what do you guys think of highschool dropouts working in i.t?

erpadmin

swild wrote: »

I'm not saying drop out and start bussing tables. I'm saying drop out and start your real education in college. No one cares, as long as you have a GED.

Trust me...a lot of colleges care.

With a GED, you have to go to community college and do a year there before you can even think about transferring out (though at that point, I'd just finish out there for an AA.) Most four year institutions will not admit you if you have only a GED without a prior background at a community college.

jakecitrix

well i dropped at 15 did certs and started i.t work at 18

Now 19 i am a engineer and get 45k a year, have a good car,

I dont regret dropping matter of fact i am more succesful than most ppl who finished highschool they r now in uni, i luv laughing at them.lol cuz they laughed at me b4

drkat

I'm not saying that folks shouldn't get a high school diploma. I'm saying that it all depends on what you're looking to do. IT is very "forgiving" in the fact that you can self-motivate/learn and hone your skill set without a "formal" education. It really is a trade. Unlike other professions where a drop out wouldn't make it.

I'd whoop my kids behind if she dropped out of high school. She doesn't need to go through what I went through trying to "shove it to the man" - get a damn education and be successful and take care of Daddy!

Honestly I hope she doesn't do a lot of the things I've done. When it comes to HR - I've had clearance level background checks that never turned me down due to lack of high school education; so burst that bubble.

If anyone asks you just tell em you graduated - nobody checks when you have X years of experience.

drkat

jakecitrix wrote: »

well i dropped at 15 did certs and started i.t work at 18

Now 19 i am a engineer and get 45k a year, have a good car,

I dont regret dropping matter of fact i am more succesful than most ppl who finished highschool they r now in uni, i luv laughing at them.lol cuz they laughed at me b4

Agreed! most of the kids I went to HS with and they went to college are making jack shizzzz

drkat

Devilsbane wrote: »

I don't think there is any excuse not to at least pursue your GED. Pretty basic stuff there. I know a lot of intelligent people who end up dropping out for one reason or another. I don't condone it, but to each their own. But I don't know anyone that would want to hire someone who dropped out and never bothered to get a sheet of paper.

As far as the "drop out to start your real learning" comment, why can't you stay in school and do that? Going to class only takes up a small amount of your time. I went to high school, was involved in athletics, read books about Java, and still graduated highschool already having more than a half a year of college completed. The one thing I kick myself a little bit about is that I didn't know about certifications. I could have studied A+ and some desktop support things while still in school with no problem. No harm in getting started early but you don't need to drop out to do it.

The real learning part - it's really about learning life via the school of hard knocks. It's not all rainbows and suckers out there and HS doesn't prepare you for that. It prepares you for college; If you don't go to college? Well you're SOL then and gotta learn it the hard way. Speaking of college - even college doesn't prepare you for the real working world. Experience is the only true teacher IMHO.

As far as doing it while in school - I could've read books all day, sure I played Baseball; smoked in the bathroom all the "fun" stuff but that doesn't matter when you're sitting in a class room being patronized by a union teacher who has taught the same subject since the beginning of time. You try to challenge teachers on thoughts and ideas etc and you consistently fail. I've brought up discrepancies in the school's handbook and still made to be at fault; it's like a communist government in high school. I'd rather make my own choices.

jakecitrix

well lying and sayint that u graduated when u didnt is wrong its not good and fair but yeh for rest ur right screw highschool diploma and ged

blargoe

jakecitrix wrote: »

well lying and sayint that u graduated when u didnt is wrong its not good and fair but yeh for rest ur right screw highschool diploma and ged

If you want to move up in the next few years, you'll regret having that point of view. Companies will rule you out without giving you a chance; your resume will just be filtered out of their (or their recruiter's) search results.

Do you write and talk like that at your job? Not trying to be insulting, but in my few years in the profession, all managers I have had have valued people who communicate well (written and orally) as much as actual technical skills. Once you get to a certain point in IT, just having a technical skill set is sort of a given, not something that necessarily differentiates you from the rest of the bunch. I recommend to anyone and everyone to work on writing skills if their position involves any kind of communication with customers or users, or if documentation is part of the job. It is something that is definitely noticed. As one manager said to me a few years ago, writing well will not gain you a promotion, but writing poorly will usually prevent it.

Sorry for the tangent. Good luck.

B

Anonymouse

jakecitrix wrote: »

well i dropped at 15 did certs and started i.t work at 18

Now 19 i am a engineer and get 45k a year, have a good car,

I dont regret dropping matter of fact i am more succesful than most ppl who finished highschool they r now in uni, i luv laughing at them.lol cuz they laughed at me b4

I went to private highschool and got kicked out sophomore year for grades. I did homeschool and came back the next year. It was bullshit though because everything they tried to teach me I already knew. I dropped out senior year, got my GED, and worked. I assisted my highschool IT guy in highschool and found an interest during my teens but didn't get back into it until I was like 23. Like in your situation I did have a few people talk **** about me but then again like in your situation I ended up becoming more successful and also owning a nice car LOL.

