Thinking about dropping out.

[ExplosionProofTaco]

Do what you please.

The world needs more uneducated Peons to do manual Labour.

 

[tactakus]

i dropped out and it took me nine months to get a job

 

[Dags90]

If you're going to get a GED or other equivalency and your parents are OK with it I don't see why not. If you're not going to put any effort into high school, then even if you do graduate you're going to have terrible grades. You'll have a high school diploma if you graduate, but it'll have "underachiever" stamped on it.

I dropped out of high school, got a GED and am currently in my junior year of my bachelor's. If I had dropped out sooner I could've started college sooner.

These threads always come with really ridiculous ideas that all people who drop out have terrible prospects or no access to higher education. If you take the SATS/ACTs and have a GED, you can easily get into a community college, and most public universities have programs for turning 2-year degrees into 4-year degrees.

 

[Cain_Zeros]

At the very least, finish high school. Unless you want to be working at McDonalds or Walmart or something like that for the rest of your life. Most trades even require at least a high school education to start you apprenticeship, so...

I would say he had better have connections. Because I have a 2 year degree, a few months away from a 4 year degree, and I couldn't even get hired at Wal-Mart, and I applied at 4 of them. It is better to wait out this economy in school, living on government loan money. Heck, I'll soon be getting over 3000 dollars of money just to live off of for this last semester, and I only need 70 dollars a month for food.

I say take all the money you can from the stupid government, get a degree and a good job and spend the next 30-40 years paying back to them slowly, while you use the extra to have a life.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I had to apply at the Walmart here about three times before I got hired. I ended up hating it, and quitting after a little over a year to focus on college (the joys of having a college in your home town so you can live at home), but that's irrelevant.

 

[TheXRatedDodo]

Dropping out was quite simply the best choice I have ever made in my life.

There is a subtle difference between education and learning.
Education is a process in which many other factors come into play, the main one being sociological manipulation and funneling.
You are taught to think and act in certain ways from a very, very young age and my ever-inquisitive mind always questioned these things as they were happening. The majority did not.
If I was told to go out of the classroom, I would stand there in the middle of the class and ask "Why?" Not because I wanted to cause further trouble or partake in rabble rousing and a game of mental to-and-fro with someone who is supposedly my superior (that someone being the teacher,) my 7 year old self could not comprehend such concepts, all I had was a desire to understand "Why?"

What I wanted, was to learn. What I have spent every minute of my time doing since I dropped out is learning.
If someone wants to learn, they will learn. I wanted to learn, and thus I have learnt, and I shall always continue to do so.
I have learnt about myself, about others, about society at large, about music, about art, film, culture, about my own spirituality, about what I personally desire from my life, how to get what I desire from life, the way society is structured... Simply too many things that have been far too essential that never got taught to me in school or colleege, because the things that I have thought about and studied and learnt have all bestowed with me the ability to see that we are all trapped in invisible cages until we find the ability to see them, and once we see them, they can no longer hold us.

However, having said all of this. I did first finish school, then go to College and make an attempt to finish it, twice infact.
I first did a Music BTEC, which I dropped out of due to family problems (and many personal ones, mainly brought on by being in College in the first place.)
Then everything went supposedly "to shit," I hit bottom about 9 months later, having returned to College to have a crack at A Levels (namely Psychology, Sociology and English Literature. I do not regret this in the slightest as I did legitimately get TAUGHT quite a lot in Sociology and English Literature, although Psychology held nothing for me aside from being mildly sickened by the way its entire point is to lump people into nice easy categorizations that do very little to encompass context, the journey one is on, etc. Sociology and English Literature taught me much about others and myself that were extremely crucial.)
I then dropped out this March. People came out of the woodwork to tell me I was throwing my life away, throwing my opportunities away, etc.
I spent months getting ludicrously wrapped up in all of this to the point where I once again hit bottom during this summer.
Dropping out of college was a symbolic death, swiftly followed by a symbolic rebirth, so it seemed fitting to make a conscious effort to shed everything that once represented me and to start anew.
At the end of the summer, around August, I went on holiday to Wales and spent a week being content in the mere fact that I exist. Nothing else matters aside from this, and since then I have been the calm little center, making everyone else uncomfortable for being so damn zen.
This realisation that nothing matters aside from contentment in one's existence has lead me to no longer see any point in currency, in morality, in society, or in much at all, and while that may sound very defeatist and negative, it is infact the exact opposite, it is complete enlightenment.
I am shed of earthly desires aside from following my intuition, but that is not a desire, that is just what feels right, desires in fact long since ceased to exist for me.

