dropouts- what do they do after?

[Prolowtone]

Originally Posted by dangonay

Even my buddy with the Subway stores told his kids that he was a rare case and he made sure they all finished school. I would hate to see people read this thread and hear about the "successful dropouts" and come to the conclusion that they're going to succeed if they drop out. Your best chance at a career is to finish school and pick something worthwhile to study (no Arts degrees, for example).

I must agree that it is good to finish school. I am the only person i can think of off the top of my head that has made a good path for myself since i dropped out which is kinda sad because i know of some smart people who just drastically went downhill. I do plan to do some courses and finish it off as I just have my English course to finish now and want to do some others . As for the others, when they dropped out they would party and do drugs or stay at home and do fuck all, live crap lives .. A few are currently "Missing" and would not be surprised in foul play due to things they got involved in . Honestly i cant feel too bad for someone who dropped out and didnt put any effort into getting somewhere in their lives.

[toyobaru]

I know at least a handful of people who didnt try in school or have any ambitions and all they did was focus on their hiphop dance junk and try to make it big, drug deal, or play video games at home all day. A good majority of those guys joined into pyramid scam companies and tried recruiting me at least 3-4 times. A matter of fact one of my old classmates called me asking if I wanted to make 80k within a year. I said no cause I knew what was up, she flipped out. Same with another guy who does hip hop, its like did you realize you need a job to live.

Or a bunch of my honger friends think they're doing well in life by taking a crap load of psychology, math, english, and some art courses at Langara and SFU and convince themselves they're going to be a psychologist. Who are they kidding they are just there to be baby sat to keep Daddy Warbucks quiet

[melloman]

Originally Posted by SILVERBULL

Care to elaborate?

I'd care to.. being 22, in the newer generation, there are ALOT of lazy fucks.
Generations younger then I are even worse off, you still do have those kids who work for their shit and do well for themselves, but generally the kids I see these days get hand-outs left and right.

Kids these days who would drop out, expect to be handed a $100k/year job without having to look for anything or do any work. This mentality is the same with a lot of university grads who complain there's no work.

I think the difference between people here and other drop-outs are, the people here are working hard and realizing they need to, to be able to get ahead. And let us not forget that this is still a small population of drop-outs on RS.

[ae101]

ok here my crappy story from a chinese guy:

my dads family was poor in HK but they manage to get in to U of I in chicago as a math major, he then work most of his life with companies that are in the forbes 100 list

my dad was man of learning while i was never anything like him in part since i was had ADHD when i was kid & during my skool life from grade 5 to 12 my teachers would attack my dad in everyway since i was never really intrested in skool

my dad hates the fact that all teachers told him my problems but never really solved it

i barely made it thought HS (my skool was getting a name change in my final year so that might be a reason for passing me) but after that i went to trades as i loved cooking

after they told me that i would not make as a chef i worked for different jobs & took some upgrading courses at skool, flash forward till now me & my dad started a company in china (it was my grandfather & his dream)

were a small company but most my money that was invested in the company was from me & the money my mom left me, i dun make much as i dun ask for much but i do teach basics western food to chinese cooks

& if things work well i might help expand PUR wheels in to china this end of the year

to be honest school is good foundation to learning but when your in the work force in the real world most of what u learn in school dun help at all, my dad was a math major but only math he ever used in the real world was just basic grade skool math

if HS has a course on how get a gf & not be single i would pay attention to the class all day every day, but sadly there isnt (yes im single all my life, sucks to be me)

[MR_BIGGS]

This is an interesting discussion. Cool to hear all the different paths people have taken in life.

[Iceman-19]

Art majors with no life prospects are a rare case? Ever been to Kelowna?

[afadafa]

In my opinion, similar to many other debates (e.g. the nature vs. nurture debate), the education vs. work experience argument is no different in that it is now commonly known and accepted that both are equally important.

I also agree that there are exceptions to every rule but I think it is also important not to wrongfully assume that there is a cause and effect relationship between dropping out of school and succeeding in life through making a lot of money.

Since it is common nowadays for children, adolescents, and young adults to adhere to a strict timeline of education, for the most part, education is an essential part of many families here. Arguably, education serves as a backbone or foundation for many of us lucky enough to be born in a privileged developed nation. This essentially lays, for us, an equal playing field. People who stay in school and/ or excel academically is a reflection of something more than their intellectual ability, but rather their ability to commit, dedicate, and work hard for short term rewards that are not very tangible, or rewards that pay off much later in the future (including being able to do this in the face of adversity, through complications of life, or with a lower SES, as a few examples).

