Curious Jah, what do you do brah?

Have you forgotten where you were? LOL
But seriously, where you get in life is less dependant on education than people skills. The thing is, without the education, people may never give you the chance to even show them those people skills.

I am.

I am actually quite proud of how I got the job without any hook-ups, ins, whatever you want to call it. Everybody hears, "It's not what you know, but who you know." It's somewhat refreshing to know that there are still employers out there who will give a guy a chance because of what he himself puts forward (resume, cover letter, skills, approach, etc). It wasn't my buddy talking me up to his boss. I didn't get the lowdown of the posting before it went public. It was just me; all me. Best man for the job. I stood out. I won.

also curious. you seem to exclusively wear D&G...

Stay in school. (or highschool at the very least)

I applaud all the bountiful cinderella stories here but I wouldn't bet your life that you'll have one too. Moreover, just because you finish school doesn't mean you'll have it easier as well. You'll have to work, persevere and endure like your drop-out counterparts.

The difference is that the more education you posses, the more odds you're stacking in your favour. It doesn't matter if you'll find use for most, some, or a few of your formal education, all you just need is that "one" that may perhaps put you ahead of anyone you're competing against.



Finish Highschool. It's seriously bloody easy. There's a reason why not having finished highschool can reflect poorly on an individual. Now that everybody's covered the "positives" of dropping-out in at least 3 pages worth, here's just a few contrast to also wisely consider as well.

* It can look like: if you don't possess the technical abilities to finish something as easy as highschool, how are you going to manage what "said employment" has in store for you.

* It can look like you lack perserverance and will quit and at the first sign of hardship.

* If 2 people are of equal merits, sometimes whatever your useless intangible qualities is going to be your deal breaker. Sometimes it can be as little as something as your personality is a better fit, sometimes it can be that you're generally more educated than your competitors. But the point is, that's not up to you, it's up to your prospective employer. It's better to have as much of those qualities covered as possible.

peices of paper, whether they be a HS diploma or a degree are a foot in the door that dropouts do not have.

I've seen many drop outs do well for themselves...while others not so well.

Many people I know who did drop out have finally realized that they need to go back to school. Not everyone can be a "Steve Jobs" and succeed.

People who did drop out and do well in life will tell you it's a good thing, while people who don't do well will tell you that they regret not finishing high-school.

To simply put it...at the end of the day it all depends on the person. Everybody will have a different opinion.

However

/end thread

I will also agree that I would strongly not recommend dropping out. In the grand scheme of life, mid way thru grade 12 means you've got like 6 months tops left to put into it. Just do it and get it over with. 6 months out of your life is nothing. It might seem like an eternity of missed fun when you're 17, but once you hit your 20s, shit you did when you were a teen was just wasting time. I really wish when I was a teenager someone had not just told me, but really convinced me, that by the time Im in my 20s Im going to think I was an idiot as a teen. But thats life.

95% of 17/18 year olds have no fucking clue what they are going to be doing at 25. So at the very least, finish high school. There's just way too many doors that get closed if you don't. Especially these days.

The sort of irony of my success story is that I would probably very quickly pass over someones resume if they didn't finish high school. Its very difficult to tell an employer or any other opportunity "ya I didn't finish high school, but not because Im dumb or a bad kid, Im different than the rest of the drop outs" and thats if you even make it as far as getting to that conversation.

I found my job through SFU career services online postings. No connections, no networking prior. I think it's a combination of timing and luck.

School or no school, Its really up to you how well you succeed in life.
You can get a solid education and land a decent paying job. Do your 9-5 and call a life, live comfortable. To do the same without an education, is a hell of a lot tougher. You spread yourself out relatively thin, either as an employee or an employer.

Its a gamble either way, nothing is set in stone.

is it even possible to work part-time for 6 years and save up enough $ to buy a subway?
let's be generous and say he was working $18/h maybe 30 hours a week...

no way in hell or at least it can't be replicated by today's costs

also you guys who are like late 20's early 30's who dropped out have a completely different mindset towards work/life than todays drop outs

honestly, HS isn't that hard.. its soo easy these days. Teachers will pass you for doing nothing!!

