I need the advice of NS

[Agate420]

I’m turning 17 in a few weeks and and my plan is to drop out, get my ged and work as much as i can until next spring when i can get a hood spring pass and move out west in a truck camper or van build. i’ve looked into it and most ski industry jobs don’t require a highschool diploma so i am essentially wasting my time while i could be working full time. My family thinks i am absolutely crazy so i am seeking your guys advice on what i should do. Also if any of you have any info on jobs in the ski industry that would be much appreciated.

**This thread was edited on Feb 6th 2023 at 2:32:52pm

 

[iFlip]

At 17 do you really have the capital to purchase a built out van or similar and support yourself? Regardless, stay in school and at least finish high school. As a kid you have very few responsibilities. Graduating high school is one of them. Skiing will always be there.

 

[eheath]

Only a very small % of ski industry workers make a life time career and most of them have college degrees (engineers, business, marketing, accounting, HR, communication). This goes for resorts, brands, media, etc basically every ski industry job other than being a groomer.

You should 100% finish high school, having a GED immediately puts you below those who finished high school, showing you can complete something as simple as high school is very important to employers. College on the other hand is more of an option, maybe a tech school would interest you more, but IMO you're making a pretty radical decision based on almost zero knowledge/information.

 

[ASSholebomber22]

Haha school's for pussy nerds, drop out you'll be the coolest dude

 

[OregonDead]

probably look for an actual place to live and consider community college OP. camper/van build sounds like a black hole for money and you are still gonna be a homeless guy best case. if it were me I'd consider getting into a trade or something that can fund your ski hobby. some GED programs will give you a Community College scholarship when you finish your GED so maybe use that to jump start a short term training or something

 

[ScootSkiLyfe]

It depends how miserable you are in your current situation.

Every decision you make will be a learning experience, I know this sounds cliche, but it's true. I went to high school in a small town in central MN where I fell in love with skiing. I then moved out to Portland, OR to go to college and to (mostly) ski Hood. Covid hit and shortly after I took a year off of school to live in a van. It was an experience to say the least, I spent one summer on Hood working in Govy and skiing a few days per week. I had fun, but was going through some personal and relationship struggles so it didn't work out for me.

Fast forward 2 years later I am going back to school in Minnesota to get my undergrad in mechanical engineering. I'm not sure I would've gotten to this point without that experience. Not saying you will have the same experience.

My advice is to try and make best with what you have now before getting ahead of yourself and jumping 100% into the ski industry at a young age. If you are not suffering in your current living situation, I would vouch for finishing high school (only a year and a half left) and hanging out with your local friends as much as possible. Try to travel, maybe do a spring trip to Hood if you haven't already.

Many high schools offer a work program where you can go to school half of the day and work the other half. I would take advantage of this if it is offered. You could try a trade as well and maybe find a second passion and meet some new people. Or you could head out early to your local ski hill and work there if that is what you want.

I know it's not something you want to hear, but you may not want to work in the ski industry your entire life. I definitely realized that after seeing a lot of the people involved in the industry who aren't necessarily happy. Having at least your GED or a high school diploma will make it slightly easier to branch out in your future interests.

Other than that, I am all for living in the present as much as possible and just enjoying life.

Where are you from?

 

[eheath]

some GED programs will give you a Community College scholarship when you finish your GED so maybe use that to jump start a short term training or something

You're basically just doing your last year of high school but when you're over 18 and less motivated, do it while its free and convenient.

 

[STEEZUS_CHRI5T]

Without reading the previous posts above, I gotta say that this is a really bad idea. Finish Highschool, you're almost there.

Get you're GED and then boom, you're only 18/19 years young and you have your whole life ahead to do whatever you want.

When you're 30, you won't regret finishing.

 

[Agate420]

It depends how miserable you are in your current situation.

Every decision you make will be a learning experience, I know this sounds cliche, but it's true. I went to high school in a small town in central MN where I fell in love with skiing. I then moved out to Portland, OR to go to college and to (mostly) ski Hood. Covid hit and shortly after I took a year off of school to live in a van. It was an experience to say the least, I spent one summer on Hood working in Govy and skiing a few days per week. I had fun, but was going through some personal and relationship struggles so it didn't work out for me.