Sorry for the mega-post but I feel it was all needed in explaining just WHY dropping out was the best choice I ever made.
We get funelled down a certain path before we even get the chance to consciously question whether this is what we want and that part of me that questions everything didn't get corrupted at a young age.
QUESTION EVERYTHING and if what feels right to you is to drop out and pursue a different path, then I am going to be the one person that will advise you, nay, IMPLORE you to FOLLOW this and never, ever look back. Do not let others tell you otherwise, the sheer fact that you are asking demonstrates a strong unwillingness to not follow your most base, simplistic intuition and do what your soul is telling you to do.

 

[JWAN]

Finish high-school unless you have a high amount of disposable income. College can be helpful but in most cases you wont get a job in the field you studied, but it still looks good because they know that you put up with at least 4 years of horse shit and circle jerking and somehow came out with a notarized diploma. It means you worked hard and you sifted through the shit to find the speck of gold at the end.

 

[JWAN]

Yeah, so I'm basicaly done with school. Still not sure 'bout this, and not doing anything drastic yet. Probably gonna try to tough it out, but I'm really unsure. I know most of the downsides, but I really want to hear some ideas/thoughts on this from some one else.

I'm only 15 (16 in Feb), so I may have to wait until I'm old enough to secure some kind of job...


So, opinions?

If you dont make it out with a highschool diploma your not going anywhere. Not fast, not slow, your just not going anywhere. At LEAST get a highschool diploma,
Put up with the bullshit, that's the real test of high school, putting up with the horseshit is college.

 

[JWAN]

i dropped out and it took me nine months to get a job

you dropped out of highschool? what was your job?

 

[Jezzeh]

Not only is it a dumb idea, but isn't it illegal to drop out until you're 18?

I'm only eighteen and i'm in my second year of uni, so how does what you said make ANY sense?

I'll be 18 in grade 12. Don't know how it works wherever you live.

...Some people (like myself) are in advanced classes/bumped up grades/graduating early?

I'm 21 and am currently in my fifth year at the University of Phoenix.

If he's thinking of dropping out at 15, I doubt he's in any advanced classes.

Uh, wasn't talking about the OP, was talking about Shadyjames, the one who originally said he was 18 and attending his second year at UNI...

(And I doubt it as well, I was just offering an example as to why some people are beyond high school by age 18.)

 

[Sonic Doctor]

I would say he had better have connections. Because I have a 2 year degree, a few months away from a 4 year degree, and I couldn't even get hired at Wal-Mart, and I applied at 4 of them. It is better to wait out this economy in school, living on government loan money. Heck, I'll soon be getting over 3000 dollars of money just to live off of for this last semester, and I only need 70 dollars a month for food.

I say take all the money you can from the stupid government, get a degree and a good job and spend the next 30-40 years paying back to them slowly, while you use the extra to have a life.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I had to apply at the Walmart here about three times before I got hired. I ended up hating it, and quitting after a little over a year to focus on college (the joys of having a college in your home town so you can live at home), but that's irrelevant.

I live about 2 and a half hours from home, so I have to live on campus. If did go to college near home, I'd probably be going to Indiana University. But I chose to go to two universities that are a little ways from home because they both had campuses that were in one spot instead of being strung about a whole city.

Well, the only job I have had was in the summers of 2005 and 2006, at a grocery store. The only reason I got it was that my mom went in and begged them to give me a job. I didn't do that of course because I always thought something like that would get me not hired. But like you, I ended up quitting because I hated it. Not because the job was that bad, it was because I only wanted to work part time at the time, and they were pushing me to work full time, even though I was already working at least 45 hours a week. I also couldn't stand having a different work schedule every week. They apparently never heard of the phrase, comfortable routine.

