Drop out? Graduate?

I'll tell you a secret....you dont need shit to travel if thats your goal. you dont need money to start with, a diploma, a shit load of gear, whatever... I advise fucking it off and getting your GED when you need it. kids take high school so seriously but it realy only seems important because your brain washed your entire life to think it is. dont stress so much and do what sounds good. your young... your allowed to fuck up and have fun...oh and because your 17 the cops wont even look for you. just make sure you dont get your name ran by cops because they'll ship you back home.

I had thought about dropping out when I was in high school..but then I got lucky and was expelled so I went to this tiny school that was basically the equivalent of home-school, and instead of slacking off like most people in that situation do, I just worked my ass off for 6 months and graduated a year and a half early! if your school has an independent study program similar to that, then you could do that. or just get your GED: 1 test and you're done. and regardless of what some people say, GED is the exact same fucking thing as high school diploma. as far as "jobs" go, you can lie about that anyway! I doubt anybody checks to see if you really have a h.s. diploma

i can only tell you what i have done in life and maybe you can learn something from it. its ultimately up to you what you want to do. i dropped out of school years ago (i wont reveal my old age) with only 3 months to go. i was bound for graduation and all but the travel bug bit my ass. in hindsight i should have just stuck the 3 months out because i ended up going back to school and then college so i could work on my bro's farm here in Kentucky. i don't think waiting those 3 months would have held me back from ever traveling. i would have still seen everything i've seen today.
i know school sucks now and its centered around a lot of bureaucratic bullshit but i'm glad i ended up going back because its done a lot for me. at 17, 18 i thought i would spend the rest of my life traveling too, but when it comes right down to it very few people are able to do that, and many of us need other things to go too. don't get me wrong i love to travel, and have logged 100's and thousands of miles but i like to do other things too. and when it comes down to it you've never spent a long time on the road from what i can tell, and you wont even know if you'll like it. a lot of people are ready to go home after the first couple days, or weeks. thankfully i knew it was what i wanted to do when i dropped out of school. what happens if you drop out and can't handle the road life?
1 year is not that long. i've done more time in city jails because of my itchy feet. i look back and can't believe i'm my age. i can remember being 17 like it was yesterday and it almost feels that way too. time flies. don't sweat it.
and in the end when your 18 and leave your father can't do shit. my parents didn't care so i can't help you here.

yeah well i guess if your credits are good and your close to graduation it would be better to wait the 2 months or watever. i was 2 years behind in credits so i took my high school proficiency exam. same thing as a hs diploma. but unlike a GED you can take the test at any age. these days you have to be 17 and 10 months old to take the GED. at least here in california. The proficiency is about $120 to take but its worth it if your behind in school and young. i graduated 2 years early, and the cops left me alone because i wasnt missing school.

I dropped out 2 months after I turned 16..........schools in Florida really suck .........I'm 26 now.......sometimes I wish I had my G.E.D but in the real world I'm a chef and I have never really needed to prove I graduated..in my line of work in really does'nt matter.so all I can say dude is it's your life and you can do whatever the fuck you want and in the end if traveling and fucking off is'nt your thing then you can always go back to school.

Don't be a pussy, buck up and finish strong.

Fuck if you can graduate on time then fucking do it don't be a loser like me... I have to go to adult school now so i can hardly ever squat or travel because i need to get this shit done because i'm tired of being disowned by my family just buckle up and get it the fuck done... then squat or whatever to you're hearts content.... i mean you seem pretty clean cut.... what if you drop out and sqaut and find out you hate it.... you hate being dirty sick hungry infested with bugs decaying with boot rot and infection.... i mean there was time ffor me when i was in my squating prime where i absolutly was sick of it and wish i had a bed under me and a roof over me.... but there was also amazing times that out weighed the bad.... i mean finish your shit.... then you have the rest of your life to squat if thats what you want.... or hey here you go.... grab a sleeping bag or a blanket and some ramen...... get on your local city bus.... ride that to the end of the line.... get on another one.... do the same and keep going till id say 6-7 ish..... go panhandle and hey mister.... get some booze then find a spot and have a blast...... take that as a test..... squating by misconception is romantisised way to much... it's really an aquired taste.... most people o romantisise about it either gear up to little or gear up too much and pamper themselfs..... i mean when i was squating i was with the most amazing kids but most people would consider them losers.... run aways from law and homes, kids who have been kicked out, broken homes, abusive parents, alcoholic parents.... and most of them had no choice..... but we made the best of what we had and drunk and pitted and shows and vanalism and boxing.... and found things that made us happy with very little our no cash.... like how the taste of spead in the moring is like jesus just craped in your muth(in a good way.... now im ranting..... but whatever makes you happy just find a way but get your shit done

Funny, I've always wanted to drop out but really even when I get my diploma it won't matter ( graduate in June of this year). Cause honestly In my eye's it doesn't matter what you do as long as you are happy with what you do. My folks may push me to go to college, I honestly couldn't care any less. I was bit by the travel-bug when I was really young. And I haven't traveled for 4 years so I want to travel. But its your life, like everyone else says you do how you want to do.

