So you did the d**n thing. You finally took the plunge and dropped out of college before you got that piece of paper that’s “validation” to potential employers that would offer you a crap salary.

So now what? You probably have a lot of people (including yourself) wondering what your next move is and how you’re going to validate your decision to quit school.

Focus on you

Don’t get distracted by other people telling you that you’ve made a mistake, you won’t be successful, or any other negative BS. This is your life, not theirs. You don’t have time to be worrying about what other people think so stick in your ear buds and put your blinders on.

Don’t be naive

Please do not respond to a hater by saying, “well Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates were both college dropouts and look at them!” The likelihood of you starting the next billion-dollar tech company that will take over the globe is real slim. Can you be successful? Of course! Can you build something great and go far in your career? Duh! But comparing yourself to tech giants that dropped out of Harvard makes you look naive and unrealistic.

Fake it ‘til you make it

Seriously. Psychology Today reported on a study that proved it’s a good strategy. People that were self confident, dominant and gave the impression that they were competent were actually perceived as more competent than those that didn’t, even if they were incorrect. So find a role model, exemplify their best traits, and fake it ‘til you make it, girl!

Always move forward

Even if you’re not exactly sure what your path to success looks like, or even what you want to find success in, make sure you continue to move forward. Keep learning, keep pushing your limits, keep reaching. This goes for everyone, even if they have a shiny degree from a top university. Every day you are stagnant is a step you take backwards, farther away from reaching success.

Self-educate

We’re living in 2018 where all the knowledge of the world is sitting in the palm of your hand. If you sit down and focus, you can learn a lot from reading blogs and books, and listening to podcasts. Seriously, how does our generation not know how to do everything? It’s all at our fingertips! Also, align yourself with smart people doing big things and learn from them. A great mentor can be a total game changer for your life and career, regardless of whether or not you graduated with a college degree.

Find your passion

A lot of people change majors at least once, if not multiple times in college. And a lot more people end up working in an area that they didn’t go to school for. Why? Because who actually knows what they want to do for the rest of their life when their 18?! No one, but shout out to the small percentage of people that did and stuck with it for 40 years. So take this time to try new things and find your passion. And guess what? It’s ok if you change your mind 10 times!

Set goals

You don’t need to have everything figured out. Most people don’t. But you do need to set realistic goals for yourself and have something you can work toward. Earning $1 million dollars is a great goal, but have smaller goals that will lead you to that big goal. Setting SMART goals are the best way to see results and reach them:

- Specific (simple, sensible, significant)

- Measurable (meaningful, motivating)

- Achievable (agreed, attainable)

- Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based)

- Time-bound (time-based, time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive)

Take risks

You might have to take some big risks to reach those goals. You might be the only one that believes in you and you might fail, but you might just make it. That leap of faith could be exactly what you needed to make your dreams come true. It won’t be easy but it might just be worth it.

Want some tips on being the total girl boss you’re capable of becoming? Check out our post: 6 tips for the up-and-coming girl boss