Now, the above speaks very generally and reflects a social norm in our society. If you are an equally driven person who is dedicated, ambitious, and willing to work hard for future payoffs (where the only difference is that you, for whatever reason, simply do not believe in the education system and “drop-out”), then I will say you fit into the smaller percentage of “drop-outs” who have an equal chance to succeed when compared to someone who graduates and does well in school. I say “smaller percentage of drop-outs” because, statistically speaking, it is those people who drop-out who lack any one combination of those qualities.

Moral of the story is: If you are a high school drop-out who do not possess the qualities discussed above, do not rationalize your position by comparing yourself to the anomalies because, statistically speaking, you are not the exception but the norm. At the same time, you do not need a high school diploma or even an undergraduate or graduate degree to succeed in life, but rather, it is those qualities that keep you motivated, positive, and ambitious that will yield a successful life.

[dhari]

Originally Posted by pinn3r

straight up though, why would anybody want to drop out anyways .. it just shows how fucking lazy you are as a human being
it's true - high school IS a walk in the park. teachers & counselors are there for your needs, and they practically hold your hand and guide you through it (unlike university).
i'd understand if there was a serious issue present that hindered you from graduating, but otherwise, there shouldn't be an excuse
i didn't want to say it, but to the revscene members that have dropped out, i hope you guys aren't frontin & exaggerating your achievements 'cause any teenagers who read this will think, "hey, those guys made it in life w/o high school, i probably could too"
i have a lot of naive buddies like that

finish what you started. honestly, you actually learn a shit ton of useful stuff for life relevance, especially in grades 11 & 12. Law, biology, chemistry, etc ..

heck, i goofed grade 9 & 10. failed science & english 9 and took remedial summer courses for them. i was careless, but i didn't want to drop out. now that my grade 12 year's approaching, i got my shit together, worked hard, and achieved A's & B's during grade 11 in the courses that were relevant to what i wanted to do for the future
sure, they're nothing but grades, but w/ a high school education + any post-secondary, a lot more doors open up for you opposed to not having them at all

just my 0.02

you sir, have the correct attitude and are very mature for your age. Keep it up mane!

[Ulic Qel-Droma]

Originally Posted by bballguy

If that's the case, then why should I even get a job? I'll just take all the money my dad passes on to me after he passes, right?

If you think nobody cares how you got that job, but rather just that you got it, you're wrong.

People will respect the person who created his business himself from the ground up far more than the person who simply took over his father's business, and hence, got lucky because he 'knew' someone.

Sure, the money might be the same at the end of the day, but the respect factor will not be, and the person starting from scratch will probably feel a lot better about themselves and their accomplishments than the guy who simply took over dad's business...

uhhh are you serious?
your view on this subject is so short sighted.

ok, so i was exaggerating a bit when i said no one cares about how you got the job.
but overall, it matters very very little to the global population.

oh yeah are you sure they'll respect them more?
what if the person that took over the business expanded it to new levels?
what if they run it better?

you are assuming the worse. some guy that inherits a business and just runs it to the ground or just lives off the passive income. but that rarely happens. ever.

remember, when you start from nothing. you start from 0.
when you acquire or get hooked up, you're not at 0.
when you take over family business, you acquire all their knowledge and skill and all their connections. you're VERY far ahead of the game. and if you put in work and effort, you'll most probably be more successful than the person that started from 0.

your view on this subject is not just very short sighted, but it's also very egotistical and selfish.

so you want to start from 0 because you want some sorta superficial respect?
you want to feel good about yourself? feel good about yourself so you can... what? jerk off to yourself? walk around with your chest sticking out and telling everyone "oh mememe. look what meme did with nothing it was all me. ALL me. mememe"
lol no one gives a fuck buddy.
especially when you make it up and u play with the millionaires. the only thing that matters is how much money you can generate.

lol
person A took over a business
person B started themselves

you think person A gives a fuck about how person B feels about themselves?
you think the general population gives a fuck how person B or A feels about themselves?
give me a break buddy.

the world isnt about you, or how you feel about yourself.

the world is about what you leave behind. you are just a small spec of nothing in humanity. a grain of sand on a beach.
how you feel about yourself is meaningless, you will die in the next 100 years or so.
concerned about how you feel with yourself, over some superficial achievement, wanting to dangle it in front of others, or to your own ego, is retarded.

the feel good about yourself part, is the same god damn thing as getting a gold sticker in kindergarten for being a well behaved student or something.
it's superficial. it's fake. it's just there as a lie to make yourself feel good.

except the difference is you're an adult now. you should face the truth.
you shouldnt need gold stickers to make yourself feel good enough to be motivated to do shit in life and feel proud about yourself.