 

[PwnSt0nes]

Seriously, dont drop out, not going into why, becuz i see everyone has pretty much covered that, but you will regret it down the line... you have nothing better to do with your time now then finish high school.

you dont needto worry about college or any of that bullcrap, atleast not yet. one thing at a time.

FINISH SCHOOL.

 

[lacktheknack]

Why do you want to drop out? Perhaps the problem can be addressed.

I agree with the other posters.

I just totaly lack drive. I truely don't/can't give a shit. I'll sit there, knowing that my grade is plumeting and it doesn't bother me. All day I just sit there and phaze out, or serf around on my phone.

Don't care, then. If you truly "don't care", then you won't object to paying attention and passing anyways, since you're there.

If you really need a drive, find the college or university you want to attend, and check the requirements. Feel the panic.

If you don't want to go to Uni, then check the requirements for your dream job. Start sweating.

If you don't have any of those, PLEASE re-evaluate your life (not to offend, I'd just be disturbed at that point).

 

[Semudara]

And here I was just earlier today thinking about how much I miss highschool...looking back on it I very much appreciated being a name instead of a number

Sounds like you need to change your university/job/whatever. Seriously, it's worth it to be happy instead of wistfully sighing about the past.

Unless you really, really know what you want to do after you drop out and the passion and dedication to pursue it, and all school is doing is wasting your time and preventing you from pursuing that goal, and possibly at least a way to make some money, I suggest staying in school.

I understand where you are coming from, I really hate school as well, to the point where I really do think it wastes my time. I have just never functioned well in a school environment, I'm pretty sure most people don't, they generally aren't places that cater to a wide variety of learning types, personalities, ect. Some just push themselves through it out of fear of not having a good future, or because they want to live up to their parent's expectations, or their expectations. Some people fool themselves into thinking that school is the epitome of achievement, that if you don't perform well in school, or don't like it, you aren't intelligent, or you can't be successful. Some people are actually comfortable with school.

Some people, like yourself, just can't put themselves through it and give up, because school really does suck at what it is apparently set out to do: Teach and nurture talents. When I was young and in elementary school, I was ostracized for being eccentric and for straying away from the inflexible structure of school. I didn't learn the way I apparently supposed to, I didn't want to do assignments the way I was apparently supposed to, I instead wanted to try my own ideas and approaches. But curiosity and creativity, to them, just got in the way of plowing through the set curriculum as efficiently as possible.

The problem is that school, in the way that it's designed, just doesn't work for everybody, but our society puts so much importance on it to the point where it's needed merely for survival and practicality.

If I wasn't in school, I would have more time to learn about and pursue what I want to do in life. But alas, I lack both the dedication, bravery, and probably the talent to do that so I can overcome the many obstacles society throws at people without a formal education. So here I am in school. It's not completely terrible though, I'm going through my last year. After I graduate I'll take some time to clear my head and really figure out what I want to do.

Good heavens, you just broke the awesomeness meter. Can I quote that for a book someday in the far future? I've been through much the same thing, although compared to you I was pretty lucky; it wasn't until middle school that crushing my spirit seemed to become a top priority. That really needs to be solved; even if society didn't make things really hard for people without degrees, the fact is that I wouldn't make it without an education (and a little more discipline, but I think that's more of a personal thing). School should be engaging, because learning is inherently fun and interesting. It's amazing, considering that, what our schools are currently like.

And since I'm breaking the post size record, I have my own advice for cimil. Hey cimil! Make it through high school. The sensation of growing insanity is only temporary (probably). Once you've gotten through that, take a gap year! This will give you time to recover, think, and pursue interests while you decide whether or not to go to college. Best of luck!

 

[lacktheknack]

Dropping out was quite simply the best choice I have ever made in my life.

