Trad: how to become successful without higher education

Writer and designer Barbara Morrigan (@mementomorrigan) tweets an interesting thread about his creative path, finding himself and trying to graduate from at least some university in Russia. In a few days, her story has collected tens of thousands of likes - all the experiences described were very close to many users. Here are the highlights of the thread:

I promised you a thread about why I have no higher education, and here it is!

Can you imagine how awful it would be to give a 16-year-old teenager with zero life experience to make a decision that will determine his entire future destiny? Oh wait. This is how it happens ...

- Lizard with Gagarin's tattoo (@mementomorrigan) February 17, 2020

In the 6th grade, I moved from a computer lyceum to a regular school. As a child, I was very versatile: I wanted to be both an auto mechanic, and a system administrator, and a director, and I also really loved to draw, write, play in the theater and play musical instruments. But one day I had to choose ...

- Lizard with Gagarin's tattoo (@mementomorrigan) February 17, 2020

Moreover, you choose not even at the age of 16, but at 14, when you are in the 9th grade, and your thoughts are mainly occupied by computer games, anime, high-top sneakers, KiSh songs and existential suffering on the theme “Why the boy Zhora is not me loves?"

But no, go to the special class, get ready for the exam!

- Lizard with Gagarin's tattoo (@mementomorrigan) February 17, 2020

When it came time to choose, my mother made the decision that I am entering the philological faculty. And then they made me believe in this decision.

No, it was not open pressure: it was just that they tactically shit in my ears about the fact that with a classical education all doors will be open for me (lol)

- Lizard with Gagarin's tattoo (@mementomorrigan) February 17, 2020

I barely passed the session, writing off as if not to myself, listening to all the audiobooks on the program for a week, while playing Sims in order not to go crazy, turning into zombies from fatigue and meaninglessness happening.

And finally I admitted to myself: this is not mine.
This was the beginning of Hell.

- Lizard with Gagarin's tattoo (@mementomorrigan) February 17, 2020

At 18, you feel like you're already an adult. But the dean calls your mom to tell you that you want to drop out. Mom goes into hysterics. The family starts to bully you. They call it an idiot. Considered rubbish. Disappointment. Shame.

And you start to go crazy with pain and fear.

- Lizard with Gagarin's tattoo (@mementomorrigan) February 17, 2020

I honestly tried to convince myself.

"Everyone can, but you can't?"
"So much time has already been spent, would you mind losing it?"

But I understood that the time that I could lose if I don't leave is much more valuable than what has already been spent.

- Lizard with Gagarin's tattoo (@mementomorrigan) February 17, 2020

Through sweat, blood, tears and dead nerves, I was still able to drop out.

And, of course, I immediately ran to enter another place. Think about your life? Give yourself a break? Work? Yes, no, some kind of nonsense. I DIDN'T WOULD NOT STUDY)))) 00

- Lizard with Gagarin's tattoo (@mementomorrigan) February 17, 2020

And I ran to the Samara Academy of Culture to become a director.

The idea was good: I have always adored the theater and wanted to write scripts and stage them.

It was very exciting to do it, and for a while I even felt like I was in my place.

- Lizard with Gagarin's tattoo (@mementomorrigan) February 17, 2020

But with the theatrical, my love story ended even faster: a couple of months were enough.

In all honesty, I will say that the Academy of Culture in Samara is still a cesspool, but I had no complaints about training.

The complaints were against me and my personality, which was revealed in an unexpected way.

- Lizard with Gagarin's tattoo (@mementomorrigan) February 17, 2020

After dropping out of directing, I started looking for work. It became clear to me that studying does not add up, and I cannot find myself. As a hobby, I drew and photographed a lot, and I was lucky to get into a photo studio as a retoucher. They threw me there for money, but the story is not about that ...

- Lizard with Gagarin's tattoo (@mementomorrigan) February 17, 2020

Then the author of the thread told how her mother did not stop trying to persuade her to get an education. And you will not believe, but Barbara returned to the philology department, but already to the paid correspondence department.

Why did I go for this?

I was scared. I could not come to terms with the fact that I would have to survive without a "crust".
In addition, the specialty was called "Applied Philology", and at least they began to teach us more useful things related to publishing and a little advertising.

- Lizard with Gagarin's tattoo (@mementomorrigan) February 17, 2020

By that time, I was already on fire with design and was trying to find something that would help me a little bit in this direction.

As a result, I got a job printing diplomas. I wanted to believe that at least once a month I would be asked to design a postcard or flyer.

"Come on Monday"

- Lizard with Gagarin's tattoo (@mementomorrigan) February 17, 2020

I was walking home from the interview and did not understand why my eyes were again welling up with tears? After all, I found a job, now I will be able to rent my apartment, combine all this with my studies and seem to not even completely step over myself ...

And then something clicked in my head for the first time.

- Lizard with Gagarin's tattoo (@mementomorrigan) February 17, 2020

"It shouldn't be like this," I thought. A person should not experience such torment on his life path.

And I made a knight's move: I opened a list of all the design studios in my city and began to send letters with the idea: "I am so sorry that I am ready to work for a pittance, just teach me."

- Lizard with Gagarin's tattoo (@mementomorrigan) February 17, 2020

And you know what?
They answered me.

Even with my modest skills, there was a company that was looking for these burning eyes. This is how my first year as a web designer began.

I continued to study in absentia at the philology department, until the second time clicked in my head.

One person came to our city ...

- Lizard with Gagarin's tattoo (@mementomorrigan) February 17, 2020

This man's name was Igor Shtang.

The manager from our studio and I collected the last pennies and rushed to his course "Typography and layout". And this was one of the most important moments on my creative path.

For two days in a row I sat for 8 hours and listened with my mouth open ...

- Lizard with Gagarin's tattoo (@mementomorrigan) February 17, 2020

And that's when I dropped out of my third university.

After some time, I again stepped on the already familiar rake and tried to enroll in a correspondence course in St. Petersburg. Now with a degree in Applied Informatics in Design. I found my calling and wanted to associate education with it.

- Lizard with Gagarin's tattoo (@mementomorrigan) February 17, 2020

But I didn’t have time to study there. I studied physics with a tutor a couple of times to overcome stupid and unnecessary first-year subjects, but everything was changed by the event, after which my life turned 180 degrees.

I received an offer in Warsaw.

- Lizard with Gagarin's tattoo (@mementomorrigan) February 17, 2020

Now the author of the tweets works in a top Polish design studio, many of whose employees have never completed their studies anywhere or received a higher education. They mastered their profession themselves.

Is it difficult to work without a diploma?

No, don't give a shit. In our field, you can live your whole life even under the bridge if you have talent, knowledge and a good portfolio. And this is far from the only area where this is possible. But, unfortunately, this is not the case everywhere.

- Lizard with Gagarin's tattoo (@mementomorrigan) February 17, 2020

In conclusion, Barbara rightly noted that sometimes in life it is better to take a break and listen to yourself, than to do something that takes all your strength and makes you suffer. The rule “I’ll unlearn it for a tick, and then we’ll see” is unlikely to work, because you simply steal time from yourself and can go out forever without revealing your potential.

How important do you think it is to get a higher education today? Share your opinion in the comments.