, Economy, Travel
two girls holding out jars of money that read
The author is saving for college tuition.

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I'm a single mom with 2 kids in college. My divorce devastated me financially, so I feel guilty I can't help with their tuition.

Tech Insider
a woman on the phone surrounded by a pile of bills
The author, not pictured, can't pay for her kids' college tuition.

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