Why should I care about the rest of high school and college?

[ComradeGrant]

I am seriously finding it impossible to continue to care about high school. I have a year and a half left, and I am so burnt out by the perceived uselessness of high school. Please convince me that I college is worth all of this bullshit.

[Veovis]

High school is important, but college is a waste unless you're going into some technical field.

[Ostrinski]

I dropped out of high school but I'm still going to college. I don't see how college is a waste. It's only a waste if you want to do some kind of trade instead.

[Optiow]

Sure, high school's full of lies and a lot is complete crap but it is good if you complete it. It makes it so much easier to find a job in this society, whether you learnt anything or not.

[Ostrinski]

High school is a fucking drag. The diploma is the only thing that is of any use to anyone.

[Lucretia]

High school and college are, quite literally, what you make of it. If you don't put much effort into thinking independently or learning much, it's very easy to skate by with minimal effort, even at some of the best universities, if you're reasonably bright. Most high school teachers and even a shockingly large number of university professors will not actively encourage you to step outside of your intellectual comfort zone. Just remember that it will probably be the one time in your entire life when your main activity will consist of reading and learning almost entirely on your own schedule. This might not seem like a big deal for somebody who is a junior in high school, but you'll understand the significance better when you're digging ditches, or listening to complaining customers, or shuffling papers on a desk for meager wages, working under the strict control of supervisors, with very little control over your work conditions or schedule.

[ArrowLance]

I don't see any reason not to finish high-school. I only recently graduated myself after having similar feelings of apathy. I must admit I only passed because school has always been easy for me. I never did homework outside of class, whatever I couldn't finish in class I didn't do.

Don't go to college unless you want to fulfill some dream only possible there. If you are here maybe your goal is to see the Revolution, however you choose to do that should be what you do, immediately. If high-school is in the way of that, forget high-school. Don't let college get in the way just because people tell you it is the only way you will achieve anything.

[citizen of industry]

Just stop complaining and do it. As Lucretia says, it's the only time you don't have to do anything else but study. When you are working in the capitalist machine, study time is a luxury.

That and, nobody will ever say, "you have a college degree, so we can't employ you. " You literally lose nothing by going to university and getting it, even if it isn't that useful for you.

[eyedrop]

That and, nobody will ever say, "you have a college degree, so we can't employ you. " You literally lose nothing by going to university and getting it, even if it isn't that useful for you.

Actually it is quite common to hear that you are overeducated for a job. Then the employer don't think you will stay in that job, since other more interesting jobs should be open for you, for long and they must pay you more.

As for the original post; move out, get a shitty job and struggle to make ends meet for a year, after finishing high school, and reevaluate if you want to study then.

[dodger]

Grant you see things. Look a little harder. Read again What Lucretia and Sailor Jay are really saying. Sparkling pearls of wisdom. Common sense. If life has gone stale, take a year off study, get a job, some savings, try some travel, see a bit more of the world. Think again. One thing to say really, you do have options, make sure you always have them. Life without options is wallowing in pig shit misery. I am not one to complain or explain, ask others!!!

[citizen of industry]

Actually it is quite common to hear that you are overeducated for a job. Then the employer don't think you will stay in that job, since other more interesting jobs should be open for you, for long and they must pay you more.

As for the original post; move out, get a shitty job and struggle to make ends meet for a year, after finishing high school, and reevaluate if you want to study then.

If you are overqualified for the job you are applying for, just don't your degree on your resume. As for entering the workforce right out of high school, it's a lot harder to go back to school in that situation.

[eyedrop]

If you are overqualified for the job you are applying for, just don't your degree on your resume.And then you have a black hole in what you have been doing for some years on your resume. I have plenty of anecdotal evidence from acquaintances, from people with a bachelor in humanoria subjects f ex, that it can be a problem.
As for entering the workforce right out of high school, it's a lot harder to go back to school in that situation.

How is it harder? (Genuine question)

[piet11111]

Well look at it like this if you drop out of highschool that means you have to work and that sucks a whole lot more.

Seriously life is a downward slope from here on.

[citizen of industry]

And then you have a black hole in what you have been doing for some years on your resume. I have plenty of anecdotal evidence from acquaintances, from people with a bachelor in humanoria subjects f ex, that it can be a problem.

