Poll: Dropping out of high school?

[zelda2fanboy]

So like many Americans, I'm in my mid 20s, I have a four year degree, and I have a shit job making minimum wage. Never had a raise in nearly three years, while getting to experience the joys of painful, filthy, and physically demanding manual labor, combined with depression-inducing and anxiety ridden horrible customer service. Naturally, I'm looking for another job, but I haven't had any luck whatsoever, either getting another minimum wage job or something worthy of utilizing my expensive education (I majored in business). I should be grateful for my awful employer.

Lately, I've been doing the math and the more I think about it, the more I realize that I would have been much better off financially and socially had I dropped out of high school at age 16. This was long before the recession and I could have easily gotten my GED and a fast food or grocery bagger position. Assuming I got an average 30 hours a week (not unreasonable) and made my state minimum wage (currently $8.25/hour, one of the highest in the country, went up from around $7.25 over the past eight years, so let's say for sake of argument around $7.75 overall), I would have made a lot more money than I have now. Also, keep in mind that I had a lot fewer expenses because my parents were helping me with car payments/insurance and I was under their health insurance coverage. And people making minimum get decent tax breaks.

7.75 x 30 hours = 232.5 a week x 4 weeks = 930 a month x 12 = $11,160 / year x 8 years = $89,280
For the sake of comparison, my current net worth is about negative ten grand (a relatively cheap college education, due to scholarships and mommy/daddy). That figure above assumes that I would have saved everything, but is also assuming that it was impossible for me to ever get a raise or get promoted with another employer. Had I had that much work experience, as opposed to going to school full time (didn't have my crap job until I was 21), I probably would have been able to move up in some capacity. Hell, my last boss didn't even have a GED when he was promoted above me.

Maybe I'm just depressed and whining, but I really feel like I would have been better off. Some guys I went to high school with and started working immediately after graduating managed to get manual labor jobs that are relatively high paying and managed to keep them through the recession. For example, one job I found for working on the railroad lines (a facebook friend does this) pays about $19 / hour, not counting overtime. My fancy degree can't even get me hired at Best Buy. I know I begged and pleaded with my parents to let me out of school, but they wouldn't hear of it. Said I was "too intelligent" to have to work at a job where I break my back all day. Well, look where I'm at now. As you can see from my sloppy and half assed equation above, I clearly didn't gain much from my business courses. On top of that, more and more people are going BACK to school thinking that will make them more employable, making all of our degrees worth less and less in the job market. FML

 

[Chemical Alia]

I don't think you would be any better off with more limited qualifications.

 

[flare09]

That's the problem with higher education. You accumulate debt over a few years because you're expecting to get a nice paying job to easily pay that debt off. However, not only do so many not finish college, but some of those that do finish have a difficult time finding a job that will be able to pay back those loans while still covering living costs.

Now onto the actual question. Who knows if you would have been better. There are so many other variables as to what could happen when you drop out. Such as social stigmas, ability to find and keep a job, and unforeseen actions, but if you had found a job, kept for as long as you have said, then yes you'd probably be doing much better. But that's speculation. I feel a little biased when I say you would have been better, but that's just me.

 

[zelda2fanboy]

Yeah, there's no going back and changing anything. This is merely a thought experiment and additional info for people who think they HAVE to go to college. You don't really HAVE to do anything.

 

[Monkfish Acc.]

I'm a virtually unemployable cripple who got too sick for school three weeks into secondary.
Personally I think I would have liked going to school better. Seems a lot nicer than dropping out and being a useless parasite.

That's just me, though. I'm sure this grass truly is much greener.

 

[KiKiweaky]

Bad idea, most profesional employers who are looking to keep you long term will want some ofrm of 3rd level degree. Sure dropping out of school and getting a minimum wage job will be grand in the short term but what about when your 25, 30 or 35?

Do you really want to keep going back there? Places like Mc Donalds (or other places offering Mc Jobs - low paying, low skilled jobs) love students etc. They can keep you there for a year or 2 hand you the shit hours and eventually you'll leave, meaning they dont have to offer you perks, health insurance or a raise. Its part of their business plan and one of the ways they keep running costs down.