(regarding the topic of regret) From what I've seen from the peers around me both who have and have not finished highschool:

People who didn't finish highschool may or may not regret dropping out. It really depends on whether things worked out in the end or not. Whereas, for people who finished highschool however, never regretted finishing/accomplishing it; whether or not they're doing well at the moment.

At the end of the day, if you can help it, at least opt for something simple as going for the route with the least regret.


You know what's funny, it's already been thrown around here a couple of times the old addage "It's not what you know, it's WHO you know" which I find funny because this always comes up when the topic is of education.

The funny part is:

1) Going to school (any school) can and also facilitate expanding your social and professional network.

2) Unless you're only vying for jobs that practically anyone can do with no requirement of specialization whatsoever, "WHAT" you know is actually a considerably significant criteria more than what that good ol' addage likes to make it seem.

My friend who recently graduated from his education degree said something about a "no fail" policy that the school he did his practicum had. I'm sure there is more to it, but it makes it next to impossible to fail. Also, if you don't hand in an assignment due say january 30th for example, you only lose a minimal % (like 5%) and have until the end of the school year to hand it in. Just like the "no score" hockey games kids play. What the fuck are they teaching kids about responsibility, and the real world. Your boss won't say "hey yeah, just get that project finished when you get to it." The next generation is gonna be a scary one to watch enter the world of having to pay for themselves and live on their own.

Serious? Dude, I didn't even have those when I was growing up? Now it makes it even look bad to not graduate.

1) Because if you fail at a "no fail" environment, that makes a pretty monumental statement.
2) If you're not smart enough to make use of "free education" moreso in a "no fail" enviromnent, well... let's hope you're smart enough for other things.



And for all of those people who will disagree with me, I guarantee you (OP), there's an equal if not more fair share of people (and employers) who will think likewise.

Im all for academic achievement as it has done me well.

...But i also believe that people find their own paths in life from mistakes and let-downs.
If you want to be "cool" and dropout, then dropout. See where life takes you for a few years while youre still young. Maybe one day itll hit you that education is important, and that youre sick of "toughing-it-out" making close to min. wage and taking shit from others where you have no control over.

Who knows, maybe youll do well and make millions.

Basically, being successful and rich starts from whats in your head.
Some say it comes from education, others say its life experience, but majority of them will say that its a combination of the 2 that got them happily where they are.

Go out there and fuck up in life. Literally. Thats what i did after not graduating HS. I can honestly say that without the life experience i had, I wouldnt be where i am today. Im happy. Love my job. And im better at my job than the majority of the people i graduated University with because of life experiences. I see things in a different perspective and show empathy when others show sympathy.

Keep learning. Learn from your mistakes. Learn from others. Listen to others. And ask questions.

And from the mistakes ive learned in life, i've managed to prove EVERYONE who knew my from HS WRONG!

Yeah I don't know the details of the "no fail" stuff, he just kinda breezed by it. It basically sounds like, if you go to school, participation marks are weighted so heavily that you would have to bomb basically every single test and assignment to offset it. The late assignment thing is just how it sounds. I remember I lost so many marks in school, because I'd start papers the day they were due, then hand them in the next day hahaha.

Care to elaborate?

Good guess since Winson isn't that common but negative that wasn't me :)

The whole point of this thread was to see where people have arrived at in life who dropped out of high school. The ones that dropped out shared their stories. Everyone else has gone off on a different tangent and stepped up on different soap boxes.

There is no doubt you have to be at least somewhat qualified but having an in or someone to recommend you is so important. I'm by no means saying an education isn't important I'm saying so many people think it's the end all be all. That guy/girl who went from high school to full time university not ever working a day in there life with no real life experience is going to have a hard time finding a job without hook ups unless they studied something very technical.

Depending on your job school can be very important but it has to be complimented. The best compliment to a good resume is having an in. :) I'll also add that University is a lot of fun and stupid easy compared to going to work everyday. It was probably the best time of my life.

well up until the 80s, a high school degree was pretty much equivalent to bachelors today

its pretty easy to get a post secondary degree these days if u can afford it, so ur gonna be competing with alot more people that have one