TIFU by dropping out of college to chase my music dreams

Obligatory “this didn’t happen today,” but the consequences are very real.

So, a year ago, I (21M) was in my second year of college, studying something that made my parents proud but made me want to scream internally. I’d been writing and producing music for years on the side, and I started getting some traction online — small gigs, a tiny but loyal following, and people telling me I had potential.

One night, after another long, soul-sucking lecture, I had an epiphany: life is too short to live someone else’s dream. I quit college the next week. Told my parents, told my friends, packed my laptop, my keyboard, and my hard drive, and threw myself full-force into music.

Fast forward to now: I’ve been grinding constantly — producing tracks, networking, performing wherever I can, sometimes for free, sometimes for $20 tips. I’ve gained followers and even got some local gigs. Sounds great, right? Except… reality hits hard.

No steady income. My savings are dwindling. My friends are all graduating, moving into careers, buying houses, while I’m paying $5 for ramen and hoping my gig pays more than my gas money. I miss the stability of school, and sometimes I wonder if I just traded one cage for another, except now it’s self-imposed and completely my responsibility.

My parents are technically supportive but they still subtly remind me that I don’t have a degree. And honestly, I can feel that anxiety creeping in whenever I see job postings, or hear about internships my old classmates are getting.

I don’t regret pursuing music — I live for it, and I love creating. But the combination of financial instability, societal judgment, and fear of failure is a daily grind I wasn’t fully prepared for.

TL;DR: I dropped out of college to chase a music career. I’m doing what I love, but the lack of stability, parental guilt, and financial stress have made me realize that following your dreams is way harder than I thought.