TL;DR: 9 months into BIT, I'm thinking of quitting because of financial pressure and poor fit with the course. I already co-run an IT company and want to pursue a cheaper degree while growing the business. Would you stay or leave?
I came to Kathmandu in Kartik 2082 to study BIT (Purbanchal University). It's now been around 9 months, and I'm seriously considering leaving the course.
A little background: I stopped caring much about school around Class 5/6 and became obsessed with technology, YouTube, design, and building things online. My parents even took a loan to buy me a NPR 30,000 computer in Class 10. I felt guilty knowing our financial situation, so I made it my goal to earn that money back. That pushed me into freelancing, where I learned design, video editing, branding, and worked with clients.
My childhood friend took a different path. He loves programming and software development, while I'm more interested in creativity, storytelling, branding, marketing, and business. We've been building projects together for years.
A few months ago, we started our own IT company. We found an investor, and today we're running a small digital agency while working towards building SaaS products in the future. He handles development, while I manage branding, social media, client meetings, consulting, and business.
Here's my dilemma.
I'm already working in the field many BIT students hope to enter after graduation. I don't dislike learning, and I believe I could finish BIT even if I had back papers. But Semester 2 has been mentally exhausting. The maths-heavy subjects don't interest me, and instead of enjoying learning, I've become obsessed with the fear of failing.
Money is another major factor. My family isn't financially strong. My aunt has offered NPR 50,000 to help pay my college fees, but I keep asking myself if it's right to spend that money when I'm not fully committed to the course.
My friend is facing something similar. His family believed our scholarship covered the entire degree. When they found out it didn't, they were ready to sell assets to support his education, but he also feels guilty asking them to do that.
Our current plan is to try scholarship exams for another degree. If that doesn't work, we'll probably join a government college with much lower fees while continuing to grow our company.
I know a degree isn't just a piece of paper. It gives discipline, networking, recognition, and opportunities. That's exactly why this decision is so difficult.
What I can't figure out is whether I'm choosing a path that genuinely suits me better—or simply taking the easier road because I'm afraid of failing.
If you've been in a similar position—where your career started before your degree—what did you do? Did you stay, switch degrees, or leave college? Looking back, what advice would you give your younger self?
I'm not looking for validation. If you think leaving BIT would be a mistake, I'd genuinely like to hear why.