catching heat for dropping out

Yeah, it IS ironic! A lot of people go to college for anything BUT education. and there ARE a lot of ways to learn things.

Steve

Ever heard the phrase "I'm not book smart, I'm street smart"? It's what dumb people say when they're failing in school.

You're being treated differently because the majority of people who drop out did so because they were failing. And they all say dumb crap like that... it's never "their" fault. It's the school, the professors, their crappy home life, whatever. Anything but personal responsibility.

And now you're among them, whether you fit that description or not.

Sure, there are a handful - a tiny minority - who will drop out because a better opportunity came along. Guys like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg fall into that category. But for every Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg "dropout success story" there are millions of others who don't discover until later in life what a barrier it will be. The ones who overcome it later in life had to work twice as hard as everyone around them to prove themselves.

A degree (or even a high school diploma) is a standard that tells employers that you know "at least that much". I have a stack of resumes on my desk right now. I know nothing about any of these people other than what's on the resume, and I don't have the time or desire to ask them why having no credentials they feel they're still qualified for the position I'm trying to fill simply because they "decided" they educated themselves enough. A degree tells me they at least have the foundation for what I need them to do. If they don't have that, they had better have a ton of relevant experience to make up for it. If they have neither, they won't make it to a first interview.

The next time you see a 40 year old man working at McDonalds, it's a pretty good bet that he's a dropout. Nothing against him, he's probably a nice guy. He probably knows a lot of things about the world. Just nothing that helped his resume.

Stay in school, man. It's a pain in the ass, and you won't use most of what you learn in the real world but you still need to be able to prove you learned it. Otherwise you'll get skipped over for jobs, promotions, and advancement over and over. Dropping out will always be something you regret later in life.

Serious subject. In some countries little girls are being shot for dreaming of getting their education. There is a LOT of prestige in knowledge, there is a LOT of freedom in knowledge. So why would someone not understand why someone who had the golden opportunity to go through college decides to drop out?

You can educate yourself to an extent, but unless you're real freaking special, there are a lot of things you just aren't going to pick up on your own. I have had intensive ed in a few subjects and have learned to just stop all conversations about that field with anyone not degreed because they think they know everything when they don't even know what there is TO know about the field. So there's the question of if you are actually "educated" or not when you go it alone.

Next there's the discipline factor. College can be hella fun at the social level, but it takes some major discipline to get through a good university with decent grades. Sometimes when employers are looking at resumes, what they see when someone is degreed is proof of the discipline to see something through to the end. The GPA tells how strongly they were committed to it, too. You don't need to go to school to have discipline, but a degree with a solid GPA shows you have the discipline to stick with something. If you have something else that shows that kind of dedication to a goal, great. If you don't, you're running behind the pack in your own testimonials. Some fields and/or job levels just require the degrees, period. In some fields having that credential is mandatory to operate legally. Ever heard of a self-educated lawyer, doctor, etc? There's a reason for that.

It is true that some people can succeed with no education, but it sure cuts your odds by a long shot to not have one. Unless you are some kind of really special, when you get into a group of people in your self-chosen field, you might be in for a reality check when you get into a field discussion with them.

All in all - I think all the MMO jabber has cut into people's understanding of how important a formal education is. We live where education is so accessible (getting less so, but is still rather accessible to most) that people have forgotten what a gift it really is to get instruction from masters of critical thinking and experience in the areas we have passion to know about.

When you think about why people are shocked that you dropped out of school -- remember all the people in other places that would give anything - to the point of risking being shot - to get that education. There's a reason for that. There's a LOT of forms of knowledge you are so unlikely to get on your own, and trying to describe those to you is like trying to describe a forest to someone who has lived in a room with no windows all their life. There's just no understanding, for many, of the reasons one might choose to limit themselves. And you might as well face it, the degree carries prestige here, as well as in many countries. That's just part of sociology you aren't going to get around (if you took soc classes you would know that). Without that sheepskin, sorry about your luck, you ARE second class in a country of educated people. Your only way out of that one is to do something phenomenal without it. Can you?

I think I will let Sir Ken Robinson speak for me on this issue:

Ken Robinson: How schools kill creativity | Video on TED.com

Interesting insights, including into why the vast majority of the people who try to start an online business fail.

I strongly dislike our education system, mostly due to the fact that it's seriously outdated and does nothing to help people achieve their dreams. Not to mention that with college, more often than not, you'll get nothing but a fancy piece of paper and a 6-figure debt to show for your efforts.

Look at how the original universities were run in ancient times. There were no degrees back then. People went there to learn by exchanging ideas with each other, not to pass a series of pointless tests just so they could get a piece of paper that claims they know something.

We've gone far astray with the way we educate ourselves.

This isn't intended as a comment about therealfactoid because I don't know him, but...

The only people I knew who dropped out of high school when I was in high school (yes, that was a LONG time ago) dropped out because they were too damn lazy for their own good. I don't know if that's a common reason, but it's probably not all that rare.

Steve,

He runs an Internet radio show for high school and college dropouts, so I'm not sure which he's referring to with his post. My relevant experience with dropouts is from my high school days, but my point could be applicable to drop outs of any stripe.

Is this another complaint that your parents won't keep supporting you if you don't stay in school? Are we talking about college or high school?
You didn't say.

You also don't say what it is you WANT to do. What is your plan for the future?

Am I the only one to notice the OP's sig file?! :confused:

well.. interesting mix of responses.

maybe it is that the dropouts simply don't finish what they start... or maybe they recognize they are in a dysfunctional relationship and cut ties before too much is invested. This may not be a conscious process for all dropouts, but is certain to be a subconscious factor for most of them.

Think about this, if you as a student have a tough time adjusting to school for whatever reason, why would you want to place yourself in a situation where you have to endure similar conditions, rules and environments for decades in the workforce before retirement when the examples and role models you see and are exposed to through the media show you something else is possible.

Studies have shown that the majority of students labeled with learning disabilities who make up the majority of those who drop out do not learn as well through the methods used in most schools and respond better to alternative and more interactive learning mediums.

So what are you as a student to do in this situation when you are unaware of your circumstance, the research or alternatives available but simply are told repeatedly that you have a learning disability and know that you hate school? Add this to the fact that you are massively undereducated because the schools are using the wrong methods, so you are light years from being able to articulate or even understand this.

the dropouts I personally know are immobilized by several hidden factors beside just laziness and it becomes aparent if you spend any amount of time with them.

Finally, I personally dropped out of university and work as a contract driver (which I absolutely love) also running a home studio and computer repair business. I am currently learning how to blog and teaching myself public speaking by starting a radio show where I discuss my opinions and hopefully build up the experience, audience and skill to do live presentations on the topics I care about.

I never said school was bad for everyone or at all, but for myself, I am doing very well and have learned and experienced far more than when I was in university for a fraction of the cost and debt. Self discipline and initiative are the greatest benefits of putting myself back in charge of the things I learn and how I put them to use for financial or personal gain.

Degrees may help you get jobs, but a ticket to a job is not a financially secure future because eventually we all become unable to work. Ownership in businesses, investments and property are what secure one's financial future.

I appreciate your responses and please keep them coming