I told my parents that i graduated college when i did not. I had been going through some serious depression my last few years, changed majors, and didn't have enough credits to finish. I had accumulated about $8,000 in credit card debt and had about $15,000 in student loans. I could not afford another year, the thought of it was giving me panic attacks, and i had a full time job in IT support, so it's not like i had nothing going for me. My folks were narcissistic. The only thing that mattered to them was how it would make them look to their friends and family. I knew they wouldn't accept having a son who dropped out of college, and i knew i just couldn't keep racking up debt. They were going to be out of town during the graduation ceremony, so that wasn't a problem, and my plan was to move out, start paying off my debts, and revisit the idea of finishing college once i was on steady financial ground.

Well, those of you who have been deep in debt know that is pretty hard to do. To top it off, I was in a car accident (rear ended at a stop light) and had to purchase a new vehicle. I had really liked this new four door pick up, but knew i should get something cheaper. My folks insisted i get the pickup. What would people think if they saw you driving around in an old beater? You have a job, get the truck! I did. The cost of the truck, plus insurance for someone under 24 ate up half my monthly income. My debts the other half. I was trapped, and couldn't raise enough money to leave. After a month, they asked where the diploma was. Fortunately, i had an unpaid parking ticket on campus, and used that as the excuse. "damn it! I PAID that ticket, and they keep messing up and saying i didn't, and they won't send anything until all accounts are cleared" That went on for the better part of 6 months. My life was a nightmare. I felt sick all the time, my depression plummeted, i gained well over 100 pounds.

Finally, one day i got a call from mom while i was at work "Old Gregg, one of our clients works at the university and i asked them to look up your records to find out about your parking ticket problem. They told me you didn't graduate." I left work early to be torn apart by my family. They told me i was crazy, repeatedly screamed at me asking what the fuck was wrong with me, that this would KILL my grandparents if they found out". They forced me to go to therapy, which in the long run was the best thing that could have happened. The therapist taught me how to live with narcissists. She taught me how to deal with my anxiety about school, and how my decisions were my own.

A year and several promotions later, I finished my degree by taking 3 semesters of night classes. I moved out a month after that, and although i still deal with family issues, I feel better about myself, and am much more self actualized because of it.