-Goggles

im graduating high school in a little less than a month then goin back for two weeks to make up a math credit (i fucking hate math, failed almost every year) school really sucks, and honestly i dont know if graduating will ever really help me out in life, i dont really care right now. ive done my travelling through the summers and get housed up in the winters for school.ive wanted to drop out many many times but honestly its not all that bad. do what you want, do what makes you happy, i just hate quitting anything i started even if i hate it, if i deal with the bullshit and make it through then i feel like it makes me a stronger person.

larzkaz14 said:

I'm 17 in less than 2 months and seriously considering dropping out of school. I know that right now I don't want or have any need for a diploma or a job or money, but I also know that things change, our minds change, things come up, and it (a diploma) would be a good thing to have in the long run. In short: I want to hear what ya'll have to say about dropping out. Have any of you dropouts ever regretted it? How long has it been since you dropped out?

A more detailed description of my situation:
School's really not that bad, but I just don't know if I can wait around anymore. I have wanted to travel and get the fuck out of here for at least 2 years. I have traveled a decent amount on my own with no money (hitching, camping, dumpstering, shoplifting) but I always have to come back. I am completely sick of waiting around to start my life and supposedly "learning". I'm not in public school but I'm still not learning anything new and I want to experience life.

I guess the reason I'm even thinking about staying is that I could graduate by next fall, even sooner if stayed home for the summer (this will not happen). Then it would be getting cold again though and I don't really want to start out on the road heading into winter, so I'd have to wait until next spring/summer, another whole year of this shit.

When I mentioned all of this to my father (who's a complete control freak and one of those parents who knows how to get what he wants through punishment and ultimatums) he said "sure, go ahead, but you can't have any gear of ours, any money, leave all of your ID's and your passport, and I'm reporting you missing to the police." All in all he would make it incredibly difficult (but not impossible) to achieve what I'm wanting. My dad and I get along really well, we're pretty good friends actually, but he's very materialistic and doesn't understand me not wanting money or a job.

Feel free to ask questions, I'm not sure it all makes sense.

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You're probably going to regret dropping out, and it's not as easy as simply goign back to school to get your diploma. There are all sorts of restrictions placed on getting back into high school, and past a certain age, they won't let you come back. GEDs aren't the equivalent of diplomas, despite what anybody tells you, and it will make it harder to get solid employment/good college if you ever decide you want it. I understand you are impatient and don't see the need for a diploma yet, but simply leaving now is going remove options from your life later on, and school isn't hard anyway, just stay 'til the end. I would've done anything to get back into school and got my diploma. You're not eighteen, and if you parents don't want you to leave, you can't expect them to understand and just let it happen.

larzkaz14 said:

This applies to US citizens as well doesn't it? I could I go to school in Canada at 21 with no diploma?

And is that all universities? Art schools? If I do ever want to go it would be to go to art school.

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US universities need a diploma, and some take GEDS, but it's a decreasing amount. Art school is a waste of time and money, to be honest. Sure, it's great to learn about something that is a hobby, but unless you've got some amazing talent it's not going to be worth to cost. I was a musical composition major, and when you're in an art school and get to see the students that you're competing with, it really puts you in your place. You can learn about your hobby on the road through books just as easily, and cheaper.

larzkaz14 said:

Thanks so much for all of your advice, but it looks like it doesn't matter anymore!

There was apparently some misinformation on the part of my counselor and I can graduate this semester as long as I pass the proficiency exam or some shit.

So... I hope to see you all on the road this summer and beyond! :cheers:
-Larz

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That's great to hear!

I dropped out my Senior Year got my GED went to community college now I just program whenever I need the income honestly the things they teach in school you won't need anyone of it in the real world algebra like pffy who needs alegebra...

Stephen O Roach said:

I dropped out my Senior Year got my GED went to community college now I just program whenever I need the income honestly the things they teach in school you won't need anyone of it in the real world algebra like pffy who needs alegebra...

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epic bump!... school is important, how else are they going to teach you to be a wage-slave.

lone wolf said:

epic bump!... school is important, how else are they going to teach you to be a wage-slave.

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The school system is one big brainwashing machine

The one thing I don't regret about finishing high school is learning how to weld. By my senior year I was in metal shop five hours of the day. Make that school your bitch. Educate yourself in skills of real value to spite those motherfuckers that keep you there! I fucking hated high school. But I'm glad I finished it I won't lie.