Wasted A year or two of my life

I'm more or less in a similar situation. If I applied myself in high school I could have gotten straight A's, but didn't care enough to put in the work, so graduated with a B-. I got accepted into a school that I frankly shouldn't have made it into, but instead of taking it as an opportunity, I slacked off and dropped out after one semester.

However, never forget. There's no such thing as a wasted year. Ever. In those years you learned about what you don't want to do. You've learned more about what makes you tick and what bores you, and you gained life experience.

I'm still out of college but I at least have a steady full time job, and I've had some wonderful experiences that somebody in college could never enjoy. You may not be following the traditional model, but it doesn't mean it's not for you. Try some things out. See what interests you. Maybe traditional college isn't the answer and a trade school would be better suited for you? Maybe there's something you're good at now that you could find a full time job in.

The important thing is that you're young. Use that to your advantage. Keep yourself busy and the rest will fall into place.

Edit: At the person suggesting a job at Jagex, LOL. While that would be wonderful, and Jagex is apparently one of the best companies to work for, they recruit people straight out of Cambridge University. Their employees are brilliant, and while I'm not saying the OP wouldn't be capable of it, nearly every single employee, if not all, have college degrees.

 

The army is a lot of people's immediate decision when they get bored of their mundane life... I personally think you should do what motivates you. Whatever your passion may be, follow it.

 

Police(get into swat)
(content developer for Jagex)
Firefighter