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Is dropping out of school worth it?

Last posted Feb 26, 2015 at 01:01AM EST. Added Feb 06, 2015 at 09:56AM EST
31 posts from 28 users

I'm a schooling failure (try to teach me. It's almost impossible). I have failed many classes.

I just don't see the point of education. Most students are as un-intelligent as a rock. They make Chris Chan look like Einstein, yet, I fail. Over stupid "modern" education. I want old-fashioned REAL education. Like how we used to be raised.

I just don't see the point of learning, esp when schools don't even try anymore. Focusing more on "fun", than discipline, and harsh rulesets.

I don't care about learning, I don care about having a job. I'm a failure, and I know it.

>doesn't want to learn
>doesn't want to work
>fails classes

You faggot, you couldn't handle "real" old education because your wimpy dork mentality couldn't cope with it for more than a minute. I'd like to see you work a mine or dig out the sewer ways, because you won't find any puffy IT or mango artist jobs to sit your lazy arse into during those times.

You might as well donate yourself to a powerstation, your burning corpse will save some coal.

That's my serious post

If you're fine with: Not being respected in life, having no chance getting a job even if your talented, having to borrow money for the rest of your life, probably having lackluster and shady insurance, becoming someone that you'd probably find pathetic and laughable. No matter how you look at it its a bad idea. Just live with it cause its not going to get easier if you drop out.

Quite frankly, it's only going to get worse if you drop out. There is no 'new' education – it's education, so you have to take what you get. It won't take long for the novelty of no school/university to wear off, with you wondering why you put yourself in this position in the first place. And the fact that you don't sound positive or ambitious about the whole thing only makes matters worse.

Stay committed and never give up. It's for the best.

First and foremost:

DON'T DROP OUT. …seriously. Life only gets harder than what high school is now even if you have a diploma. Don't make it even harder than that.
 
 
You want a GED at least. It opens up some basic jobs to keep you above water while you figure out what you want to do, and it allows you to get into college later on if you need to.
 
If you drop out, then make a plan. Make a GED part of it, and make sure your plan makes sense in the world we all live in. Don't focus on what would be "nice" or how messed up the world is now. The world is the way it is, and it's not likely to change drastically before you need to make a living in this world as it is now.

The pain of high school can be hard. Owing companies money? No one I've met has said high school was harder than that.
 
Please. Just trust me on that point. I haven't met anyone in my generation (I'm in my late-twenties) who said having no education past high school was a good idea. Not. A. One.
 

Here are some options that may work without a diploma.:

  • You can do the military and learn a craft for free.
  • You can go to a tech school and learn a craft as well.
  • You can find a very, very low wage job where you can learn a trade. Then you can look into opportunities for certification.

It's very possible to live without a high school diploma, but you'll pay for it elsewhere.

  • The military will ship you to wherever they want for 7 years. And you're stuck there for that time. A dishonorable discharge and no degree basically ensures you'll never find work.
  • Tech school still has tuition, and you may end up in an area that's still saturated with few open jobs.
  • And low wage jobs with no credentials are hard to come by, because everyone who doesn't have a diploma will be looking for those jobs as well. And there are a lot of people without diplomas.

Also consider what stress relievers you have.

Unless your parents can/will support you, it's all on you to pay for whatever you need.
If video games is your way to destress, then you may not be able to get a current gen console or keep up with your gaming PC. You may have to invest in a Game Boy Color and games with serious replay value. You may not be able to afford to drive to your friends' every other night, because gas money can be used for food (read as: ramen and spam) money.

*Be sure to eat veggies and fruit too. Probably bananas and canned spinach with some salt.
 
TripleA9000 asks a good question. What do you want to do? If you're not sure, then you have time to figure it out. Just try to make ends meet with that GED and do some volunteer work to get experience in stuff you kinda like. Read some books about potential careers. Even stuff like a video game tester. Those jobs may not be easy to get, but it's better than not trying for it at all. Stay grounded in reality, but dream big, and try to open doors along the way.

If you already have an idea of what you want to do, then try to find a job that can net you experience towards that or can get you some certification that would be useful to that career.
 
Do you like playing around online? Try learning Java. It's a concrete and useful skill, and if you can do it, then that by itself is something most high school dropouts can't do. You might find decent work as a contractor in a small town doing websites, or at a local government place doing their web work.
 
Finally, do something that makes you stick out (in a good way) for the jobs you apply to. Even with education, having a 4-year degree or 6-year degree isn't a lot, because you have a whole class of tens of thousands each year with the same level degree.

So when you're applying to jobs that only require a GED or no diploma at all, you need to stand out on a resume. Volunteer work and experience with a reference are good things to consider.


tl;dr: I would suggest you consider:

  • Don't drop out.
  • The world is the way it is. You have to live in it as it is and not as you want it to be nor as it should be.
  • You'll need a GED at the very least. And that's only so you can consider the military or a community college. It can help you get some jobs that require some basic level of academic knowledge. You can study for that for a few weeks and get it after a test or two.
  • Figure out what you want to do, and figure out how to achieve it without a high school diploma.
    • With the GED, you may be able to just skip to a community college. College courses are far different from high school, so you may find you learn better there.
  • In the meantime, find some work that can pay your bills. If you're smart with your money and you're willing to really sacrifice, you can probably find a living on two part-time jobs at 60 hours per week (total).

