Education Vs. Travel? (1 Viewer)

[TrainingHoppers]

Alright, I need somewhere to kinda/sorta rant and don't know where to put this, so here we go.

Short but Sweet: I'm living a pretty shit life right now. I don't want to sit here and talk about it for hours because than ya'll think I'm a stuck-up brat with nothing to do but rant to people who have it worse than me, so I won't.

I've got a family that doesn't care about me. A house that's barely liveable (I'm typing this on a local library computer). No friends. A slightly-less-than-okay community in a slightly-less-than-okay town. I'm not totally sure I can do this anymore and am contemplating running away. I can scrounge some money and some supplies very easily to get to somewhere better, very quickly If I had to. Only one little problem.

I'm halfway through my sophomore year of High School. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place on whether to say "Fuck it" and get out of my current situation to try and make it better for myself, or I can attempt to slug it out and try and graduate in my current situation and then GTFO.

I've heard of people "hoboing" until they are of legal adult age and re-enrolling themselves in education, but I'm really struggling with the option. So I'd figure I'd go for some outside opinions.

(Without being rude, I will say that this little thread here will in no way decide what I do in the end, but it could influence it a little bit).

Thanks for your opinions in advance, it'll probably a little while before I can respond as I need to make it back to the library.

 

[blue ant]

Finish high school. It'll make things a lot easier going forward.

 

[rooster831]

Finish high school. It'll make things a lot easier going forward.

at least get a ged

 

[OutsideYourWorld]

I have no idea how you're doing emotionally and all, but i'd like to think I would finish highschool, if it were me. It will just open up many more possibilities for you down the road... And it's easy to say you'll go back and finish, but it's much harder to return to it all once you've gotten away from it. You may just never actually end up going back to finish, or find that you aren't in the right mind to do it anymore.

You can still get a lot of work without graduating, but you won't have as much to choose from. And you may end up in a situation where it would have been very useful.

So I say finish it. I hope it all works out for you.

 

[Hazardoussix6six]

finish school, as mentioned already make future life much easier, stick it out. in the mean time prep and plan...youll hit the road a lot more knowledgeable and matured. be much easier. also being underage the cops will I'd assume at least take right back where you started, the first time they run your name...which will happen alot.
either way stay safe an safer travels.

 

[Weminuche]

I'm in the same boat as you man but I'm 26. I'm using the GI Bill to get my undergrad.
It seems like such a waste of time when you're in it. But in reality the two more years I'll spend sitting on my ass being depressed will (supposedly) pay off with more life opportunities in the future.
Think about it. If you put off highschool with the intention of finishing later then you'll just be a twentysomething year old in the same spot you are in right now. It's only prolonging the suck.
Think of these last few years as just another challenge you have to face like the ones ahead of you on the road.
Use this time wisely. Learn Spanish. Start to learn a trade. Volunteer somewhere. Find anything to do/learn that will make the rest of highschool not seem like a complete waste of time.
20 year old you will thank you!

 

[Cornelius Vango]

So, here's my story- I hated school, I hated the world, I was unhappy in my home... I went to epic alternative schools and just mucked around. Meanwhile, I was couch-surfing part time, until I eventually got a van and lived out of that. I tried to finish school but every term my grades plummeted more and my morale plummeted as well but I kept trying so hard to finish. I was a super-super senior when I got kicked out for smoking pot on school grounds.

I could have just gotten a GED at any time. I did after I was kicked out, and it was easy as fuck.

I tried to go to college afterward, but hit rock bottom around the second term and dropped out. Fortunately, I had enough money to pay for my small amount of school. Then in 2011, I drove west in my van and have never looked back.

All these kids telling you to finish school don't know you. It might be the right thing for you to do, but maybe you'd be happier just getting your GED and saving up. I don't know how old you are, but I would definitely suggest waiting until you turn 18 to hit the road, but I have met some underage kids who are doing just fine.

Oh yeah, and now I'm visiting my hometown and I'm going back to that school to do a talk on how to live off-grid and travel free. How crazy is that?

 

[xvxlex]

You should definitely get your GED if you won't be finishing high school. Depending on the state you live in, you may already be eligible to take your GED or high school equivalency test if you're over 16. Also, I would take the GED sooner rather than later (if possible), while the stuff you learned in school is still fresh in your mind.