I hate to be the negative guy but have fun when those people graduate college and end up being your bosses. Though in my situation anyone that talked **** about me ended up being complete failures in life even though they completed college. I'm still going back to college though next semester. I figure having education may or may not help but it definitely won't hurt.

pham0329

RobertKaucher wrote: »

We are what we habitually do... No mater where we are doing it.

Not really...the way I write on here is wayyyy different than how I would write at work. Most of the time, I'm not even paying attention to what I'm writing on here

Psoasman

pham0329 wrote: »

Not really...the way I write on here is wayyyy different than how I would write at work. Most of the time, I'm not even paying attention to what I'm writing on here

Interesting..I write here the same way I do at work. I make myself actually write out the sentences and try to use correct grammar and punctuation. People often judge you by how you communicate, either written or verbal.

pham0329

Psoasman wrote: »

Interesting..I write here the same way I do at work. I make myself actually write out the sentences and try to use correct grammar and punctuation. People often judge you by how you communicate, either written or verbal.

Well, half the time I write here is while I'm at work, well, working. I don't pay much attention to my spelling or grammar when I post. I figure as long as it's readable, and I'm not using "cuz" "u" "ur", no one would have a problem understanding my post. The content is more important than how it's delivered!

Psoasman

[QUOTE=pham0329;569694 I figure as long as it's readable, and I'm not using "cuz" "u" "ur", no one would have a problem understanding my post. The content is more important than how it's delivered![/QUOTE]

Agreed. I sometimes have to ask my nieces to translate what some of the newer abbreviations mean

Akaricloud

There are only two circumstances in which I feel that someone should not finish highschool.

1. They get an AA degree during school and don't need the knowledge that highschool presents. This worked out very well for me.

2. They already know enough of what highschool teaches, feel like it's a waste of time and drop out to obtain a GED.

Sure you can drop out, start the workforce earlier and be making more than friends that are still in college but that won't last long. If you can't handle simple tasks such as reading and writing, as evident by some of the people in this thread, then you will max out your career potential very quickly.

drkat

Agreed.

veritas_libertas

RobertKaucher wrote: »

We are what we habitually do... No mater where we are doing it.

I have to agree with you on that. Trying to read this thread has become aggravating.

networker050184

Should you drop out of highschool? No. Will it keep you from working in IT if you do? No.

Regardless, no one should bother worrying about others qualifications. Either you can do the job or you can't.

powerfool

chrisone wrote: »

With spell check and all these grammatical correcting software (templates, etc) a high school drop out can type and seem very educated.

The last couple of years of high school aren't going to help there anyhow... if a tenth grader cannot spell and use grammar properly and have an okay vocabulary, junior and senior years aren't to change that.

powerfool

jakecitrix wrote: »

well i dropped at 15 did certs and started i.t work at 18

Now 19 i am a engineer and get 45k a year, have a good car,

I dont regret dropping matter of fact i am more succesful than most ppl who finished highschool they r now in uni, i luv laughing at them.lol cuz they laughed at me b4

That may be true right now, but don't rest on your laurels...

jakecitrix

powerfool wrote: »

That may be true right now, but don't rest on your laurels...

Hahaha bro ppl said i wouldnt make it in i.i.t cuz im a dropout but i made it bigger than them hahahah bro.

pham0329

jakecitrix wrote: »

Hahaha bro ppl said i wouldnt make it in i.i.t cuz im a dropout but i made it bigger than them hahahah bro.

I agree with powerfool. First of all, while you're making good money for being 19, 45k isn't something to brag about. 2nd, show a little humility. Just because you're making more money than those who's currently in school (which should be an obvious "duh"!), doesn't mean that will be the trend. I know plenty of people who started off in the 60s after graduating college.

SteveLord

Ah, the days of gaming all night and filling up my desk with cans of Dr. Pepper and bottles of Bawls (when it was new.) Having a cable modem meant I was an elite member of society. Well.......to anyone that actually knew what one was back then.


Oh and somewhere in there I went to an educational establishment for a little bit each day.

VAHokie56

aww man a bawls reference...I have been scouring ever 7-11 in Richmond VA for the lemon flavored kind for like a year...alas no luck. That stuff is the jam for hang overs.

EDIT:

Oh and a question for all the people that stated they dropped out of high school. Your parents where ok with that?!?! I am 28 now but if I had come home at 17 or 18 and said "hey guys I am just not really feeling this whole high school thing, think I am going to roll the dice on no diploma" they would of LOL at me and told me to go back to school or they would whomp my tail!

MrRyte

pham0329 wrote: »

.....I know plenty of people who started off in the 60s after graduating college.

And are tens of thousands of dollars in debt.

That's the key reason that I've been so skeptical of higher learning. Sure you start off with a higher paying job, but how much of it do you actually keep if you're already starting in the red?

erpadmin

MrRyte wrote: »

And are tens of thousands of dollars in debt.

That's the key reason that I've been so skeptical of higher learning. Sure you start off with a higher paying job, but how much of it do you actually keep if you're already starting in the red?