But serious, don't drop out. Find a tutor, transfer to a different school, beat up a kid who will do your homework (don't do this)…but srs, don't drop out tho.

I've seen a lot of 20 and 30-year olds who regret it now. Too many to suggest it to you, no matter how impossible high school is for you.

Last edited Feb 06, 2015 at 12:07PM EST

Ya know, I used to be like you, then I realized that there's no future for me if I didin't go through with it. I know that it's hard to do something you hate, and I know that it's really hard when you're forced to do it anyway, but in this world you have to follow the system or get dragged into the ground. (Unless you're super lucky, but let's be real here.) Besides, – assuming that you're in high school – in college, you can pick corses that you actually want to take rather than do stupid bullshit classes that won't help you in real life. As for the part where you say you're a failure… Well, we have a saying on the Internet, and it can be applied to anything: "Git guud or git rek't"

I can't see dropping out as being worth it unless it's one of those scenarios where you've got to support your family with a part time job and can't continue your education. Have you considered some sort of online distance learning program? That's what I've been doing my entire life, and being in 11th grade, I feel like I've gotten a much better education than many others people in public schools have. The schedule is as rigid or a flexible as I want it to be, and when I'm having a hard time understanding something, I can take extra time, re-watch lectures, and get help by email (or from my parents, if they're familiar with the material). It definitely takes self-discipline if you want to do well, but it's so worth it. And whether you get a GED or a diploma really doesn't matter, as they both mean the same thing.

I don't know what exactly I want to do with my life (career-wise), but I know that I need at least a high school education to get there. Am I going to college? Maybe, maybe not. I might go to a vocational school to get involved as an auto racing mechanic or some sort of aeronautical career. My brother in law is leaving the Air Force this year and looking for some sort of private aviation job, so I might get involved in that as well. Might get involved in firefighting too, and having a station 1/2 mile down the street provides a great opportunity. My point is, there's lots of opportunity out there, but you've got to put in some effort if you want to be able to take advantage of that opportunity. Sometimes school seems boring and pointless, but it's important if you want to be well-rounded and even have a chance at your ideal career. Mind you, this is all stuff that I used to think was ridiculous, but when I actually decided to listen to my parents and accept that they know what they're talking about, I made some big academic improvements.

If you've already convinced yourself that you're a failure, then none of what I said matters. You can't let a rough past keep you from striving for excellence in the future. Some things that seem difficult and impossible at first turn out to be not so bad once you get started. Don't count yourself out so soon.

You "don't care about having a job"? What? For fuck's sake, do you want to eat, man!? Please, get real! You have to actually apply yourself if you want to succeed in jack shit, even the most basic requirements for a reasonably comfortable life. This is a basic fact of reality that you have to get used to.
How old are you anyway? I'm really trying to understand where this absurd mindset is coming from.

0.9999...=1 wrote:

You "don't care about having a job"? What? For fuck's sake, do you want to eat, man!? Please, get real! You have to actually apply yourself if you want to succeed in jack shit, even the most basic requirements for a reasonably comfortable life. This is a basic fact of reality that you have to get used to.
How old are you anyway? I'm really trying to understand where this absurd mindset is coming from.

That doesn't sound encouraging.

OP, have you considered that you may be depressed?
I don't say that as only a reason. Saying you're depressed and not acting on it does no one any good.

But if you are, in fact, clinically depressed, then seeing a therapist, counselor, and/or a psychiatrist may help you to restructure your mindset. Depression will take the motivation out of anyone, and you'll need that for just about anything in life.

Finish Highschool and get a minimum wage job for a year. If you like it, so be it. But I have a gut feeling you will get sick of it like I did and go to college.

And learn to dream. This is your time to explore what you want to do with life.

Don't do anything that closes doors to you. Stay in School.

Jersey Jimmy wrote:

Unless you're a musical phenom or skilled in an action sport (skateboarding, BMX, etc.), don't drop out. It might be hard now, but it gets better.

Dropping out is an even worse idea if your'e a musical phenom or skilled in an action sport. If you are legitimately skilled in either of those things, quite a few colleges will give you a full ride if you manage to graduate.

I dropped out of school, because of my agoraphobia. It was not worth it, I wish I stayed and just bear through the pain. My brother was bullied worst than I was and he graduated high school and college. Now, I'm just a NEET. No where to go.

This sounds cliche, but you get from education what you put into it.

So what if your fellow students seem as "unintelligent as rocks" and don't care about school? You are not them. They can't tell you how to live your life.

"I just don’t see the point of learning."

Then you better see the point pretty damn soon, because life IS learning, whether it's academic or not.

