High school was a complete waste of time. I knew it while I was in it, and I know it even more now. The only regret I have in life—literally the only one—is not taking my GED (formerly CHSPE) at 16 instead of 17. That one-year delay was unnecessary, and looking back, I should’ve left the system even earlier.
While still in high school, I started taking classes at Glendale Community College. That was my first taste of how different college would be. Some of it was great, some of it was garbage, and most of it was just a means to an end.
The Classes: Hits, Misses, and Total Bullshit
Anthr 102 - Cultural Anthropology
Took this at 16. Bad idea. Not because the professor was bad—she was actually great—but because anthropology was the last thing I cared about at the time. My dad picked this class for me, and that was mistake #1. Got a B, though, so whatever.
BUSAD 101 - Intro to Business
Now this was more my style. Easy, fun, and actually useful. The professor liked one of my friends so much he gave him a scholarship. Solid class.
SOC 101 - Intro to Sociology
Easy A. Boring as hell. The only thing I remember? The professor got diarrhea during a midterm and hated Trump. That’s it. That’s the legacy of this class.
ART 120 - History of Western Arch to 130
I took this because of a girl. She dropped it. I should have too. Instead, I suffered through it, got a B, and learned absolutely nothing of value.
ENGL 101 & 102 - English Composition & Critical Thinking
Got A’s in both. Don’t remember much. I think we read The Great Gatsby. The biggest highlight was running out to grab tacos during break.
HUMAN 115 - Mythology
Fun class, easy A. The main takeaway? Information gets lost in translation over time. Not worth taking, though.
MUSIC 120 - Music Appreciation
Waste of fucking time. Got a B. Shouldn’t have even been a GE requirement.
GEOG 101 & 111 - Physical Geography & Lab
Another easy A. The professor was chill—he even visited my office later asking for nonprofit advice. Didn’t care for the subject, but it was an easy W.
HIST 118 - U.S. History
The professor was cool, but I still didn’t enjoy it. History just isn’t my thing. Got a B. Needed to study more, but I had better things to do.
MATH 112 - Calculus for Business
A joke. A complete repeat of AP Calc from high school, but easier. I barely paid attention, studied for like an hour before tests, and still had the highest grade in class. Most people dropped it. I got an A.
MATH 136 - Statistics
Easy A. The professor straight-up told me and my friends to stop coming to class because we had the highest grades. We still showed up just to knock out homework. Stats is a joke compared to Calculus.
SPCH 101 - Public Speaking
A breeze. Made presentations on topics I already knew and winged the speeches. Easy A.
ACCTG 101 & 102 - Financial Accounting
First one was easy, got an A. Second one? Got lazy, took a B. Accounting overcomplicates things that QuickBooks already solves.
BUSAD 120 - Business Law I
Take-home exams. Enough said. A.
ECON 101 & 102 - Micro & Macro Economics
Hated both. Aced both. Somehow.
POLS 101 - Political Science
Dropped it. The professor was passionate, but I’m a business major—I don’t have time to pretend politics is my life. Took it later at CPP instead.
Anthr 101 & 111 - Physical Anthropology & Lab
Took these as Pass/No Pass. Should’ve taken them for a grade since I ended with an A. Super boring.
CS/IS 101 - Intro to Computers
A literal joke. A class for people who have never touched a computer. I was born with one in my lap. Easy A.
The Bigger Picture: College is Broken
If there’s one thing my time at GCC taught me, it’s that the college system is fundamentally flawed. The GE requirements are a complete waste of time for anyone who already knows their path. If you’re unsure about what you want to do, sure, college can be a place to explore. But if you have a clear goal? The system punishes you for it.
Most of the classes I took taught me nothing I couldn’t have learned on YouTube or from a good book. The professors were mostly chill, but that doesn’t change the fact that I could have skipped 90% of this and still been just as well off—if not better.
If I had a "skip" button for my entire college experience, I’d press it in a heartbeat. And that feeling only got stronger when I moved on to a four-year university. But that’s a story for another day.
At the end of the day, I got through it, learned what I needed to, and kept it moving. But if there’s one thing I know for sure—it didn’t need to be this long, this expensive, or this inefficient. The system is broken, and unless you know how to game it, it’s just going to waste your time.
And time is the one thing you never get back.