I dropped out of HS to pursue electronic music

[jacqueslacouth]

gone

[ontol]

[trimph1]

All my mates who left school at the end of Year 10 and did appreticeships are significantly wealthier now than the mugs (myself included) who went to Uni….Tradies are such thieving scumbags

They just restarted the apprenticeship deal here, after letting the HS drop the ball on lot of hands on courses.

[djanthonyw]

I think that a big problem is that most people are brainwashed by the system, thinking they "learn" by going to school. This problem is more with college than high school, but the problem is still present with high school.

There are advertisements out there that are basically saying to parents that they need to start saving for their kids college fund at the time of their child birth, just so the banks can have that money and then the parents can be out thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The only difference is that when it comes to college, most people are paying for it. I now have a job in the field of web and graphic design. Most people think they need to go to college for it. I don't have any student loans.

The system brainwashes people and wants them to be poor by default. Granted, if someone wants to get into a field where there is no way around having that piece of paper, they don't have a choice (Teaching, Healthcare, ect..) I can understand this, but the point is that school does not equal learning. School = conforming and training for being a "good citizen and obeying the system".

[robogone]

Don't forget that at one time people with degrees DID get jobs that paid well. The difference isn't that degrees don't get you jobs anymore, it's that there are far more colleges now and far more majors.

If you get a degree in science, math, computing, engineering - you can pretty much guarantee you can walk into a job and get a hell of a lot more than minimum wage. However, if you major in something with very limited scope to get a good job - you're unlikely to be one of those high earners.

Also, there are a lot more for profit colleges out there now, most of whom have very low graduation rates (check out the graduation rates for University of Phoenix - they're appalling!).

A well paid job isn't about going to college, it's about learning something that will get you a job, and in many cases that includes going to a good college and majoring in something that is in demand.

As for a high school education, it might not get you a good job if you live in an area with few good jobs, but it's going to put you a hell of a lot further ahead of someone with a GED or no education at all.

[Hink]

I have been an educator for over 20 years and now hold the position of Deputy Principal in my local High School. I am confronted with this sort of question on an almost daily basis.

Look, it may fly in the face of conventional (old) thinking, but just because you leave the traditional classroom does not mean that your educational opportunities are cut off and finished for life. You can always go back to formal education later in life if things don't work out. Sure, you could go back to school and get a "sensible" job working in an office, bored off your tits until the day you die, looking back on your life and saying "I wish I had….", "I wonder if…..", "You know, maybe I could……"…….OR, you could give it a red hot go, work your ass off, try, try and keep trying, don't take no for an answer and you may just realise your dream (hey, you may not, but if you don't try, you DEFINITELY will not).

In Australia we have a saying…."Have a crack son"

And yes, I have teenagers of my own, both pursuing their dreams with my encouragement and both doing home schooling where they are receiving an exceptionally high quality education.

shoulda, woulda coulda is a two way street...do you not think there are people who went after their dreams and failed that say the same thing "I wish I had stayed in school", "I wonder if I could have done both" (I know a radical thought, maybe pursue higher education in music)...there is a middle ground where you can do both

Do you not have opportunities to continue your education as mature age students in the USA….I have friends and relatives who are in their 30s and 40s who have returned to full time education (Australia and UK) and are successfully re-inventing themselves and their careers.

absolutely, in fact most people change careers (not just jobs) several times in life. I myself went back to school in my 30s after being in the service then running around chasing my dreams. I know many more who have done the same thing, I have yet to meet one who has said it's as easy as you paint it out to be. Sorry to say this but when you do go back to school after a long period of time out of school it is much more difficult, especially at first. I suspect you will find the numbers are not in the favor of those who do so. You cannot just base life on what some other people do and assume if it worked for them it will work for you.

You said that your kids are home schooled and going after their dreams and that is awesome...I mentioned a middle ground, you seem to say you have found it but are disputing whether or not that middle ground is good? Sorry but that's a bit confusing.

Back to my point about changing careers or shall we say changing course, do you have any idea how many of our dreams change as we age? Teenagers are not always well equipped to make such life choices. This I have experience in, at 14 years old I went to a technical high school and took machining as a trade, I put myself in the position of having to ask myself "what do I want to commit my life to" at the age of 14...I have never worked in a machine shop (but given the chance to go back and change that choice I would not because I use what I learned everyday). My senior year of high school, half way through I was enlisted in the U.S. Army (but I did not go into the service until a graduated).

