Topic: Question about schooling

[germ]

In the short term, (the next 3-5 years), I think a HS diploma would do you better, especially if you plan on continuing with college. After that, I don't think anyone cares whether its a HS diploma or a GED. Community colleges will probably admit you with either, and I don't think they care one way or the other. I agree with everyone else who has spoken up on this subject. School is EXTREMELY important. It took me about 10 years to complete what should have been a 4-5 year deal, 'cause I couldn't pull it together to stay in school. Now that I'm "done", I'm happy, and make over 100k per year, but it was a long, hard road, with lots of skimping. (by the way, Big Mike is right: I have no more free speniding money now than when I was making 25K per year, but I also have a family, mortgage etc.) As Einstein once said, don't let school get in the way of your education. Another very wise man I know once told me: Find out what you love to do in life, then trick someone into paying you to do it.

Good luck,
Erik

[wa4x4]

Man what I would give to be in your shoes again.When I turned 16 I left h/s,transfered to the local community college and got my g.e.d. I then went on to take auto tech.I graduated there when I was 18.I had already gotten a job working in a small garage that mainly dealt with imports before I graduated and was making about 8 bucks an hour.As graduation got closer I started looking for jobs at local dealerships,my instructor wouldn't help me with finding one and I wasn't having much luck on my own.
At this same time the old man that owned the garage I was working at decided to sell it.The guy that purchased it offered to pay me 10 bucks an hour to stay with him and since I wasn't having any luck with the dealers I decided to stay on with him.Well it didn't work out,he was a lousy business man and the garage finally closed.I've worked for several garages since that but just finally got tired of not making any money.Now I work in a wire plant making 12.50 an hour,it's good money for the area I live in,but it's not where I wanna spend the rest of my life.I have a wife and 3 kids and a mortgage,I just don't have the time or the money to go back school.I would love to be a engineer,but unless I can do something online,I don't see that happening.

All I can say is just make absolutly sure that's what you wanna do with the rest of your life.It only gets harder the older you get.It may sound like great money now,but will it LAST.

Damn dude that sounds a lot like me. I am 16. I left traditional High school and started at the technical college taking both high school and technical classes. I figure I will be ok because I will get a regular HS diploma and a degree in automotive repair at the same time when I'm 19. I have heard a lot of BS about this from my friends and people my age, but have gotten praise from adults about it. It also helps that one of my best friends made the transition with me, but he is in the position to flunk out at the moment. I just need to get my nose to the grindstone and finish it up I am catching senioritis early. At least that's what my ex gf tells me all the time.

[Rocksurfer]

Damn dude that sounds a lot like me. I am 16. I left traditional High school and started at the technical college taking both high school and technical classes. I figure I will be ok because I will get a regular HS diploma and a degree in automotive repair at the same time when I'm 19. I have heard a lot of BS about this from my friends and people my age, but have gotten praise from adults about it. It also helps that one of my best friends made the transition with me, but he is in the position to flunk out at the moment. I just need to get my nose to the grindstone and finish it up I am catching senioritis early. At least that's what my ex gf tells me all the time.

I think what you are doing is great, I didn't have that choice when I was in school. I don't know why they don't have this for everyone. If they would have offered this type of technical assistance  when I was in HS I would have gone for it. We had a German exchange student and she told us this is how Germany works, she said our schooling system was for the birds. From what she said you go to school and just keep going until you know what you want to be and then are able to pursue that career without having a HS diploma so you basicaly end up certified in the career you desire and if you ever decide to change that idea you can do that also.

[6.72:1]

Hey, look at it this way...at least you don't want to be a specialized cosmetic plastic surgeon. Oh wait, that's me...I get discouraged sometimes because it seems that not only I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, but also it is almost like there is no light at the end of the tunnel! I know that this is not the case though. You just have to keep your head up. I have another ten years of schooling minimum for something that I really think I want to do. Some people think I am crazy. They say, "How do you know you want to do that?" I just tell them that that is something I have chosen and I am pursuing it full-bore. Most medical doctors are around 30 years old when they graduate from medical school and most go back to specialize in a particular field. Others in college graduate two or three times by the time a doctor gets to practicing. Not to mention, as a practicing physician, one must constantly be concurrent with the latest research to stay on top of his or her field. I just look at my education and say, " I am not going anywhere anyway, so, what the hell!" It is all about what you do with your time...everybody has the same amount of time, but what is important is what you do with your time. Some take advantage of opportunity and some do not. Look forward. I mean, the only real expenditures that I have are in off-roading and photography. I am still able to do what I love and not only fully satisfy the qualifications and requirements for medical school and graduating, but excel in my studies. Fortunately for me, UAB is one of the best medical schools to attend in the US. I am plan on taking full advantage of that. My recommendation to you is that you find something you like or have interest in, research what would get you there, and do it!  I could easily go to work full-time for someone and make enough money to support my lifestyle, but my goals are to help others on the way. I am a very self-less, or should I say, altruistic person and I enjoy helping others in any way I can, but I want to take it to the next level by being a doctor. You just never know. I might get to that point of being a practicing physician and say, "I am tired of this," and decide to do something else. That is a rarity among doctors, but it has happened. A close friend of mine went through medical school thinking he was going to be wealthy and happy and this is not the case for him at all. he went in for superficial monetary reasons and he is the most unhappy person I know. He will soon be exploring new avenues. They may still be in the medical field, but he will be much happier. The point is, pick something you have interest in and go for it! At least you will have learned something along the way and have a paper trail people can follow. Oh, and do some wheelin' along the way!

[6.72:1]

Also, you can write really long replies when people have questions about schooling because there are a billion plus different answers about what one can do with an education. If you can't decide on something, just be a professional student! That is what I am going to do if I am unable to find something gratifying as a profession. lol