I need a little life advice right now.

[sweet wicking action]

so, its been months since i posted anything at all. but i still lurk with a passion, and have always appreciated your posts and thinking and sarcasm. both before and after you showed me exactly why i'm not a good poker player. and i think it only took one sentence.

however, i do have some experience with taking time off of school to pursue other interests. i believe that time off from school usually goes very well, or very poorly. In your case, noting that you've been spending your recent time in class zoning out and scratching your balls, I would usually recommend that you stay in school, and try to find that focus. However, since you have a specific plan as to what you want to do when you take time off, I would lean strongly in that direction.

You are 19 and a junior. You have plenty of time to finish school, and you don't seem like finishing school would be a struggle for you from an academic standpoint. But, if you're having motivational issues, then school will be disappointing to you. From personal experience, there isn't anything worse than trying to force yourself through school when you aren't committed to the idea. And that includes working for minimum wage, 60 hours a week, after dropping out for a while.

A lot of people are saying that getting a degree is a hugely important part of life, and becoming an adult, and all that stuff that people try to do around this time in life. I wholly believe this to be true. However, I do not believe that you need to rush yourself through the process. College is a wonderful experience socially and academically. There is no reason for you to not extract full enjoyment from it in both of these areas. I assume that you're studying something that is of interest to you. If for some reason, that isn't true at the moment, then take some time. When you want to go back to class, go back to class. Be comforted by the fact that there is something that you consider worthwhile that you can be doing while you aren't in class. Don't lose track of the fact that you want to be a student. Ask yourself if your goal at school is to graduate with a degree, or to prepare yourself for life after school.