How is it harder? (Genuine question)

For numerous reasons. You get a job, an apartment, build relationships around this life, get busy, it's hard to go back. If you have kids, you aren't the priority anymore. The older you get the less you can rely on family for financial support, and the tighter ypur own budget gets. Granted, a lot of people do it- Go to community college nights or university with a spouse supporting them, but its harder. Better to get it out of the way when you are young and your parents are helping to support you. Plus, the older you get the faster time goes by. It ay feel like an eternity to the OP, but four years go by in the blink of an eye to me.

[Zav]

You've got several options. Here they are in ascending order from least constructive to most. Think armchair revolutionary to Che. Go for five or six.

1. Finish high school and college, get a job, and complain about the system for the rest of your life.
2. Finish high school, get a job, and complain about the system for the rest of your life. In the end you'll be just as (un)happy as number one.
3. Quit high school, get a job, and complain about the system for the rest of your life. Life will be harder in the system than options one or two.
4. Quit high school and be a bum. Complain about the system for the rest of your life. This may be harder or easier than number three.
5. Finish high school and or college, be a bum, and complain about the system for the rest of your life. This will be easier than number four.
6. Dedicate your life to activism, do odd jobs when you can't do things yourself, and probably go to prison. Complain about the system for the rest of your life. Hard as hell. Pretty bad ass.
7. Dedicate your life to revolution, probably go to prison, complain about the system for the rest of your life, and you will die. At least you'll be satisfied knowing you tried to fix the world.


Obviously I'm not trying to get anyone killed, so no crap about that, please.

[NewLeft]

There is no job security for anyone without a high school diploma over here.. It is not worth it.

[Veovis]

Just stop complaining and do it. As Lucretia says, it's the only time you don't have to do anything else but study. When you are working in the capitalist machine, study time is a luxury.

That and, nobody will ever say, "you have a college degree, so we can't employ you. " You literally lose nothing by going to university and getting it, even if it isn't that useful for you.

Must be nice living somewhere other than the United States. I'm out $80,000 with nothing to show for it but a nearly useless bachelor's degree and a job I could have gotten with just a high school diploma.

[citizen of industry]

Must be nice living somewhere other than the United States. I'm out $80,000 with nothing to show for it but a nearly useless bachelor's degree and a job I could have gotten with just a high school diploma.

I dropped out of high school in the US, worked service jobs and scraped by for a couple years while going to community college. I did 4 years in the military, now I teach English in Japan on a spousal visa, something most people can't do without a degree. If I had the time or the money, I'd get my degree. As it stands, I don't regret my decisions, but OP will have more options if he gets his degree out of the way.

[Nox]

The system is shit but you might as well get a degree so you can do something you enjoy.

[eyedrop]

For numerous reasons. You get a job, an apartment, build relationships around this life, get busy, it's hard to go back. If you have kids, you aren't the priority anymore. The older you get the less you can rely on family for financial support, and the tighter ypur own budget gets. Granted, a lot of people do it- Go to community college nights or university with a spouse supporting them, but its harder. Better to get it out of the way when you are young and your parents are helping to support you. Plus, the older you get the faster time goes by. It ay feel like an eternity to the OP, but four years go by in the blink of an eye to me.

Almost all of those are conscious life altering decisions. Don't get a kid or a house if you aren't reasonable sure you can afford it in 5 years time. It shouldn't be like that but it is, the average mother (first kid) these days is around 30 here. It shouldn't be like that but it is.

Not everyone is spoiled brats that rely on financial support to go through university, studying is generally an experience of living below the poverty line. I do recognize that it isn't possible to study without help from home everywhere in the world. I can that living in the relative affluence of having a job provides can make it hard to go to the poverty of studying. (Noodles and home brewed beer all the way.)

I see plenty of totally unmotivated straight out of high school students scraping by and learning half of what the more motivated students do, and working for a couple of years, and not do any stupid decisions, is a big part of getting that motivation since then you know why you study.

