I planned on dropping out and found myself back at school - we had on path to profitability and California costs a lot more than Illinois. When my parents start

I planned on dropping out and found myself back at school - we had on path to profitability and California costs a lot more than Illinois. When my parents started getting collection letters from my university and we were running out of money (strange how $20,000 doesn't get you that far), I knew it was time to go back. Of course, my family couldn't afford to send me to school without loans, so ymmv. I found that the time I spent in the trenches actually made me appreciate school MORE. When I got back, my desire to learn was back. I don't think I would have appreciated school as much if I hadn't just gotten out there. I've decided to count my time in the valley as "studying abroad" ;)