Last edited Feb 06, 2015 at 06:29PM EST

If you're uninterested in college, I'd suggest looking into a skill trade job, like plumber, electrician, etc. as the pay's good and there's going to be a shortage soon.

You have to get some form of education to get a non-dead end job--whether it's by college or in a technical school. Just because other students "slack" doesn't mean you have to. Them having a 2.3 GPA is their problem, not yours.

I don’t care about learning, I don care about having a job. I’m a failure, and I know it.

This is a self fulfilling prophecy. You think you're going to fail, so you don't try and--surprise--you fail. The best advice is trying to find a career in something you enjoy doing. It's probably the most important part about post-high school education.

DCS WORLD wrote:

This thread must be bait.

Euro, no.

Teens like Filler go through moments like these on a regular basis and when they do, they need support. What Filler posted here sounds very much like call for one, and it isn't responsible to just assume he's trolling

Anyway, everyone else pretty much already said what I was going to say.

Long story short:

Dropping out is only useful if you need to replace an unworkable education with a more ideal education.

But forfeiting education entirely is the worst mistake you will make in your life

Last edited Feb 06, 2015 at 08:03PM EST

KingHarlaus wrote:

This sounds cliche, but you get from education what you put into it.

So what if your fellow students seem as "unintelligent as rocks" and don't care about school? You are not them. They can't tell you how to live your life.

"I just don’t see the point of learning."

Then you better see the point pretty damn soon, because life IS learning, whether it's academic or not.

Pretty spot on to what I would say

The public education system is incredibly broken, but learning is still necessary. If you don't care about learning then what's the point of… well… anything? One should always strive to self-improve.

As much as a six-day, nine-hour school day I have to grind to, my parents say it'll be far more better to suffer the school years than to find a job without a SPM cert (Malsysian diploma applicable to all of SE Asia). They told me no matter what, don't fucking drop it. It may be a total anguish, but it'll worth it.

I do get annoyed, I do get pissed, but studying is for your own good. I never fully understand this, but only time will tell. I had thoughts on dropping out to start making electronic music or draw a webcomic of some sort. But I figured starting a independent job is better said than done, as you have copyrights and documents to settle first.

Just to cheer you up, an Asian has far more books to go through than you Yanks.

One thing I know that it really depends on school and university. I know that college degree often does not pay off in United States and some universities can make you more closed-minded. However, completing high school is probably a good choice.

You going through this in high school, OP? I pity you. (A good) college is the only reasonable option there is if you want (a decent chance) to make it big in life, and things are only going to get harder once you're in. I've felt the way you have once I started taking the heat in my university. Still am, wish I could just drop it, but what would I do right after? Can't exactly get a job and make it through life. Better to just grit your teeth and bear through the acads.

PS: I don't think depression always affects academic performance. I know a lot of people who are pretty gloom and doom yet do better at school than the dreadfully bright and sunny.

Last edited Feb 07, 2015 at 09:51AM EST

So looking back. I just re-read this thread, and I just thought "what is wrong with me".

Well. I was just being a whiny brat that day. And I've learn't from not being an idiot. So, just ignore this thread, if possible.

Also:

https://knowyourmeme.com/forums/riff-raff/topics/32111-is-deactivating-from-kym-worth-it

Laughed pretty hard. Only on KYM, this would happen.

Here's an idea, teach yourself something and make sure you put effort in to master it. If you master something that you instructed yourself on, you will gain much more confidence to finish school.

I was in your position last year in Community College, I could not handle writing another essay for English because I did not meet expectations. I felt like shit and I couldn't have heard the end of it from my parents. I dropped that class and started over again. The problem was for me was that the teacher and I did not get along because of my learning style, she was all like "write write write for the sake of writing" while I was all "think it through and take all the time I need."

I switched to a different teacher the next semester and I fared better. I decided to author a webcomic to improve my writing skills between semesters. I did better the next year.

Last edited Feb 09, 2015 at 12:47PM EST

Having a Grade 12 diploma is one of the best things you can have.

In Australia if you drop out at, say grade 10, and then want to do a TAFE/University course, you have to do grade 11 and 12's work on your own somehow. (From what I've heard from dropouts anyway)

Even if you're failing school it's best to just stay in it and see where you go.

It is actually pretty sad when I hear this. But I am going to tell you this:

Yes, school can be quite tough, but it is something we need to participate on. I actually had struggled in grade 8, as my grades slightly decrease. But, here's this, that moment I realized why my grades aren't high as expected. It is actually because I wasn't putting into much effort as expected, it was also because of the negativity of my attitude. So now in grade nine, I decided to change that by improving and putting much more effort than before. I also ask for help as well.

So don't just drop out of school just yet, actually, no yet's. We don't want you to drop out of school. I know that the students at your school aren't quite smart, but its maybe that they are not even trying. All you gotta do is to try your very hardest and put your best effort in. Even though you are, keep trying. You are a very smart person and us in the community knows you can do it.

So don't give up and do your hardest.

Skeletor-sm

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