WillFaber
New member
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2026
- Messages
- 7
This is gonna be heavy. Fair warning. 
I've been thinking about dropping out for like a month now. Not in a dramatic "I'm gonna burn my textbooks" way. More in a quiet "lying in bed at 3am staring at the ceiling" way.
The backstory:
Film major. Junior year. I used to LOVE making movies. Like, obsessed. I made short films in high school, entered festivals, won a couple small awards. Coming to college felt like the next step.
But now? I haven't made anything creative in almost a year. Just papers. Endless papers. Analyzing other people's movies instead of making my own.
The things making me want to leave:
Did you stay? Did you leave? What did you decide and how do you feel about it now?
I'm not looking for someone to tell me what to do. Just... stories. Perspectives. Knowing I'm not alone in this spiral.
If you read this far, thanks. Means a lot.
"Not all those who wander are lost" but also some of us are VERY lost. Just saying.
I've been thinking about dropping out for like a month now. Not in a dramatic "I'm gonna burn my textbooks" way. More in a quiet "lying in bed at 3am staring at the ceiling" way.
The backstory:
Film major. Junior year. I used to LOVE making movies. Like, obsessed. I made short films in high school, entered festivals, won a couple small awards. Coming to college felt like the next step.
But now? I haven't made anything creative in almost a year. Just papers. Endless papers. Analyzing other people's movies instead of making my own.
The things making me want to leave:
- Debt: I'm taking out loans and I keep thinking "what if I graduate and can't get a job in film??" Then I'm just in debt with a degree I didn't even enjoy getting.
- The pressure: Everything is graded. Everything is judged. Even my creative ideas have to fit a rubric. It's killing the joy.
- The comparison game: Everyone else seems so confident. They talk about networking and internships and "building their brand." I just wanna make art, man.
- Mental health: I'm tired all the time. Not sleepy-tired, but soul-tired. Nothing feels fun anymore. Not even movies, which used to be my escape.
- The "what if": What if I just left and worked at a coffee shop and made indie films on weekends with friends?? Would I be happier?? Poorer but happier??
- My mom would be so disappointed (first gen college student pressure)
- I'm already halfway through (sunk cost fallacy much??)
- Sometimes a class actually inspires me and I remember why I started
- The idea of quitting feels like failure even though logically it's not
Did you stay? Did you leave? What did you decide and how do you feel about it now?
I'm not looking for someone to tell me what to do. Just... stories. Perspectives. Knowing I'm not alone in this spiral.
If you read this far, thanks. Means a lot.
"Not all those who wander are lost" but also some of us are VERY lost. Just saying.