When I went into the service I arrived at basic training and was removed from the rest of the trainees, I was given three days of testing (started with around 30 of us, ended with three of us left) at end of which I was given the opportunity to go to West Point. However that would mean 1 year OCS, 4 years college at West Point and for that I would have had to sign up for ten years of military service. At the time I was already committed to another bad choice, I was engaged...so I turned down the offer. I was not comfortable saying that I wanted to make the military my career.

You see dreams are great, but do not always look at dreams in a rational way. What we perceive as a dream when faced with reality of that dream we may find it was not what it was cracked up to be. Again I have experience in this because I started playing guitar at the age of 12 and of course we all had dreams of being big rock stars.

Well, that dream was not a good one for me, as I grew I learned that my passion was music and not fame and fortune. Today I absolutely live a dream, back then I had no real skills in music, no concept of what I was doing, no source to record music in a professional way and was a child. Now I have more than I could have ever even believed possible and this works for me very well. Then I look around at those who did live their dreams from my generation and see some examples of what my life could have been.

Take SRV for example, it could be said that living that dream was what killed him. After all if he wasn't the big rock star he would have been getting on that chopper after the show. But at the same time perhaps he would prefer to have gone out on a high note, not my call to make. but can examine my own life, who I have grown into, my mistakes, my accomplishments, compare them to what happened to others and come to the conclusion that at least for me things worked out for the best. My passion continues to grow.

I think there is a middle ground, plain and simple...there is nothing wrong with finding that middle ground that works best for you. YMMV and that's fine, because the direction my life took is the direction I took and your direction (or others) should be different....however the last thing I would do is close too many doors behind me...

[Hink]

I think we need to keep in mind that there are those who have succeeded without HS/college/university whatever...they are not as common mind but still...they exist....

I think we should keep in mind that no single formula works for all, you're right I do know people who did very well without graduating high school. But that was then and this is now

[jacqueslacouth]

gone

[Hink]

I think that a big problem is that most people are brainwashed by the system, thinking they "learn" by going to school. This problem is more with college than high school, but the problem is still present with high school.

There are advertisements out there that are basically saying to parents that they need to start saving for their kids college fund at the time of their child birth, just so the banks can have that money and then the parents can be out thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The only difference is that when it comes to college, most people are paying for it. I now have a job in the field of web and graphic design. Most people think they need to go to college for it. I don't have any student loans.

The system brainwashes people and wants them to be poor by default. Granted, if someone wants to get into a field where there is no way around having that piece of paper, they don't have a choice (Teaching, Healthcare, ect..) I can understand this, but the point is that school does not equal learning. School = conforming and training for being a "good citizen and obeying the system".

I agree, I am often faced with people my age that seem to think they are too old to learn something new. You're 100% right, we only get a small percentage of our life's education in a classroom. But I also agree with robojam about high school.

You and I live close enough that we see the same ads on TV for the same schools, at the age of 54 I now understand that when you see those ads, those are the careers you might want to avoid. While the dropout rate of some of these schools is high, they are also flooding the market with those who do graduate. Unfortunately I know this all too well as well...a member of my family and his other half are in serious debt (her's was empire beauty school, his was bar tending school). His was cheap, hers was ridiculous and she never finished school and last time I checked after over a year he could not find a job as a bartender. Whether she graduated or not empire will get their money she agreed to pay. That's what their business is, like Mike said "for profit schools". I am sue you have seen where some of these schools in the Boston area have just closed up their doors. One just within the last few months in fact.

It's great things worked out well for you, but that does not mean it will for everyone...there is no one blanket you can throw over a topic like this

[djanthonyw]

I think that a big problem is that most people are brainwashed by the system, thinking they "learn" by going to school. This problem is more with college than high school, but the problem is still present with high school.

There are advertisements out there that are basically saying to parents that they need to start saving for their kids college fund at the time of their child birth, just so the banks can have that money and then the parents can be out thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The only difference is that when it comes to college, most people are paying for it. I now have a job in the field of web and graphic design. Most people think they need to go to college for it. I don't have any student loans.

The system brainwashes people and wants them to be poor by default. Granted, if someone wants to get into a field where there is no way around having that piece of paper, they don't have a choice (Teaching, Healthcare, ect..) I can understand this, but the point is that school does not equal learning. School = conforming and training for being a "good citizen and obeying the system".

I agree, I am often faced with people my age that seem to think they are too old to learn something new. You're 100% right, we only get a small percentage of our life's education in a classroom. But I also agree with robojam about high school.