Sure you may be broke now but should you be hired by a good company you could be looking at 20 k a year for a graduate which will then rise the longer you stay in the company.

 

[InfiniteJacuzzi]

In June, I'll do that and tell you how it goes.

 

[conflictofinterests]

I know that had I not had advanced placement classes at my high school, I probably would have been better off dropping out, but that would have just hastened my entrance into the nearest community college.

I also know that different degrees have differing degrees of demand. Apparently everyone wants engineers nowadays.

Aside from that, would you be able to compete had you dropped out and taken a minimum wage job and then your position DIDN'T survive the recession? Would you still be aiming for a career if you had done that?

 

[loc978]

Dropping out of high school probably wouldn't have made you better off... but either not going to college or choosing a different vocation probably would have.

The big problem with heading off to a university tends to be a lack of focus in education. They'll sell you a degree that prepares you for the economy of the mid 90s, when desk jobs were on the rise and bureaucrats were taking the lead in salaries... but actual production of goods was falling off sharply.
Business degrees are a dime a dozen now, and despite being called an 'applied science', they're nothing like actual applied science.
Hell, I'm one to talk. I went in for engineering and wound up making my living as a soldier and security guard. My point, though, is that we have too many people doing paperwork for a living in the US... and there's just no demand for 'em anymore.

 

[TheLaofKazi]

For some people it may be, but you still generally need a college education to get a decent paying job. The thing is, the guarantee of a good job that college used to provide is in decline. Education requirements and costs for students are rising, while the requirements of education for jobs haven't really increased that much. Sure, for the more specialized fields like medicine, most of the time you will need that education. But for fuck's sake, we now live in a world where I will have to spend tons of time, money and energy at college to get a job doing things that I don't need to spend that many resources to learn how to do well. And the stupid thing is, is many employers look at one's college education as if it's an accurate resources for how good that employee will be. The logic is fucking ridiculous. "Hey look, that guy spent an extra 2 years studying higher math, that means he will be better at doing this repetitive, simple, service labor." Potential employees are no longer actually looked it, their college education, GPA, and a bunch of other largely irrelevant bullshit is.

This educational inflation is killing us. Education isn't always good. People going to college for longer periods of time isn't always good. Having higher education requirements for jobs isn't always good. Our society has become dependent on education for learning and structured jobs to get things done, when I don't think it really has to be that way, at least to the extreme it is now.

 

[TheRealCJ]

It really depends. If you'd dropped out of high-school and gone on to do an Apprenticeship, like say Mechanic or Sparkie, by now you would be a)Fully Qualified, and b)Built a decent network of contacts. Most likely you would have a job with whoever trained you, and would be making an excellent amount of money.

 

[zelda2fanboy]

Bad idea, most profesional employers who are looking to keep you long term will want some ofrm of 3rd level degree. Sure dropping out of school and getting a minimum wage job will be grand in the short term but what about when your 25, 30 or 35?

You see, I AM closing in on 25, and I'm still stuck with a McJob. It's all a bunch of useless paper at the end of the day. Besides, if I had been working all this time and my job evaporated with the recession, I'd have enough money to pay for college twice over if I were so inclined.

 

[zelda2fanboy]

I think chris rock is the one who said(he dropped out in 10th grade) that he might as well droppd out in the 2nd grade for both have the same qualifications but had he done earlier he wouldve had more job exp.

One of the better moments on Everybody Hates Chris at about the 1 minute mark.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49ol_PXX5SY

 

[SilentCom]

You made me feel sort of depressed. Actually I was already feeling depressed but you made it worse since I'm sort of in the same situation or will be soon. -_-

 

[MysticToast]

This is why I like the Technical School I'll be attending this year. After they certify me, they'll most likely find a job right around the time I graduate.

Also, your minimum wage is 8.25!? I wanna live there :3

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

Bad idea. For the majority of people, it's incredibly hard to compete without a college degree. Getting a four year degree in modern America is pretty much mandatory. Last generation high school was enough, now it's a 4 year degree.

Unless you get into a trade like electricians or contractors, your best bet is to get an education. Not many of the jobs lost during the recession will come back, but some will. It's just a shitty time to graduate college right now.