Any CPS grads?

[nikitakolata]

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

I have a few old coworkers and a few current friends who grew up in the city and did CPS. They're all doing fine. Most of them area in their 30's though - so it doesn't really say much about the past 15 years or so.

I also have a couple friends that went to CPS and they're doing well... but I think they were probably at magnet schools or Catholic schools, I'm not really sure (we met in college, so that's what we talk about more than HS).

My dad also went to CPS, I think he went to Hubbard for high school. He didn't go on to go to college and grew up in a pretty dysfunctional household, but he still managed to do very well. He went into machining and by the time I was old enough to know anything about money he was making very close to six figures. I know he broke the $100,000 threshold for a lot of years. He was laid off in 2010 (two weeks after my mom and I both were also laid off; we got laid off on the exact same day!), and now he isn't earning quite as much, but he's still doing above average, definitely.

I definitely think it is harder to do well when you grow up in a dysfunctional environment (family, school, whatever), but I look at both of my parents as examples of the fact that it can be done. Neither had particularly supportive parents/families (my dad's was without a doubt abusive) and both have gone on and done great things.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by nikitakolata

I also have a couple friends that went to CPS and they're doing well... but I think they were probably at magnet schools or Catholic schools, I'm not really sure (we met in college, so that's what we talk about more than HS).

My dad also went to CPS, I think he went to Hubbard for high school. He didn't go on to go to college and grew up in a pretty dysfunctional household, but he still managed to do very well. He went into machining and by the time I was old enough to know anything about money he was making very close to six figures. I know he broke the $100,000 threshold for a lot of years. He was laid off in 2010 (two weeks after my mom and I both were also laid off; we got laid off on the exact same day!), and now he isn't earning quite as much, but he's still doing above average, definitely.

I definitely think it is harder to do well when you grow up in a dysfunctional environment (family, school, whatever), but I look at both of my parents as examples of the fact that it can be done. Neither had particularly supportive parents/families (my dad's was without a doubt abusive) and both have gone on and done great things.

The actual school you attend is much less a factor than family upbringing. Good for your Dad!

[nikitakolata]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

The actual school you attend is much less a factor than family upbringing. Good for your Dad!

I totally agree. I think you can do really well for yourself, even if you go to a bad school, with the right support outside school. I actually went to school in Glendale Heights for kindergarten through 8th grade. Apparently, that's a pretty bad district, but I never knew that at the time. I was a nerd and friends with the other smart, nerdy kids. Nearly 100% of the people I was friends with in elementary school ended up at U of I in Champaign with me 4 years later! It was kinda weird how that worked out. But, cool.

[chicagocubs]

I am a graduate of CPS in 1974, Taft High School. I started at Taft the year before they allowed girls into Lane. (I REALLY wanted to go to Lane Tech). I had an outstanding education there. Now I live in NC and when I compare what high school kids learn here, I am aghast. Even the community college that I attended was easier than my high school years.

I know that I was well prepared for college (even though I did not get to go) and have used that knowledge throughout my life and certainly in my career. I know of others who used the education and some of the idiosyncrasies of classroom life at Taft to further their careers. (i.e., no a/c and being forced to learn how to read lips in the warmer months as the teachers couldn't stop talking just because a plane was flying overhead--since we were on a runway path and the planes flew over every 30 seconds!) I know one Marine that was the head of his graduating class in San Diego because of a similar situation and only he knew how to handle it!

[Halsted]

Played a Baseball game at Taft once. Such a huge school.