Just because i dropped out of high school?

Question

I am 17 and ihve dropped out of high school, i am full intending on getting my GED, does this necessarily mean i am going to be poor my whole life?

Answer 1

It depends on what you do next. All you need to get into Junior College is a GED. High school can be a waste of time for some people who already know what they want to do. Our system of education has focused so much energy trying to fit all kids into the same mold. Only 1 of my 3 kids graduated from high school. One son has learning difference (dyslexic and dysgraphic) and when he got to high school the teachers wouldn't follow his education plan. I finally got tired of fighting with them so I let him drop out but made him get his GED before he would have graduated. He joined the army right after he turned 18, and they said since he had passed the GED before he would have graduated that it was like an early graduation. He has been in for 3 years and will come out as a certified truck driver and diesel mechanic + he has $35,000 for college or trade school. The other one was just bored he dropped out and started working in our family business. He was offered a better job and is now a regional manager for a major car company, and makes more money than his Dad. The middle child finished high school with a 3.8 GPA and has been partying ever since. Just hasn't found a direction.
There are a lot of jobs out there that pay good money, and don't require higher education. Just set goals make a plan and go for it.

Answer 2

If you get your GED you will have something that is considered equal to a high school diploma. However, that still does not mean you will not be poor.

The biggest risk of dropping out of high school is you lose financial support from your family. If you moved out of the house and are on your own, you will be working long hours for little pay and trying to get a GED under those conditions is very difficult.
If you still have the support of your family and can get back into high school that would be the way to go. You will probably be behind so will need to take night classes and perhaps summer school to catch up.

If you did move out of the house and are on your own, stay away from members of the opposite sex. The last thing you need compounding your problems is to fall in love and/or have a child.

Even if you do get your GED, that does not mean you will not be poor. Education is the surest way in the USA to get ahead. The more education you get, the better the jobs that become available. For that, you need money. If you get a GED, stay out of trouble and stay single with no kids, consider joining the military for four years. The college benefits they are offering now are the best they have ever been.

Answer 3

I dropped out of high school for two reasons ... I was BORED silly (I was way too smart) and I had a dysfunctional family and I ran away from home. Please let me tell you that I am not 'uneducated' ... I do not have a high school diploma or a GED, but I have a Bachelor's of Science, a Master's of Science and a PhD in Psychology. I went to college in a state where anyone could go to a state school if they were over 21 when they applied ... Kids drop out of high school for many different reasons ... some are into gangs and doing drugs, some are bored, some get pregnant or must marry and support a pregnant girl, others just don't care, some have dysfunctional families and must run away to survive ...

Answer 4

Depends on what you do with your life afterward.

I can also say I wouldn't believe what the other people are saying about a GED being equal to or the same as HS Diploma. IT ISN'T--READ WHAT IT SAYS ON GED--TOP CENTER USUALLY. It states THIS IS NOT EQUIVALENT TO HS DIPLOMA. (Personal experience and I have one but I went and got a College degree afterward). All a GED says is that you PASSED A TEST in BASIC knowledge. A HS Diploma at least shows people that you stuck to something and completed it.

I'm not saying you won't be able to get a good paying job some people have made good after getting a GED, but if EVERYTHING BEING EQUAL A HS GRAD WILL GET HIRED BEFORE YOU.

Also one of the FIRST questions asked at the recruiters office is, DO YOU HAVE A HS DIPLOMA? If not come back when you get it. (My son tried to join and even the Army told him to come back after he got a HS Dip. The only branch that was willing to take him was the National Guard.)

Answer 5

No bill gates dropped out of college ot start his business, course he was already rich.
There ar emany poorly educated but rich people. Saddam was a poor desert uneducated kid himself and look where he went.
You get your ged and it's as good as a dilploma. You can go to college with your ged or vocation tech. However your chances of making a decent living is small without a coillege degree much less a highschool so stay there of get into college as fast as possible.

Answer 6

Get your GED. Take the SAT/ACT to go to college and do your best there. College graduates make more than high school graduates, no matter if they have a HS diploma or GED.

Answer 7

intentions aren't enough. Follow through is what counts. I suggest you either start you GED courses now or go back to high school and finish. Statistically speaking...the odds are not on your side. Do the work..there is no way around it..no matter what you want to do in your life. Self discipline is key in being successful.

Answer 8

Statistically probably yes you'll be poor or lower than middle class. Why did you drop out. Thats what employers look at. They say that if they could not even finish high school, how could they keep up this job?

Answer 9

Congratulations on getting your GED, if you follow through with that. It is equivilant to a highschool diploma. Just don't stop there, get a college education NOW, you still have time to catch up to or surpass your peers.

Answer 10

Not at all. Just make sure you have a good plan, the right systems, and the right FRIENDS.