Why I dropped out of High-School

Over the last ten years I've had many people ask me "What school are you in?" or "What's your major?" and I would proudly reply "I dropped out of school in 9th grade". It's a very good conversation starter, many have asked me how I'm going to make it through life without a degree and some have asked what compelled me to drop out of school.

Some have asked me if I had a learning deficit or if I was in some way mentally challenged. Well first off, I must say the thing I hated most about school went on in the playground, not in the classroom. I was bullied & dealt with unfairly and I can still remember this being my number one challenge in school. But could being a few pounds under weight really be a reason for me to drop it all & leave school? Of course not, but was I mentally challenged? Well that's a trick question & it depends who you ask.

In grade school I always found myself bored in class. I never paid attention & I hated to read. At the time I didn't know this but I was dyslexic. In math I excelled but not in the traditional way that everyone else did. I took the book & started teaching myself Algebra, read geometry on the John and surged ahead to a tenth grade level half way through the sixth grade.

I enjoyed social studies as there were always amazing stories that lit up my imagination but I failed English, over & over, year after year. Even though I was surging ahead in math & science I could not read for the life of me. I knew all the rules and was able to recognize a word but when it came to reading comprehension, there was none. Throughout my time as a student I realized more & more that my success in academics will not come from my teachers instead it would come from me.

Over time I lost respect for my teachers and school became more & more dull. I thought by changing schools maybe this would help give me a 'new start' but there too I was unable to conform. I was abig mischief maker & enjoyed stirring things up, anything that would undermine the authority of the faculty would somehow satisfy me. I was called many different names by teachers including "Class Clown" or "Trouble Maker", "Bad Kid" which eventually led to 'Teen at Risk' etc.

My focus in school also was hurting because of my social situation. Through all of these challenges I found a growing drive to leave it all behind or 'get out' so to speak. I always knew that I could 'grow up' and do great things but I didn't have any vision of that while being locked within the parameters of what the schooling system considered normal.

I needed a way out and I needed to form a direction. I knew that running away from problems would never help me, I understood that concept very well. I also knew that staying in a toxic environment would push me further down the wrong path & could potentially lead to a life of failure. So I needed to get ahead, I needed to beat the system, I needed to crack the code & prove everybody wrong.

I started fantasizing about leaving school to get a job & thought that I could start my career in the work force earlier than everyone else. I was always thinking of ways to beat the system & I thought if I could get a head start in the workforce it would catapult me into a world of happiness and success. When I was in ninth grade I was kicked out of boarding school for smoking cigarettes & after interviewing with five schools & not being accepted I decided it was time.

There was a local candy store where near my house, I asked the owner for a job & she agreed. I worked for $5 per hour and got free nuts and candy while I was on the job. Needless to say I didn't have any expenses living at home but after a while I grew unsatisfied & decided to look for something else.

An older friend of mine hooked me up with a job in a grocery store, I worked just under 40 hours a week & I started to see some real money. I had to get a letter of consent from my parents, which they gave me; on condition I work on getting my GED. I worked as a cashier, made $12.50 per hour and saved half my paycheck every week. From there I went onto working in many different entry level positions and learned a heck of a lot more than I would have in school.

In each job I knew to be responsible, dedicated & to never stop learning. I grew a sense of independence & self confidence that I would utilize when meeting new people and most of all I was happy. Dropping out of school is not for everyone. Some of my friends at the time also dropped out school and went on to becoming career stoners & couch potatoes. I think school is a waste of time for people like me and here's why...

If you see that something is not working for you, be proactive, let people know, and if they can't help you, move on. You can't run way form your problems but if you have an ambitious mind and you feel you are being held back, look for something better. Find a goal & stick to it. Sure you may be limited as far as career options but if you are anything like me, you're an entrepreneur being a nurse for example will not be in your best interest anyway.

What about an MBA? People go to school for a business degree & all the power to them. but I believe that my time is limited & hands on experience in the workforce is a better use of my time; than school could ever be. There needs to be a lot of reform in the education system and for me sitting in school is a waist of time.

I read & listen to iTunes U courses on a regular basis, I'm subscribed to YaleCourses on YouTube, I have an account with Kahn Academy and that's just to name a few. It gives me the freedom to learn without the pressure of getting an A. I'm not against education & I'm not saying the path of dropping out is for everyone but it proved to be a success for me and so far, I haven't found a reason to have a degree other than that it would look nice on my resume.

I went with an attitude of 'it's not what ya know it's who ya know' and eventually I knew a lot as well. Sure I have a long way to go financially but as of right now I bring in more than a starting MBA & I am happier than I could ever imagine to be otherwise.

Most fish swim down stream but the black salmon swims upstream, even though it's harder, even though the world is pushing in one direction, it's nature is to push back. If you are anything like me, I urge you to push back. Push back & it will take you places you could never imagine.

Push back...