Fast forward 2 years later I am going back to school in Minnesota to get my undergrad in mechanical engineering. I'm not sure I would've gotten to this point without that experience. Not saying you will have the same experience.

My advice is to try and make best with what you have now before getting ahead of yourself and jumping 100% into the ski industry at a young age. If you are not suffering in your current living situation, I would vouch for finishing high school (only a year and a half left) and hanging out with your local friends as much as possible. Try to travel, maybe do a spring trip to Hood if you haven't already.

Many high schools offer a work program where you can go to school half of the day and work the other half. I would take advantage of this if it is offered. You could try a trade as well and maybe find a second passion and meet some new people. Or you could head out early to your local ski hill and work there if that is what you want.

I know it's not something you want to hear, but you may not want to work in the ski industry your entire life. I definitely realized that after seeing a lot of the people involved in the industry who aren't necessarily happy. Having at least your GED or a high school diploma will make it slightly easier to branch out in your future interests.

Other than that, I am all for living in the present as much as possible and just enjoying life.

Where are you from?

I’m from Central MN too (Detroit Lakes it’s like 45 min east of fargo) and i am currently in a work program but they only give me 1 period at the end of the day to go work park crew. I do plan on getting my ged cause in my mind by the time every else in my grade is graduating and just starting to save up money i will be leaving with a ged and enough money in a emergency fund so i don’t get fucked if something unexpected happened.

 

[Agate420]

probably look for an actual place to live and consider community college OP. camper/van build sounds like a black hole for money and you are still gonna be a homeless guy best case. if it were me I'd consider getting into a trade or something that can fund your ski hobby. some GED programs will give you a Community College scholarship when you finish your GED so maybe use that to jump start a short term training or something

some old snowboarder guy talked to me about how he went on to do some online college thing and he said it worked out really well for him, prolly gonna look into that

 

[eheath]

I’m from Central MN too (Detroit Lakes it’s like 45 min east of fargo) and i am currently in a work program but they only give me 1 period at the end of the day to go work park crew.

my man, working park crew is not going to be a sustainable career. If you want to bail on high school and get your GED, you should be going to tech school and developing skills for your future career.

 

[Agate420]

my man, working park crew is not going to be a sustainable career. If you want to bail on high school and get your GED, you should be going to tech school and developing skills for your future career.

yes i know, i’m just doing it now because making $1400 a month as a teenager just by skiing 5 days a week is amazing

 

[eheath]

yes i know, i’m just doing it now because making $1400 a month as a teenager just by skiing 5 days a week is amazing

Consider yourself fortunate that you're making $14-15/hour to do nothing (assuming you're working 4-5 hours a day? maybe less, but $70 a day) but you also have to consider its a seasonal job and $1400 is almost nothing to an adult, you can make 2-3x that amount full time at mcdonalds.

Thats awesome you're focusing on earning and saving money, but you also have zero (or close to im assuming) costs which is sort of clouding your judgement IMO. $1400/mo doesnt get you very far when you arent living at home and supporting yourself

 

[ASSholebomber22]

yes i know, i’m just doing it now because making $1400 a month as a teenager just by skiing 5 days a week is amazing

That's tight dude you're rich

 

[Sivvy]

So my partner went through this. He almost dropped out and he really just wanted to get a GED and start working then ski bum it in a van. But he didn't

Instead he finished out school and here's why that was the right choice and maybe some things to consider:

- It set him up for trade school. Going to trade school will set you up for success in any ski resort job. U wanna work parks? Well guess what the besr positions in the department always go to welders....also a trade gives u something to do during the summer that can be EXTREMELY lucrative (I know welders making $128 an hour)

- building our a van would have been a pain and would have sucked all his money. Plus even just finding the right van is so much harder than you think....he tried to find one for years

- Any job you would be legally working would pay like crap for u rn, especially in the middle of northern Minnesota. You think people want to through some money towards a young kid without a diploma somewhere like say, Bemidji? Speaking from personal experience I can tell u that's a hell no

I'm so sorry your situation is difficult....but lots of us have been there and understand so please hear us out when we say a diploma might really be worth it

 

[theabortionator]

I would say finish school. a year seems like a really long time when you're 17, but it's pretty short in the grand scheme of things. Idk your situation at school or home but sticking it out is a good move imo.