Originally Posted by nns

Ulic Qel-Droma,

I am not looking down at those who have had help getting their job, like via a hook-up. My previous post touches on my thoughts about how some people get their job because of a hook-up, who are in fact not the best man for the job. Some of them don't have the skills, don't have the education, and most importantly, don't have the work ethic. They got the job because their friend/relative/whatever told them about it, convinced the boss, and now occupy a position they may not even deserve. This sort of selection process has things unfairly stacked up against the average Joe.

Note, I said some people. If you know of a job that sounds good, where you believe you can make an honest contribution, and it's done through a hook-up, go for it. If I were that guy who got you in, believe me, I'd vet you for the position before I even told you about it. I don't want some lazy guy who cuts corners and has a crappy work ethic working next to me or any of my team. I've seen it happen. I see it everyday.

Oh, BTW, I don't mean to sound like I'm soapboxing. This is still a discussion forum, and discussions like this have a broad scope, so it's hard not to touch on other related topics.

i get where you come from.
but, people learn from mistakes.

i have the ability to point people toward the right direction or give them a little nudge.
i love helping people.

but i wont fucking help them unless i think they'll contribute. or have the skill to do it.
i mean i'd look like a retard if i got someone a job and they sucked at it.

that would be retarded. no business owner would put their own business at risk by hiring a "hookup" that had no skill. unless the job itself required no skill.

i agree that the best person should be hired for the job.
but the definition of "best" is subjective.

best is not only based on skill. it's also based on interpersonal skills, and relationship backgrounds.

if you hire someone and they're lazy and cut corners and bring the team down, then you learn from that and dont hire someone so lazy next time. lol.

your comment on the "unfairly stacked against the average joe" is also inaccurate.
yes, it is unfairly stacked if you look at it from a purely technical skill based perspective.

but who's to say what's fair in the market place?

why is knowing someone perceived as unfair? it seems totally fair to me.
it's a skill within itself. networking.

it also depends on the job
if i needed to hire someone to program something for me. i could pick the most introverted person that never relies on any networks.
but what if i wanted to hire someone to promote my company? or be a spokes person?

anyway, my point is, if someone gets hired through a hookup, and they're a fucktard, then that is just a mistake that can be corrected.

if someone gets hired by a hookup, and is hard working, and just slightly worse than the "next" best candidate (but lacking skills can be learned or improved on), then that, in my mind is still 100% fair. connections don't come out of no where, it's gained through skill and hard work.

[Tapioca]

Originally Posted by Iceman-19

Art majors with no life prospects are a rare case? Ever been to Kelowna?

I'd like to hear from someone who's been on both sides of the fence - one who has worked hard in the bush and has a degree in a soft subject such as Econ, Poli Sci. Until then, we're going to have under-informed people on each side slagging each other with no middle ground.

[Great68]

I'd never promote dropping out, but the stereotype that highschool dropouts never amounting to anything is pretty false in my view.

[belaud]

If I could go back in time, I would actually try in school, just for the social aspect of it, I'm a one off from my grad class.

Heres how my grad class came out, and in ironically racist fashion.

Most of the asians graduated with high grades, honours, and all that shennanigans, went straight to post-secondary. Half of them have now dropped out for various reasons, working in part time sales, and refusing to do much more. The other half are graduating soon, and have their entire lives lined up for them.

Most of the "guai los" graduated with low grades, lots of booze & weed in their body. Went straight into the work force for trades, sales, and all that. Most of them now are starting post secondary with a refreshed motivation to learn, some of them are stuck in that drug.

[mr_chin]

People drop out for many reasons. First thing that comes to your mind is "he's lazy", "he's a quitter", etc.

I dropped out because my family couldn't financially support me anymore. I go to school every day with no lunch and have to bum shit off my friends. Occasionally my dad would give me $20 for the whole week and I would spend it all in 3 days time ($5ish fried rice and $1ish drink).

Other drop out because they feel excluded from class. They don't feel like they fit in in group work or partner work. Unable to find partner or no one wants to partner with them.

Other reasons are social confrontation which leads to pressure being in class or in public. In high school, I"m not the very popular guy and I have like 3 friends. It's hard to go to school when your friends aren't there. Especially if you fail a year and have to be in class with younger people and people you don't know. It's just hard for kids of those age.

Another important reason to know is that some people are just not listeners. There are three types of learners I remember learning in my skills class are, hands on, audial (by ear), visual (by sight). I know a buddy of mine who can't stand class or sometimes I would teach him about computers and stuff but he would never learn. Once he gets his hands on it, he picks it up real quick.

Influence, family problems (especially for kids with divorced parents), lack of attention at school from students and teachers are reasons for students to drop out.

It all depends on what they do after they drop out. Are they laying around the house not doing anything? I know a lot of people who dropped out went to slang dope (including myself) and it would definitely be worth it if the money was put to good use (unfortunately for me, I spent it all partying).

