When I was 18, I was sick and tired of education and wanted a break. I was extremely depressed and traumatized by my parents and by my upbringing in a small white conservative backwaters. However, my parents literally bullied me into applying to university - I was so not keen on going that I procrastinated on the applications, didn’t do any research into programs/financial aid and freaked out my parents. They forced me to take out loans for something I didn’t even want. I went to university under duress, traumatized, with depression, and on my own dime.

Fast forward a couple years. I failed the majority of my classes because my heart just wasn’t in it. I was nearly 20K into debt. I told my parents I hated school life and wanted out. They say that nearly everyone stayed in school even if they were miserable to get a career later. Wrong. I dropped out, started a career on my own, and managed to pay off ALL of my debts in 1.5 years during a pandemic recession. I was successful in large part because I’m a very sociable person (more than I ever was any kind of academic talent) and I know a lot of people - which helps with networking & getting opportunities.

So don’t listen to your parents. They’re wrong.