I didn't really learn that much in high school that's relevant to what I'm doing, and a lot of my jobs probably wouldn't care if I graduated high school, but most jobs do care. Even college can be necessary for a lot of jobs. You've been there since you were 5, you're 17, what's 1 more year?

If you're jonesing to get out and do the hood thing I get it for sure. It will still be there though. What do you do in the summers generally? Maybe try and get a job at the mtn and get your summer hood laps on and check it out.

Can you make it in the ski industry without a hs diploma? Sure. Is it worth finishing that last year? Probably. A lot of industry jobs actually require you to be 18 or at least really look at that too. don't be in such a rush to grow up and move out and shit. IF you're in a bad place maybe. But if things are fine enough other than normal shit, be a kid another year. living out on your own is sweet but there's plenty of bullshit that comes along with it. Sorry on the big bro vibes. Do what you're gonna do, you'll figure it out and make it work regardless. I just feeling like after all the time you've sat in that school might as well finish up and then dip. Hood is sick, but it will def still be there for you next year.

 

[theabortionator]

If school isn't your jam, what does your school offer for technical programs? It varies a bunch place to place but most have something. Maybe you can start toward a trade. Maybe high level math or taking physics isn't going to help you and be a struggle to engage in and pass. Maybe you can learn to weld. Learn some construction shit.

Also if you're thinking of doing the bum life. Not bad to get some sort of trade ish summer job. Lots of construction companies hire younger people. You'd be at the bottom, and doing some of the bullshit tasks, but also getting crazy valuable info and picking up skills from people who have been doing whatever for a long time. Even shit like hanging drywall. Not that awesome, but it's something you could always fall back on. Houses are always getting built. Having some skills toward the resume and being employable can help you get a job in the in between times. Life can throw some curveballs at you.

Also some of the trades pay good $$.

Maybe talk to your guidance counselor about what programs your school offers and also be straight up with them about how you feel about school. If you're over it see what classes you need to graduate minimum.

I fucking hated school. liked social aspect but I learn shitty and struggled in some classes. I barely made it out of high school but it was worth it to me. I didn't go to college, I never will, but I looked at it as being pretty invested in getting to that hs diploma. It's not that bad. The next thing, hood or whatever, will be there. a year seems like a crazy long time, it's easy to rush, but just chill out and finish up school

 

[Agate420]

I would say finish school. a year seems like a really long time when you're 17, but it's pretty short in the grand scheme of things. Idk your situation at school or home but sticking it out is a good move imo.

I didn't really learn that much in high school that's relevant to what I'm doing, and a lot of my jobs probably wouldn't care if I graduated high school, but most jobs do care. Even college can be necessary for a lot of jobs. You've been there since you were 5, you're 17, what's 1 more year?

If you're jonesing to get out and do the hood thing I get it for sure. It will still be there though. What do you do in the summers generally? Maybe try and get a job at the mtn and get your summer hood laps on and check it out.

Can you make it in the ski industry without a hs diploma? Sure. Is it worth finishing that last year? Probably. A lot of industry jobs actually require you to be 18 or at least really look at that too. don't be in such a rush to grow up and move out and shit. IF you're in a bad place maybe. But if things are fine enough other than normal shit, be a kid another year. living out on your own is sweet but there's plenty of bullshit that comes along with it. Sorry on the big bro vibes. Do what you're gonna do, you'll figure it out and make it work regardless. I just feeling like after all the time you've sat in that school might as well finish up and then dip. Hood is sick, but it will def still be there for you next year.

I’m probably going to go talk to my counselor after this period about getting me in some classes that i would enjoy and will have some relevance to what i want to do in the long run, i’m currently in graphic design and looking to get into welding/ woodworking. i think if i get into some classes i’ll enjoy i’ll probably want to stick it out. Over the past few summers i’ve pretty much just smoked and worked but i do want to look into summer jobs at copper/hood. i’m just eager to get out of this small town cause there’s nothing here and i’m kinda sick of riding a 150’ vert hill with like 6 mid rails and feel i could be progressing so much faster somewhere else.