A drop out can make as much as a person who graduated university. It's all about who you know, where you search, and your personality. The difference is that, the person graduated has credentials to prove that he is capable of earning that much.

[dachinesedude]

Originally Posted by pinn3r

this thread has turned into a place where people come to impress other people with their life stories

and im sure over half the stories are over-exagerrated to make them feel like they are well off, but when compared to their educated counter parts, they're actually not

why is finishing high school even a debate, you're a dumbass if you cant finish

going to college/university is a different topic though, that can go both ways

[dhari]

Originally Posted by dachinesedude

and im sure over half the stories are over-exagerrated to make them feel like they are well off, but when compared to their educated counter parts, they're actually not

why is finishing high school even a debate, you're a dumbass if you cant finish

going to college/university is a different topic though, that can go both ways

This seems like more of a relevant discussion these days since a degree is now the "minimum" for success.

[moomooCow]

It's all about keeping as many options open as possible. Sure, there are people who drop out and make it big. Sure, there are people who have done nothing all their lives and then luck out and win the lottery. But at the end of the day, the statistics will show that you'll have a better chance at success if you graduate from high school.

If you're willing to bet your future on some tiny odds then by all means go for it. Everyone else will be working hard to improve their chances.

[bballguy]

Originally Posted by moomooCow

It's all about keeping as many options open as possible. Sure, there are people who drop out and make it big. Sure, there are people who have done nothing all their lives and then luck out and win the lottery. But at the end of the day, the statistics will show that you'll have a better chance at success if you graduate from high school.

If you're willing to bet your future on some tiny odds then by all means go for it. Everyone else will be working hard to improve their chances.

[Lomac]

Not all drop outs are losers, and not all losers are drop outs.

[Lomac]

Many people drop out of high school for various reasons, that we can all agree on. Sometimes it's for family reasons (one friend had to drop out because his parents disappeared and he ended up having to look after his little sister), sometimes it's for personal reasons (one kid got knocked up in grade 11 and she decided to carry it to term, but felt she wasn't able to do that and school ), and sometimes it's for something else (another friend from elementary, one of the smartest kids I know, ended up falling in with the wrong crowd and got hooked on drugs... after which he got kicked out of his house and I haven't heard about since). I know more people that dropped out, but those are the three main reasons for why they all did.

The thing is that while a couple of them are actually successful (trades and rig pigs), most of them aren't. They live paycheque to paycheque at their McJob or rely on EI because they're used to not working for their money. Yes, there will always be a Steve Jobs type story talking about how some random drop out is now making more than someone with their PHD in science, but these stories are rare and not indicative of how real life works. As some people have said, getting a solid career is all about hard work and networking. Sure, you can start off as an order picker at a warehouse and eventually work your way up the chain, but it takes hard work. When you go to school, you and your peers all network with one another. I know I certainly did when I went to Capilano College for film work. If it wasn't for all my fellow students being able to network with each other, many of us wouldn't have been able to get our foot in the door for film work. And, as someone else mentioned, many people wont even consider your resume if it doesn't state that you've graduated from high school.

That said, many people who finish high school and go to University are just as much of a lazy ass as those who don't. I know a few people who went to UBC without a clue as to what they wanted to do and simply ended up with a random BA because they chose easy courses. Yes, a few of these people actually ended up being able to find respectable careers with them, but most of the rest are working at places like Starbucks.

I wouldn't go around categorizing drop outs as losers with no focus in life, but, yes, they definitely have a harder hill to climb if they want to make something of their lives.

[DsZ24]

Originally Posted by GLOW

don't sparkies need their HS diploma to get in to trade school?

I think you needed math 11 and physics 11 back when I first started my apprenticeship.

[Meowjin]

why the fuck would anyone go back for their highschool reunion?

Fuck McNair.

[belaud]

Fuck McMath, looks like a prison now with the metal gating, metal blinds, and metal fucking lock handles on the doors.

[guava]

don't know any1 that failed hs..... but know quite a lot of ppl that dropped out of post-secondary. most of them are working under their family business in china. all of them are doing fairly well.
u know doing business in china. they can easily make millions. just like that.

[Meowjin]

Originally Posted by belaud

Fuck McMath, looks like a prison now with the metal gating, metal blinds, and metal fucking lock handles on the doors.

At least mcmath wasn't full of farmers kids.

[HKS PWR]

Originally Posted by GLOW

don't sparkies need their HS diploma to get in to trade school?

For most trades, you don't need a high school diploma.

That's a real shame because I've seen apprentices do great at the hands-on stuff, but struggle (and eventually failing) in class because they couldn't figure out remedial math or couldn't read. The sad part is that they chose to get into trades because there's not many prerequisites.