You and I live close enough that we see the same ads on TV for the same schools, at the age of 54 I now understand that when you see those ads, those are the careers you might want to avoid. While the dropout rate of some of these schools is high, they are also flooding the market with those who do graduate. Unfortunately I know this all too well as well...a member of my family and his other half are in serious debt (her's was empire beauty school, his was bar tending school). His was cheap, hers was ridiculous and she never finished school and last time I checked after over a year he could not find a job as a bartender. Whether she graduated or not empire will get their money she agreed to pay. That's what their business is, like Mike said "for profit schools". I am sue you have seen where some of these schools in the Boston area have just closed up their doors. One just within the last few months in fact.

It's great things worked out well for you, but that does not mean it will for everyone...there is no one blanket you can throw over a topic like this

As for a high school education, it might not get you a good job if you live in an area with few good jobs, but it's going to put you a hell of a lot further ahead of someone with a GED or no education at all.

Well, here's the thing. As long as someone is intelligent and presents his / herself well, an employer is usually not even going to check whether or not the candidate graduated high school.

[awol9000]

Future looks ok for now

Anything after high school is better.

Screw collage, if school isn't your thing there's always the Trades. I know many DJ/Producer/Carpenters (myself included).

[Hink]

I think that a big problem is that most people are brainwashed by the system, thinking they "learn" by going to school. This problem is more with college than high school, but the problem is still present with high school.

There are advertisements out there that are basically saying to parents that they need to start saving for their kids college fund at the time of their child birth, just so the banks can have that money and then the parents can be out thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The only difference is that when it comes to college, most people are paying for it. I now have a job in the field of web and graphic design. Most people think they need to go to college for it. I don't have any student loans.

The system brainwashes people and wants them to be poor by default. Granted, if someone wants to get into a field where there is no way around having that piece of paper, they don't have a choice (Teaching, Healthcare, ect..) I can understand this, but the point is that school does not equal learning. School = conforming and training for being a "good citizen and obeying the system".

I agree, I am often faced with people my age that seem to think they are too old to learn something new. You're 100% right, we only get a small percentage of our life's education in a classroom. But I also agree with robojam about high school.

You and I live close enough that we see the same ads on TV for the same schools, at the age of 54 I now understand that when you see those ads, those are the careers you might want to avoid. While the dropout rate of some of these schools is high, they are also flooding the market with those who do graduate. Unfortunately I know this all too well as well...a member of my family and his other half are in serious debt (her's was empire beauty school, his was bar tending school). His was cheap, hers was ridiculous and she never finished school and last time I checked after over a year he could not find a job as a bartender. Whether she graduated or not empire will get their money she agreed to pay. That's what their business is, like Mike said "for profit schools". I am sue you have seen where some of these schools in the Boston area have just closed up their doors. One just within the last few months in fact.

It's great things worked out well for you, but that does not mean it will for everyone...there is no one blanket you can throw over a topic like this

As for a high school education, it might not get you a good job if you live in an area with few good jobs, but it's going to put you a hell of a lot further ahead of someone with a GED or no education at all.

Well, here's the thing. As long as someone is intelligent and presents his / herself well, an employer is usually not even going to check whether or not the candidate graduated high school.

does it matter if they check? Every job application I have ever filled out they ask about education, every resume I have written/seen lists one's education so what it sounds like what you are saying is as long as they are trusting you enough to tell the truth you might just as well lie? I guess if that's how you feel but sorry, for me deception is out of the question...you never know when that deceit will come back and bite you in ass. Maybe some of the lower paying jobs they might not check, and to be honest if you have a degree or other schooling on your resume they may not check to see if you graduated high school because if you have the college degree that trumps the diploma. So what then? You lie about your college experience as well? I wouldn't roll those dice, I would go on the assumption they are going to check everything you put on an application...but that's just me, I learned young I'm the guy who gets caught when he bends the rules

[bftucker]

If you are just passing time in HS, I recommend that you drop out. If you are like me, a couple years in the dishroom washing dishes for 8 hours a day with Mrs. Bowen and Ms. Ederer and you too may be ready to take education more seriously! And you will have a work history demonstrating your reliability.

Seriously...if you are not learning, you shouldn't be wasting your time in the educational warehouse.

[experimental.crow]

why yes , I would like fries with that ...

[zerocrossing]

Here's the other thing. I thought I wanted to be a professional touring musician... Until I did it. It was horrible. Except for the music, I hated everything about it.