 

[TrainingHoppers]

Finish high school. It'll make things a lot easier going forward.

That seems like the general consensus. Thanks.

I have no idea how you're doing emotionally and all, but i'd like to think I would finish highschool, if it were me. It will just open up many more possibilities for you down the road... And it's easy to say you'll go back and finish, but it's much harder to return to it all once you've gotten away from it. You may just never actually end up going back to finish, or find that you aren't in the right mind to do it anymore.

You can still get a lot of work without graduating, but you won't have as much to choose from. And you may end up in a situation where it would have been very useful.

So I say finish it. I hope it all works out for you.

I'm definitely not near as bad as it could be. I've known kids who are worse off than me and they're long gone. Never heard from em' since and that was something like a year and a half ago, we were barely Freshman. I'd like to think I'd have the will to finish, but 2 extra years is a lot of time. Thanks for the response.

I'm in the same boat as you man but I'm 26. I'm using the GI Bill to get my undergrad.
It seems like such a waste of time when you're in it. But in reality the two more years I'll spend sitting on my ass being depressed will (supposedly) pay off with more life opportunities in the future.
Think about it. If you put off highschool with the intention of finishing later then you'll just be a twentysomething year old in the same spot you are in right now. It's only prolonging the suck.
Think of these last few years as just another challenge you have to face like the ones ahead of you on the road.
Use this time wisely. Learn Spanish. Start to learn a trade. Volunteer somewhere. Find anything to do/learn that will make the rest of highschool not seem like a complete waste of time.
20 year old you will thank you!

I've actually already started preparing, I stacked my year for Spanish classes just in case (three actually) It's not going to get me fluent, but I'll be able to understand a decent amount, at least enough to keep learning. I've volunteered at a homeless shelter nearby to see if any of them were passerbys that knew tips and tricks about Freight Hopping. I've also looked around town for some part-time jobs that I could take up to start saving money (As once I'm gone, I'm gone. No going back).

Thanks for your Response.



Thanks for the responses everyone who responded, you've been a big help. I think I know what I'll do...

 

[adventurekid]

Hey I feel for ya. I am sort of in the same boat as far as wanting to get out of here, but can't until I finish high school. I am a senior, though, so my time is coming to a close a lot sooner than yours. My advice: stick it out. High school can be a a bitch, but it's manageable. Running away at your age is not the smartest option. since you are a minor the police will come looking for you and everyone gets involved and it makes your situation a hundred times worse.

I go to an alternative school and it's a lot better. Te kids here seem to understand me more and I just get along with them better. If school is a hard place for you to be (like it was for me) maybe consider going to an alternative school. (I didn't chose to go to one, I got kicked out of public school due to getting in trouble)

 

[vannevar]

Hey I feel for ya. I am sort of in the same boat as far as wanting to get out of here, but can't until I finish high school. I am a senior, though, so my time is coming to a close a lot sooner than yours. My advice: stick it out. High school can be a a bitch, but it's manageable. Running away at your age is not the smartest option. since you are a minor the police will come looking for you and everyone gets involved and it makes your situation a hundred times worse.

I go to an alternative school and it's a lot better. Te kids here seem to understand me more and I just get along with them better. If school is a hard place for you to be (like it was for me) maybe consider going to an alternative school. (I didn't chose to go to one, I got kicked out of public school due to getting in trouble)

lol whatd you do to get in trouble??!!

 

[coldAnxiety]

I don't think it is a problem to finish high school being that some jobs you do find may require a minimum high school diploma anyway. You also need to check and double-check your legal age laws to make sure you have every right to move out and/or run away on your own. For the most part you can always teach yourself how to hop freight trains as you prepare to travel. You have to know what's safe and what is dangerous in a way that I have.

 

[Ahnya Rysm]

Personally, when I was 16, I got my GED, got emaciated (through a pro Bono paralegal.) moved to Portland, or and began JR college. Graduated university at 19. It was hard but if I can do it, you could do it. I totally get needing to get out....

 

[Ahnya Rysm]

Personally, when I was 16, I got my GED, got emaciated (through a pro Bono paralegal.) moved to Portland, or and began JR college. Graduated university at 1Kim9. It was hard but if I can do it, you could do it. I totally get needing to get out....

Not that getting a degree got me anywhere but massive student debt. If I did it all over again, I would get a trade that allowed me to be a digital nomad, like programming or somesuch...