How true is it that if you do poorly in high school, you'll most likely end up dirt poor in life? (community college, GPA)

[Scrat335]

Originally Posted by matrixgangsta1993

Maybe it's because my parents were quasi-traditional African adults but my father in particular hinted at me whenever I saw some "knackers" (redneck equivalent in U.S, chav equaivalent in U.K) or homeless people he said something to the tune of "you should study hard so you don't end up like that."

Now technically it isn't completely true since I literally failed H.S for personal reasons and I'm now currently enrolled in a further education institute. Hopefully thinks go well since I'm planning on being separate from my parents.

I know that people say with hard work and dedication, an obstacle like poor college grades is just being 1 simple level down in the game of life but is this true?

Not necessarily. It depends on things such as your definition of success. Those people your father pointed out are not what I would call successful. I personally consider myself a success as I have 2 daughters that love me and are doing well in life by themselves.

I had a highschool education and A LOT of education in the electrical/mechanical fields HVAC to Diesel technology. A lot of this stuff is self taught or experience as you won't find it in schools in other than it's very basic forms. I make good money as a tradesmen.

Right now there's a HUGE demand for young people in the trades, us old pharts aren't going to be around forever. I suggest you look into it, put down the joint and hit the books. If you apply yourself and work hard you will be rewarded. If not, work on those gangstas street skills and lots of luck.

[yellowsnow]

Thomas Edison's mom got a note from her son's school say he was too dumb to be there. It was a waste of time to teach him. Luckily she knew he was intelligent and chose to homeschool him!

I think being born to wealthy parents is a much better indicator of future performance because the wealthy have all that opportunity average people can't even imagine.

[scgali]

I never tested well so didn't do well in high school. But I worked full-time and went to junior college then transferred to UCLA. Now I am a nurse case manager and make a good salary, work from home and have a very flexible schedule. My group of friends were all about the same - did average in HS and went the junior college route then to universities. One is a CPA now, one a marketing executive and one is still trying to be an actress. So mostly they did well too.
On the other hand, my husband and his 3 siblings were raised that school is the most important thing in the whole world and they all did very well in HS. He and his older brother were valedictorians (and it was a large school) and his sisters did well too with 3.9 - 4.0 GPAs. However, they were never really taught about life or money smarts or anything all that practical. His brother dropped out of Uni because he didn't get along with his roommate and is 40 now making $17 an hour, his sisters did okay and have jobs making around 50k - 60k. My husband went the military officer route. So really it depends and there needs to be a balance of practical skills and socials skills, along with academic intelligence.

[Heidi60]

People mature at different rates so you will learn when you are ready and the teacher will appear.

[AlaskaErik]

I don't remember my exact high school GPA, but I do know that the digit to the left of the decimal point was a 1. I imagine most people would say I did poorly in high school. Did I end up dirt poor in life? I don't think so. Six years in the Marine Corps put me in a better frame of mind. I used my GI Bill and got a degree in accounting with an overall GPA of 3.2. I've always owned a house since graduating from college, I had nice vehicles, a motorcycle and even an airplane. I'm retired now and surviving on a five figure retirement income each month.

[StealthRabbit]

High School was a very miserable waste for me... but I survived.

I did NOT make it through 3 hrs of College registration in Yr 1,... so I went and got a few jobs and sorted things out.

Returned later and did very well (and got several degrees)

The degrees were handy in life, but did not significantly add to my income / success / contributions to society.

There are MANY other ways to become a benefit to yourself and others than waste away in EDU (especially the failed USA EDU system).

The 'traditional' EDU edict is not the best for very many of those who endure it. It became AVERAGE, AND not BELOW AVERAGE (until it drags the average DOWN (which it has done for 50 yrs).)

It is actually very sad to see the 'traditional' EDU proponents here on C-D, they are missing so much and NOT opening up vision / alternatives to those who could excel and contribute elsewhere.

So like 'Public School' ... tragic to squander the potential of the very special person / contribution that each student truly is.

There are many great opportunities, please seek and enjoy the one(s) that will grow you into the gem you can be!

[cornsnicker3]

Here is how I see it:

School (high school, college, etc.) CAN give you knowledge and skills that are useful for being successful in life, but in modern day, they are more of a baseline for credentials. Employers set certain bars to employment by requiring levels of educations because it weeds out candidate that they believe are less competent for the job. Is it true that education is equivalent to competence? Not really, but that is the way it is. The only around this is to do something different than everyone else. For the "average person", this is remarkably difficult and unlikely.

So generally speaking, attaining more education is a safe bet for the average person without respect to what one does for a living.

[floridarebel]

Not necessarily because high schools don't really teach you anything that useful anyway. Pretty much all the basics you need to know will be learned by the 8th grade. High school is good if you want to go to college but if you're going to join the workforce, then trade school or apprenticeship by places who would accept teenagers would be better. Most of us won't use algebra 2, chemistry, English composition, etc. We all go through high school because it is pretty much expected that one has at least a high school diploma. Just pass with bare minimum. As long as you are financially literate and practice your literacy, then you should be well off at least.

[BLDSoon]

Originally Posted by matrixgangsta1993

Maybe it's because my parents were quasi-traditional African adults but my father in particular hinted at me whenever I saw some "knackers" (redneck equivalent in U.S, chav equaivalent in U.K) or homeless people he said something to the tune of "you should study hard so you don't end up like that."

Now technically it isn't completely true since I literally failed H.S for personal reasons and I'm now currently enrolled in a further education institute. Hopefully thinks go well since I'm planning on being separate from my parents.

I know that people say with hard work and dedication, an obstacle like poor college grades is just being 1 simple level down in the game of life but is this true?

In short- a resounding YES unless you are exponentially gifted at something you or others can monetize.

I’m not sure how old you are but your question suggests you are young. If you don’t remember anything else, remember this. In life, in this life - in this place - IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOU KNOW. What matters is WHAT YOU CAN PROVE. And unfortunately, the proof is typically in some pricey piece of paper you get at the end of some long, expensive coursework or study of some sort.

People don’t pick people for jobs anymore, computers do. They run your resume through some system that looks for a bunch of keywords, starting with proof of your knowledge: diplomas, Degrees, certificates, etc. Unfortunately most people without provable high school education dont get past that computer for any jobs worth having for any extended period.

Its a hectic life for a person without that proof. Its exponentially harder to convince people of what you know or can learn. Its even harder to get audience with them to begin with. It probably isnt a problem now but as you get older, your needs will get more expensive. Will you become a bum? Not necessarily. Some bums have college degrees. It isnt just a lack of schooling that heads people that way.

So, please go get your High School diploma or GED. Not because you will fail at life without it but because you can. Its the easiest of ‘proof’ to get and if you can handle any kind of degree or certification program, you can handle getting a high school diploma/ GED. Get that first or at the same time as whatever course you are now completing. It really will become a hindrance in the future if you dont.

I don’t know your race/gender but if you are a black man; you will need all the ‘proof’ you can get. By default you are less likely to get any job you apply for regardless of your qualifications. Don't reduce that likelihood even further unnecessarily. A lot of people will come at you with anecdotes of ‘I didnt graduate but i’m a millionaire etc...’ . Please dont listen to those fairytales. Do what’s smart and the rest will follow.

[ClaraC]

Statistically, the world is run by B students. The political world and the business world.

So yeah. B students, not A students.

The ability to make excellent grades apparently doesn't translate into other abilities that are more vital for lifelong success.