Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I know a guy who barely passed high school, went to community college, transferred to a 4 year school, graduated, went to get a masters, and now makes 6 figures at 26.
I think if you are asking that question today for kids in high school now the answer would be a resounding yes. In the past there was much more room to fail as finding yourself was just not that costly. You could get a job and find a roommate and support yourself. Once you got your head on straight you could afford to go to college or a trade school and get an upwardly-mobile job. You could start your own business without a lot of red tape.Things are much different now.
One of my children is entering the college phase soon and the facts are overwhelming. He is a good student, not great (3.4 gpa) which means he qualifies for no financial aid save for loans. But at least he can get into college. With poor grades that would be impossible. The military is an option I have seen many kids take lately but that too is not for everyone.
tell your son to start at a community college and then transfer into a local 4 year school while he lives at home. unless you're going to Harvard or MIT, where you go to college is irrelevant.
If the person is otherwise capable but had just not found their way yet, or is just not a good fit for the school environment, there’s always a chance that it will all click eventually.
If the there were distractions like a chaotic family life and/or untreated mental illness, then things will stay the same until that gets addressed (person gets out of the situation, gets help, etc)
If there were deep character flaws and/or severely limited mental capacity then the outlook does not look great.
I will say in general though, if one gets to one gets to one’s mid-twenties and still hasn’t started figuring out a better path, it’s gets harder to right the ship.
Not true at all, though for many people, it will hold true. But there are way too many exceptions to this to say it is true, even myself.
I dropped out of HS, got straight D's and F's while there. I now have a very well paying career I enjoy, served in the Navy, and have an MBA from a top 25 B-school.
But all I got now would have been an easier road, and probably quicker to the wealth I have now, if I applied what I know now to myself when in HS. I always had work ethic (worked in HS, worked FT when dropped out), even seeking knowledge ethic as I have always been a big reader and interested in learning things, I also never engaged in criminal activities, it is just I hated going to school and was one of those "I know everything" idiot teens, lol.
Well a point to be made is - you're not destined to struggle if you do poorly in high school, but you do have to find your way, be focused and have goals for yourself afterwards.
You did that and that's why you're successful- good for you!
I'd imagine there is a correlation between degreed individuals and wealth. But that doesn't mean EVERY person that did poorly in HS will be poor. I know a few people that did very poorly in HS and did just fine. But most I can discount because they were handed wealth ultimately (business passed down to them, for example).
Even with that said, I do know a few people that did well for themselves without a degree. But since they are in a position where they are working along with degreed people, it is a constant uphill battle for them.
Well, you could have been an A high school student, who went to college and now you have a student loan to pay off and you are being replaced by someone from Asia.
Or, you could have been a C or D high school student who didn't go to college so you have no student loan but now you are being replaced by a robot.
Who's going to be poorer?
You can't even be a entrepreneurial hooker or hustling drug dealer. There are going to be sexbots on the corners showing their parts to passersby ("Hey buddy, check out my big batteries") any day now and Wal-Mart robots will sell legal dope in every town.
Not true. My friend did okay in school, average GPA, not too studious. She got caught drinking before she was 21 years old.
But she wanted to become a nurse, so she went to college, had several internships, got tested for whatever nursing exam that was required, and is now an RN. She makes a TON of money. She and her boyfriend are 30 years old and they already have a house and is expecting their first baby.
I've always said that personality gets you far in life, not your grades.
So basically, people do grow up mentally and end up with steady lives.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.