There is a subtle difference between education and learning.
Education is a process in which many other factors come into play, the main one being sociological manipulation and funneling.
You are taught to think and act in certain ways from a very, very young age and my ever-inquisitive mind always questioned these things as they were happening. The majority did not.
If I was told to go out of the classroom, I would stand there in the middle of the class and ask "Why?" Not because I wanted to cause further trouble or partake in rabble rousing and a game of mental to-and-fro with someone who is supposedly my superior (that someone being the teacher,) my 7 year old self could not comprehend such concepts, all I had was a desire to understand "Why?"

What I wanted, was to learn. What I have spent every minute of my time doing since I dropped out is learning.
If someone wants to learn, they will learn. I wanted to learn, and thus I have learnt, and I shall always continue to do so.
I have learnt about myself, about others, about society at large, about music, about art, film, culture, about my own spirituality, about what I personally desire from my life, how to get what I desire from life, the way society is structured... Simply too many things that have been far too essential that never got taught to me in school or colleege, because the things that I have thought about and studied and learnt have all bestowed with me the ability to see that we are all trapped in invisible cages until we find the ability to see them, and once we see them, they can no longer hold us.

However, having said all of this. I did first finish school, then go to College and make an attempt to finish it, twice infact.
I first did a Music BTEC, which I dropped out of due to family problems (and many personal ones, mainly brought on by being in College in the first place.)
Then everything went supposedly "to shit," I hit bottom about 9 months later, having returned to College to have a crack at A Levels (namely Psychology, Sociology and English Literature. I do not regret this in the slightest as I did legitimately get TAUGHT quite a lot in Sociology and English Literature, although Psychology held nothing for me aside from being mildly sickened by the way its entire point is to lump people into nice easy categorizations that do very little to encompass context, the journey one is on, etc. Sociology and English Literature taught me much about others and myself that were extremely crucial.)
I then dropped out this March. People came out of the woodwork to tell me I was throwing my life away, throwing my opportunities away, etc.
I spent months getting ludicrously wrapped up in all of this to the point where I once again hit bottom during this summer.
Dropping out of college was a symbolic death, swiftly followed by a symbolic rebirth, so it seemed fitting to make a conscious effort to shed everything that once represented me and to start anew.
At the end of the summer, around August, I went on holiday to Wales and spent a week being content in the mere fact that I exist. Nothing else matters aside from this, and since then I have been the calm little center, making everyone else uncomfortable for being so damn zen.
This realisation that nothing matters aside from contentment in one's existence has lead me to no longer see any point in currency, in morality, in society, or in much at all, and while that may sound very defeatist and negative, it is infact the exact opposite, it is complete enlightenment.
I am shed of earthly desires aside from following my intuition, but that is not a desire, that is just what feels right, desires in fact long since ceased to exist for me.

Sorry for the mega-post but I feel it was all needed in explaining just WHY dropping out was the best choice I ever made.
We get funelled down a certain path before we even get the chance to consciously question whether this is what we want and that part of me that questions everything didn't get corrupted at a young age.
QUESTION EVERYTHING and if what feels right to you is to drop out and pursue a different path, then I am going to be the one person that will advise you, nay, IMPLORE you to FOLLOW this and never, ever look back. Do not let others tell you otherwise, the sheer fact that you are asking demonstrates a strong unwillingness to not follow your most base, simplistic intuition and do what your soul is telling you to do.

Don't assume that everyone is wired this way, the vast majority of dropouts regret it.

 

[Lavi]

Why do you want to drop out? Perhaps the problem can be addressed.

I agree with the other posters.

I just totaly lack drive. I truely don't/can't give a shit. I'll sit there, knowing that my grade is plumeting and it doesn't bother me. All day I just sit there and phaze out, or serf around on my phone.

1. You lack drive because you lack a purpose. Without a purpose, you are as good as dead.
2. It should fucking bother you if you're failing because YOU WILL WORK AT MCDONALD'S FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
3. Pay attention and stop being lazy.
4. Get the hell off your phone. Now.

 

[Cain_Zeros]

I would say he had better have connections. Because I have a 2 year degree, a few months away from a 4 year degree, and I couldn't even get hired at Wal-Mart, and I applied at 4 of them. It is better to wait out this economy in school, living on government loan money. Heck, I'll soon be getting over 3000 dollars of money just to live off of for this last semester, and I only need 70 dollars a month for food.

