[999900000999]

I know if I ever have kids, I'm probably going to tell them it's okay to even drop out of high school.

None of it really matters, you can drop out of high school, go backpacking in Europe, and as long as you find a way to support yourself, no one has a right to judge you.

You definitely don't need to get into college. In the last 30 years or so, we've turned everyone into maniacs. Back in the day, if you just graduated high school that was something to be proud of.

Now, no, you need to get straight A's, no, you need to take a foreign language. If you're not able to pass a foreign language class, maybe you're messed up in the head, maybe we can give you some dangerous stimulants to fix you.

Again, none of it matters, I make significantly more money than most of the rest of my family and I'm one of the least educated. I was making more than what they make now with their fancy masters degrees, before I even finished my BA.

The only thing that really matters is finding peace with yourself, and again as long as you can support yourself. Nobody really cares. Of course. Someone's going to be smarter on paper, someone's going to get into a better school, someone's going to have a bigger house. But if you're constantly trying to compete with every other person, you're going to find, no matter how well you do, you'll devalue your own accomplishments.

[Clubber]

I mean it really does matter. You got lucky. Compare yourself with the millions of people working at restaurants with no health insurance and nothing they own worth any value. That's the norm, not your experience.

The problem is there is a huge income gap between the people with degrees and good jobs and people with just high school educations. Much of that is due to offshoring / NAFTA / etc.

"We have got to stop sending jobs overseas. It's pretty simple: If you're paying $12, $13, $14 an hour for factory workers and you can move your factory South of the border, pay a dollar an hour for labor, ... have no health care—that's the most expensive single element in making a car— have no environmental controls, no pollution controls and no retirement, and you don't care about anything but making money, there will be a giant sucking sound going south."

-Ross Perot

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_sucking_sound

BTW, that dollar amount is double in todays dollars vs 1992 when that debate happened. Imagine if we had millions of jobs for people without college degrees paying $28 an hour with health care. That's a stark contrast with the $15 minimum wage people are clawing to get with massive resistance. Something as simple as NAFTA causing so much destruction 30 years after the fact is amazing. Imagine kids where both parents didn't have to work to make ends meet. Imagine kids where their parent's weren't exhausted from working all the time and could spend more quality time with them. Imagine kids who could have a future where they didn't have to attend college and the pressure that comes with it. imagine kids who can get regular health checkups without breaking the bank. The cascade effects are immense. But hey, look on the bright side, PROFITS!

[999900000999]

>I mean it really does matter. You got lucky. Compare yourself with the millions of people working at restaurants with no health insurance and nothing they own worth any value. That's the norm, not your experience.

I've met plenty of people with various fancy degrees working those jobs. I recall in my early twenties I met an alumni from one of my dream schools. He was making roughly as much as I was without a degree.

If you go insane in your pursuit of academic excellence, you'll be rendered unable to work.

Plus, theirs no rule saying a high school dropout can't attend community college later. This is much better option for most people.

The alternative is losing your mind trying to get into that elite top ten college

[Clubber]

>I've met plenty of people with various fancy degrees working those jobs. I recall in my early twenties I met an alumni from one of my dream schools. He was making roughly as much as I was without a degree.

Sure, you got lucky and he probably picked a less than lucrative degree, or wasn't as lucky. There is certainly overlap, but the statistics show that there is a large wealth gap between people with a college degree and people without. Bill Gates was a college drop out and he has billions, but is that the norm? Absolutely not.

>Plus, theirs no rule saying a high school dropout can't attend community college later. This is much better option for most people.

Yes, but I thought we were talking about the prospects of high school drop outs vs people with college degrees. You're kinda moving he goal posts a bit I think. I think dropping out of high school, getting a GED and then attending college is essentially the same thing as the "normal" college route.

>The alternative is losing your mind trying to get into that elite top ten college

That's a false dichotomy. You don't have to get into an elite top ten college to have a future, statistically speaking. The main income gap is between people with a college degree and people without. I do agree with you that people who aspire to get into an elite college can easily burnout and go mad, but that's not what I'm comparing here. I also know not all college degrees or even institutions are equal. Some are absolute shit, but the majority of accredited institutions are good enough. Degrees, not so much though. Some degrees are an absolute pyramid scheme. It's tough to navigate for someone with experience with it, much less an immediate family without a college degree.

[999900000999]

Not everyone is even capable of attending college. That's just what it is.

You can get into a trade, etc.

And if you don't like trades you can always go back to community college.

In the early 2000s you had an all out attack on tradesmenship. High schools use to offer classes in woodworking, automotive repair, and even metal working.

All of a sudden it was decided these jobs were 'dirty'. How dare some students have different aptitudes!

Life is long. You can try to become an electrician apprentice, decide you don't like it and attend community college after that

[sbierwagen]

Relatedly, the delaying actions on "fight for $15" is darkly genius. It puts off implementing it, of course, but also every month of inflation eats away at the "$15" number. Wikipedia says the campaign was started in 2012, so today it should be $18.78.

The number in the slogan stays the same, but reality slips out from under it. The democrats are about to lose the midterms, so if it doesn't get done in the next few months, they'll be another six years of inflation from even getting another swing at the ball.

[999900000999]

I actually don't think rasing the minimum wage is a solution to poverty.

Back in LA I was only making 10$ an hour, which was enough for a 600$ apartment. We need more 600$ apartments, if you make 15$ an hour but rent is 1200$ you lost money.

While making this 10$ an hour I worked alongside many brilliant folks, a few had masters degrees. They had to manage student loans as well off 10$ an hour.

While this got muddled a bit, my point is there's more than one life path.

If you're not able to attend college, maybe your just not a good fit for it, you can still find a great career.

Likewise, you can get into a top school and still squander your life. Mental health here is a big issue, the pressure to do well can leave you permanently disabled.

College sorta serves as a filter, someone who attends an elite school is much more likely to be intrinsically motivated. But it serves no one to pressure people who just aren't college bound into attending anyway. It's just a great way to make someone nuts.