Not everyone who graduates college is in ridiculous debt though. There are also folks who were able to avoid student loan debt altogether.


Seriously though, I have to LOL at this entire thread. Guys like Steve and VAHokie (in spite of their love of this "bawl"...lol) make the best sense. In high school I was running BBSes, and active with various non-computer activities (including some that got me to date my past high school sweetheart....ahhh what fun... ) There are plenty of folks who can be successful dropping out of high school, so you dropouts made your point. However, you guys are the exception, not the rule. If any of you guys were my kids and told me that nonsense about dropping out and getting a GED, I would have seriously whooped your a--es. None of this time out s--t, or whatever #*@) @&&*@& Child Services/DYFS alternatives to proper parenting; you would seriously get your a-- beat properly.

Spare the rod, spoil the child....I'm a firm believer in that. Partially why I suspect there are so many proponents to this high school dropout nonsense.

I won't apply this same argument to college though...but high school is just necessary...

Everyone

jakecitrix wrote: »

Hahaha bro ppl said i wouldnt make it in i.i.t cuz im a dropout but i made it bigger than them hahahah bro.

Haha u mad bro? Ur 'tude n communic8shun skillz r gr8 bro, u go far man! h8r gunna h8, but u b big $$$ man sumday.

Seriously, you aren't going to make it much further with the kind of attitude and level of communication skills you've displayed. While technically being a "drop out" myself, I'm a little more open to giving other "drop outs" like myself a chance. However I'd never hire anyone with that kind of attitude and such poor communication skills, regardless of what pieces of paper they have or don't have.

"A fool and his money are soon parted".

hiddenknight821

Everyone wrote: »

Haha u mad bro? Ur 'tude n communic8shun skillz r gr8 bro, u go far man! h8r gunna h8, but u b big $$$ man sumday.

Seriously, you aren't going to make it much further with the kind of attitude and level of communication skills you've displayed. While technically being a "drop out" myself, I'm a little more open to giving other "drop outs" like myself a chance. However I'd never hire anyone with that kind of attitude and such poor communication skills, regardless of what pieces of paper they have or don't have.

"A fool and his money are soon parted".

+1 Gotta love the mockery you just made there. I have respect for some of you high school dropouts, because you guys know how to communicate. I can't imagine how I would turn out if I drop out since I still need more years of training, improving my speech articulation skill, language and writing skills that were paid for free by taxpayers. You rarely see someone with learning disabilities, dropping out of high school and become successful. Just be grateful for what you have. I can't stand losers who can't write for schitz but doesn't have any excuse not to. They just made me want to punch them in the face.

drkat

45K is entry level depending on location. Here in Rochester NY entry for IT is like 30K

petedude

erpadmin wrote: »

I won't apply this same argument to college though...but high school is just necessary...

Amen to that. Call me old-fashioned, prejudiced, closed-minded, etc. but high school is a definite prerequisite. At least finish a darned GED-- it's a professional field, for crying out loud!!

DevilWAH

To be honest who cares if you finished high school or not. Plenty of people have droped out of school and gone on to amazing things. There is a friend of the family who droped out of school, took up gardening for some cash, and now owns the largest landscaping buisness in the area. You dont need school to succeed, nor does finisheing schooo linsure success or indeed if you will be any good later on in life.

IT containes a higher than average numbers of people who suffer from Dyslexica, ADHD, Aspurgerus and other simular "conditions", Becasue it is a field where these "conditions" often hold more strenths than weaknesses.

I didn't drop out, I struggled through A levels, struggled through a Degree in Zoology, and only later on got in to IT. Looking back I wish I had droped out after GCES (15/16), got a helpdesk role and not wasted 10 years in the rest of the education I took.

IT/Networking is simple compared to English and History.

The only time I will look at your highschool recourd is if its your first job, and you have no experince. As soon as you have some IT certs, and experince that going to mean more to me than any highschool grades you might have.

powerfool

VAHokie56 wrote: »

Oh and a question for all the people that stated they dropped out of high school. Your parents where ok with that?!?! I am 28 now but if I had come home at 17 or 18 and said "hey guys I am just not really feeling this whole high school thing, think I am going to roll the dice on no diploma" they would of LOL at me and told me to go back to school or they would whomp my tail!

My situation warranted it... I had a pretty bad time at home with my stepdad from the time I was 7 years old and on... I really wanted our of there. Plus, I had just become a father a month before and I wanted to work... and my plan was to start college right away. Just two weeks before, my aunt was trying to help me apply to big time universities, too...

I look back on it with a lot of regret, but I was 17 and I didn't really have anyone to show me the ropes, so to speak. I cannot change it, but if I could have would have stayed in school and applied to Notre Dame and done their Naval ROTC program... which would also have fixed another regret that I have... going into the Navy as enlisted. Anyhow, I have tried assisting my cousins and my nieces because they haven't really had anyone to show them things either. It kind of stinks, but now I teach myself a lot of things so that I can show my kids how to do it... it is great to see their amazement at some of the things I show them, so it is its own reward.