[Jimmie Higgins]

Most high school is just training people to do what they are told - no offense to the students or teachers who are trying to make the most of an indifferent (to actual learning anyway) institution in modern society. That atmosphere bleeds into the social life of many high schools and the fucked up parts of our society are kind of concentrated so that everyone is socially in competition and the rich kids are popular because they don't have to work and have nice cars and the ability to get drugs and alcohol. It's probably different depending on the local conditions, but most people - high school is shit and they want to forget it and the people from there as soon as possible. College can be a little different and it might depend on where and how you go to school. Commuter colleges are really easy socially but can be isolating. But on the whole I enjoyed going to college and if there was a revolution tomorrow I'd be back in the worker's university as soon as it got set up just so I could take classes for personal enrichment and enjoyment.

I wish money weren't an issue, I could be an undergrad for probably a decade - learn about dinosaurs and all sorts of shit that doesn't have a practical (employment) purpose. I might even learn to like poetry or classical music - meh, anything's possible.

Lucretia is totally right in my opinion. I went to college kind of nieve because other than my parents who went to a local school, not many people in my family went to college and I kind of thought you go in and then get out and can easily get a decent job. So because I wasn't really thinking about a career or networking or shit I literally did the bare minimum in subjects I didn't care about and went all out in the ones I did. It really was the least alienated I've felt. I had work-study so I could get paid to show up, turn on some lights and spend the rest of the time finishing my reading or homework and then if there was something I was interested in I could work hard on it and I actually felt like the grade was based on my actual output rather than at work just doing busy-work and shit just enough to try and keep managers off my back.

Ideally education should just be interest-based and on-going rather than some arbitrary set of rungs to climb based on how old you are.

[The Douche]

Dude, high school really isn't that bad compared to the alternatives.

You get to see/hang out with your friends everyday, most of your time is spent just fucking off in a classroom or whatever, you have little to no real responsibilities.

I dropped out when I was 16, and have worked a lot of shitty jobs (including the army), I spent to long outside of the classroom and I couldn't get the hang of college when I tried to take classes at community college.

I make around $15,000 a year now, even when my training is done I'll only be making around $25,000 a year, thats not much money, and whats even worse, is that its a lot more than my other friends who dropped out.

[ComradeGrant]

I really enjoy learning, it's one of my favorite things and always has been. But in my school I just feel like they're just telling us pre-approved facts and don't actually care about our education at all, and that's damn depressing at times. I don't really learn well unless the class is engaging, and it seems like they're actively attempting to be anything but.

[Omsk]

Withouth education and knowledge,you cant fight,survive.

[The Douche]

I really enjoy learning, it's one of my favorite things and always has been. But in my school I just feel like they're just telling us pre-approved facts and don't actually care about our education at all, and that's damn depressing at times. I don't really learn well unless the class is engaging, and it seems like they're actively attempting to be anything but.

Just check the box man, school isn't about learning, its about conditioning, it shows your employer that you can be there on time and do what you're told. Not finishing school only hurts you later on.

[GallowsBird]

I think people should stick in there and try to do the best they can.

However... I personally despised school; it was, for me just a place where I used to fight a lot and where Totalitarian teachers "got off" over their little power trips and I had to put up with some of the worst excuses for human beings (most of which were children of wealthy landowners surprise surprise) as my fellow students. The food was terrible as well but unlike many of the others I didn't have to pay for it... being a charity case does have its advantages. Actually I still hate my old school when I remember it, even after all these years.

The only lessons I liked were History and Physics. I hated P.E. unless it was Rugby or Shot-Put (which I held the record for longest throw) as they are some of the few sports I was good at. English was only good when we had to write stuff.

But anyway... though I say to still at it and do your best I don't think we should have any illusions of it being anything other than an indoctrination process into the Capitalist system. It teaches the young to except "authority" and to conform to their notions of "society". Except for history as many history teachers seem to be not-to-closet Marxists for some reason (at least mine were).

[Firebrand]

Stick with it. I have been told by many people that university is better than school, the indoctrination lets up a bit and you get to actually learn stuff. Plus you get to meet new people with similar interests. Work on the other hand is awful, if you think school is bad you wait till you start work.
I plan to go to university and stay there for as long as possible, i've seen the world of work and I don't like it.