 

[ASSholebomber22]

I’m probably going to go talk to my counselor after this period about getting me in some classes that i would enjoy and will have some relevance to what i want to do in the long run, i’m currently in graphic design and looking to get into welding/ woodworking. i think if i get into some classes i’ll enjoy i’ll probably want to stick it out. Over the past few summers i’ve pretty much just smoked and worked but i do want to look into summer jobs at copper/hood. i’m just eager to get out of this small town cause there’s nothing here and i’m kinda sick of riding a 150’ vert hill with like 6 mid rails and feel i could be progressing so much faster somewhere else.

Have you though about progressing your rail game with the US Army?

 

[r00kie]

Go read the rant thread OP. There are a few regular posters there that give a great play by play of what working in the ski industry as a career is like. There's better things.

 

[Newsheepers]

I would just finish school its literally one more year and If you want to work without a diploma there are warehouse or factory jobs you could make around 30 an hour and work 50 hours a week. Work one this summer and the summer after senior year . Once you save up you could get out there and find another job

 

[skiP.E.I.]

Only a very small % of ski industry workers make a life time career and most of them have college degrees (engineers, business, marketing, accounting, HR, communication). This goes for resorts, brands, media, etc basically every ski industry job other than being a groomer.

You should 100% finish high school, having a GED immediately puts you below those who finished high school, showing you can complete something as simple as high school is very important to employers. College on the other hand is more of an option, maybe a tech school would interest you more, but IMO you're making a pretty radical decision based on almost zero knowledge/information.

Yeah just finish high school. It's so easy and you don't even have a year's worth of study left. It will fly by while you save money by living at home.

To add to the ski industry jobs point, even the most educated folks who choose to work in the industry are usually being paid significantly less than they would be working in another field while also having relatively little time to ski.

Most ski industry jobs either involve gruelling work with stupid hours or cause you to work at the best skiing times.

You'll have more money and ski more if you do seasonal work that gives you winters off.

 

[Agate420]

Have you though about progressing your rail game with the US Army?

They looked at my skinny ass and said i would never have a chance, but then i showed them my sick fucking 180’s and safety grabs and they changed their minds

 

[WoFIowz]

I’m probably going to go talk to my counselor after this period about getting me in some classes that i would enjoy and will have some relevance to what i want to do in the long run, i’m currently in graphic design and looking to get into welding/ woodworking. i think if i get into some classes i’ll enjoy i’ll probably want to stick it out. Over the past few summers i’ve pretty much just smoked and worked but i do want to look into summer jobs at copper/hood. i’m just eager to get out of this small town cause there’s nothing here and i’m kinda sick of riding a 150’ vert hill with like 6 mid rails and feel i could be progressing so much faster somewhere else.

Listen to the green names. They provide both perspectives. You know it's the wrong decision to drop HS when 100% of replies, including the dogshit trolls are telling you to gut it out for another year. It's HS man. Anyone can pass it so if you don't get that degree, gooooooood fucking luck in the future. You'll instantly be put in a category of deadbeats who are questionable hires. Plus you are 3.5-4.5x more likely to become homeless in the future if you don't finish HS. Add in drug habits and that risk is insanely high. Please for the love of God don't be this stupid.

Also I'm all down for smoking but if you're getting stoned all the time as a teenager with no financial responsibilities, it's very probable that is clouding your judgment. Your brain isn't fully developed and you're fucking it up if you're smoking everyday. Do your future self a favor and take a few months off, and reflect on this choice again. Chances are you're not going to be able to do any worthwhile jobs until you're a legal adult anyway.

As some people said, finish HS, then figure it out from there. Who cares about college. Trade school is fine and can be incredibly lucrative. Even going straight into an industry and putting in time can be worth it. Ffs the ceo of Lowes worked his way up through the corporate ladder all the way from a security guard at target. Both my dad and father in law only have HS degrees, work construction and managed to make a decent living. Anything is possible but you're gonna fuck yourself if you don't do this simple task of finishing HS. And if you wanna be a ski bum all life, great, but finish HS. You do you and there's some on here that manage to make it work, although not without significant challenges. It won't be easy and not all unicorns and rainbows.

