A trend has been alluring the minds of the young generation recently. Drop the conventional education, burn the textbooks, and quit school because the outdated school system doesn’t allow them to pursue their passions and dreams. Have you ever felt this way? You’re not alone. Ditching school and carving your path to success sounds enticing, but there’s more to it. Is it worth dropping out of school? Do degrees have lost their value in the modern world? These are the issues that need careful consideration. One needs to understand the bigger picture better before making such a big move.
In this blog post, we have discussed that dropping out of high school isn’t as lucrative as it sounds. And there are better ways to follow your dreams without sacrificing your education.
Misconceptions About Dropping Out of School
Richard Branson dropped out of the school and founded Virgin Group. David Karp dropped out of high school and became the legend who founded Tumblr… Our media and culture continuously glorify the stories of such individuals who abandoned formal education and made it big. They seem to sell the notion that if it worked for them, it’ll work for anyone.
The truth is that these are exceptions, not the rule. Between dropping out of school and building empires, there are a lot of hardships, struggles, failures, and trials. These industry giants possessed and acquired unique skills, traits, and mindsets that helped them excel, dropping out of school is part of the story.
It isn’t the reason for their success. There are countless others who dropped out of school but never gained success, instead, ruined their lives. We just see the few who made it in the media, not the thousands who regretted their decisions.
High school dropouts are reported to face numerous challenges throughout their life. According to the Natural Center for Education Statistics (NCES), individuals without a high school diploma are at much higher risk of facing unemployment than high school graduates. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that high school graduates are likely to earn 30% more than those without a high school diploma. (Here are detailed statistics)
Even if they manage to get a job, their wages are way lower. According to the Department of Education, there is a positive correlation between higher levels of education and social benefits like job stability and improved quality of life. When these differences compound over time, the impact is significant.
The Importance of High School Education
High school isn’t just a stepping stone to college, it’s an important step in a student’s education and development. Firstly, high school teaches essential hard skills analytical thinking, problem-solving, and intellectual curiosity in various subjects like Science and Mathematics.
These skills are not only required for passing exams, they help you excel in every life. Think of high school years as practice before a game called life. You need to practice to perform well and win games.
High school also teaches a lot of soft skills. Group projects teach you teamwork, the load of assignments teaches you time management and academic challenges develop your resilience. Participating in extracurriculars and sports clubs nurtures your leadership skills These soft skills are the backbone of a successful professional life.
High school is your launchpad for further education. It provides you a base where you can explore various areas of life, explore your interests, and shape your future career path.
How to Pursue Your Dreams Without Sacrificing Education
If you have a burning passion for something that is divergent from your formal education like being an athlete, musician, vlogger, or an artist, you might think that balancing both of them is like walking on a tightrope. But it isn’t. These passions are not a distraction from your education, they’re a part of it, just a bit less conventional. If you’re an artist you also learn and implement lessons not far removed from your education.
So as a first step towards catering to your dreams while maintaining a high school education, accept your passions as a form of education. Secondly, learn time management skills. Neither high school nor your passions require you to work 24/7. And you can’t do that either. So learn how to effectively allocate time to both areas. Gain the study and organisational skills you need.
Use the resources already available to you. High schools have various clubs and extracurricular opportunities. Coaches are also there most of the time and can help you polish your skills.
Today’s technological advancements have made fueling one’s passions easier than ever. Numerous online courses and resources are there to help you advance your artistic skills. You no longer need to quit school to pursue your passions. Let’s talk more about it.
The Importance of Online Private Schools and How to Choose the Right One?
Online private schools, also known as private virtual schools have made it much convenient for anyone to pursue their passion in sports, music, media, acting, etc., without sacrificing their education.
Online private schools provide more flexibility, personalization, and innovation than online public schools due to more regulations in public education. These schools offer accredited courses that a student can take at their own pace without the constraints of a physical setting. Online schools allow you to customize your schedule and calendar to meet your needs. This flexibility is vital when you want to give extra time to your artistic skills or acting rehearsals.
When balanced correctly, online private schools are a great way to fuel your passion and polish your skills without missing out on the foundational education that a high school provides.
However, with numerous options, it can be a bit daunting to find the right online school. But here are a few tips to decide which school is a good fit for you. Consider factors like accreditation, flexibility, diversity and depth of curriculum, faculty qualification, and innovation. Only a school with valid full accreditation can provide you a well-recognized degree.
GTS offers an entirely personalized, hyper-flexible, and innovative learning experience
At Global Town School, we provide our students with a fully personalized learning experience. We still have graduation requirements (22 credits). However, students can design their own academic path based on their long-term goals in earning a diploma. For instance, a student may take mostly STEM courses while another takes art and social sciences.
Students can determine their schedule and calendar to meet their needs. You want to focus on your small business Monday through Wednesday and complete your coursework Thursday through Sunday, no problem. Continue taking courses over the summer but attend a tennis camp in Spain in January, you can. Or if you want to stay with your grandparents in Florida for three weeks in April without disrupting your learning, go for it!
Global Town School also utilizes recent technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence to enhance our students’ learning experiences. Content we develop in VR enhances students’ conceptual understandings of what they study.
Through our virtual campuses, we also create social interaction opportunities for our students. Students come together at our virtual campus to collaborate, present to each other, or organize fun activities such as karaoke, dances, concerts, chess, storytelling etc. Artificial Intelligence is utilized to identify and fill the learning gaps our students may have as they study self-paced courses.
Conclusion
Dropping out of school to pursue your passions and dreams might seem like an adventurous and lucrative approach, but the truth is far from it. It comes with a lot of problems and hardships. It can lead to regret and may affect your passion and dream adversely, too.
Formal education instills a lot of important foundational skills in a student and not attending a school may mean potentially missing out on important opportunities. You don’t need to give up on your dreams altogether either.
Online private schools are an excellent way to support your dreams and passions without sacrificing your education through personalization, flexibility, and innovation they offer.
So, don’t wait any longer and explore Global Town School, designed to empower you to pursue your dreams while receiving a personalized, high-quality education.