I say take all the money you can from the stupid government, get a degree and a good job and spend the next 30-40 years paying back to them slowly, while you use the extra to have a life.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I had to apply at the Walmart here about three times before I got hired. I ended up hating it, and quitting after a little over a year to focus on college (the joys of having a college in your home town so you can live at home), but that's irrelevant.

I live about 2 and a half hours from home, so I have to live on campus. If did go to college near home, I'd probably be going to Indiana University. But I chose to go to two universities that are a little ways from home because they both had campuses that were in one spot instead of being strung about a whole city.

Well, the only job I have had was in the summers of 2005 and 2006, at a grocery store. The only reason I got it was that my mom went in and begged them to give me a job. I didn't do that of course because I always thought something like that would get me not hired. But like you, I ended up quitting because I hated it. Not because the job was that bad, it was because I only wanted to work part time at the time, and they were pushing me to work full time, even though I was already working at least 45 hours a week. I also couldn't stand having a different work schedule every week. They apparently never heard of the phrase, comfortable routine.

Yeah, and then people seem surprised when everyone in retail seems to be sick. Between dealing with germy people and not getting a routine it's inevitable. Oh well, at least it let me tuck some money away for when I need it.

 

[Scarecrow]

Get steady job,get girlfriend, wait until have enough money for an engagement ring and 3 room apartment,marry girlfriend and live happily ever after.
JK I would really suggest to just take it all the way through school.
I know you may hate it and your probably just stressed out but it is the best direction for your life to head to.

Is it somone new...?

 

[Mcface]

Yeah, so I'm basicaly done with school. Still not sure 'bout this, and not doing anything drastic yet. Probably gonna try to tough it out, but I'm really unsure. I know most of the downsides, but I really want to hear some ideas/thoughts on this from some one else.

I'm only 15 (16 in Feb), so I may have to wait until I'm old enough to secure some kind of job...


So, opinions?

I dropped out, no jobs. so i got my diploma online (i suggest that or GED) Im joining the Army ASAP. you can't even join the army without a diploma.

 

[WhoaItsBrett]

Dropping out of school would be the biggest mistake you've ever made. Everyone in the world would judge you for not making it through high-school and they'd probably be right to. Any problems you might have now will be magnified once you leave. Nobody will ever hire a guy who dropped out of highschool because he was TOO lazy to apply himself to graduate. If I were in your position (and I was at one point, minus cell phones) I would get rid of my cell phone so that I could concentrate on whatever is being taught. If your schooling doesn't challenge you, just buck up for the next 3 years and go to a post secondary college/university/trade school to get yourself an interesting job that you will love to do for the rest of your life. In the event that you drop out you'll likely be a bitter person that people will probably avoid and will hate your job which will probably scrubbing out toilets or something that doesn't require a brain.

I didn't have drive when I was younger, and I had terrible marks in high school. I found work at an internet realty company for 3 years before I went back to university. I'm now a year and a half away from graduating and happier than I've ever been in my life.

Word up.

I'm not gonna lie, your post aggravated me a bit. I bolded the exact parts of your post that irked me.
First off, Everyone in the world judges people regardless of whether or not they've graduated highschool. People will judge you no matter what you do. So not doing something just because you want people to think highly of you is ridiculous. You should do what's best for you, regardless of whether other people think it was a good decision or not. As for the "Nobody will hire you" part, that is complete bullshit. (pardon my language.) I know PLENTY of highschool dropouts who have jobs. As for the "you'll become a bitter person bla bla bla" I don't even see why that part was necessary. I myself, am a dropout. I'm a really nice person, people love to be around me. I have plenty of friends who are dropouts, they are all really nice. My Brother, is a dropout, he is nice to people he's just met, and he's happily married. Finally, the "you will hate your job" part. I quite honestly, have only met 3 people in my life who could honestly say they liked their job. Everyone else I know, dropout/graduate, dislike or hate their jobs. To be completely honest, odds are you're gonna have a job you dislike.