Also $1400/mo is shit. That's not even rent money in most cities. Add in food, gas, clothes, insurance, leisure costs, etc. And you're broke.

 

[maaattt]

I'll put it this way, if I was still just in a ski shop and not with a company, I would actively campaign against my supervisor hiring a 17 year old highschool drop out

 

[theabortionator]

Go read the rant thread OP. There are a few regular posters there that give a great play by play of what working in the ski industry as a career is like. There's better things.

It's fine, everything's fine

 

[theabortionator]

I’m probably going to go talk to my counselor after this period about getting me in some classes that i would enjoy and will have some relevance to what i want to do in the long run, i’m currently in graphic design and looking to get into welding/ woodworking. i think if i get into some classes i’ll enjoy i’ll probably want to stick it out. Over the past few summers i’ve pretty much just smoked and worked but i do want to look into summer jobs at copper/hood. i’m just eager to get out of this small town cause there’s nothing here and i’m kinda sick of riding a 150’ vert hill with like 6 mid rails and feel i could be progressing so much faster somewhere else.

For sure man. I grew up in a 400 person town in the middle of nowhere. You could work at the few restaurants, 1 or 2 construction companies. An auto shop, a the gas station, and thats about all the jobs.

If you want to get out that's sick. But play the long game a little. One more year will be over faster than you think and then you have the HS diploma and can go wherever. I was over HS. I didn't even go to my graduation, but i got the it done.

If you don't know what you want to do any trade stuff is always really handy. You don't need to work those jobs but if you have the skills you could save up move/travel or have them to fall back on if you're out of work. Trades will always pay decent $$ and always be needed.

Park crew is fun but it's hard to make it sustainable. The ski industry did just go up to $20 starting a lot of places which helps because it was 12 or 13 a year before that for a long time. That said rent in ski towns its pretty common to be spending 1k for rent if you can find a spot.

 

[supremeblientele]

dawg im speaking to u as someone who is only 5 years older and was in a VERY similar mindset / predicament at 17, so please take my advice for what its worth.

graduate high school at all costs necessary

i dropped out when i was 16 to ski more, re enrolled when i was 17 at an alternative high school because i realized i fucked up, and i couldnt get hired anywhere worth sticking around, did a bunch of credit recovery, and luckily somehow graduated high school on time with my class (2.0 GPA baby, lets go!). i was a terrible student the entire 4 years, i know what its like to hate high school, believe me

dumbest decision i ever made was dropping out. had to go through so much extra bullshit in life because of it. make it easy on yourself in the long run and graduate. Just get C's and get ur diploma, u dont have to be a star student, and im aware that 75% of what ur learning is pretty useless, but i dont think u realize how important ur diploma is in the scheme of life. also alternative schools are full of weird ass people, and i really wish i didnt have to go through that.

i had the same plan as you, move to hood in a van, find a ski related job and bum it. so glad i had people around me who cared enough about me at the time to convince me otherwise. i seriously think i could have potentially fucked my life up if i ended up doing such. my life isnt perfect by any means but im so happy to be in the position that im in rn. All the dudes i know who ended up doing what i planned, are absolute fucking degenerates 5 years later.

Most of em now have drug/alcohol problems, are chasing loose ass chicks, working shit jobs they hate, and live full time in their shit vans. these arent bad people, im just giving u some insight of what that lifestyle looks like in reality. its not as fun as it sounds. they also lowkey suck at skiing now.

college was never something i saw myself doing at 17, until i got a little older and realized that i did in fact, want to go to college and pursue a degree. if i never graduated this would be completely out of the picture.

Because of me dropping out, no colleges would accept me other than community colleges, so i had to do 2 years at a CC in order to transfer into university. ( in hindsight that was kinda clutch because it saved me thousands ), but damn wouldnt it have been nice to go to the same uni as all my ski homies.....

ur life is going to be significantly harder if you choose to abandon ur degree. GED should really only be an option if you've already flunked out / didnt graduate on time.

also stop smoking weed, ur too young. Again im saying this as someone who started smoking everyday at 16, that shit lowkey fucked my development as a young man up. Wish i made better choices

thanks for listening to my ted talk, best of luck

 

[ChadThundercock]

Just finish school kid, it’s one fucking year dude. I was the same way as you but quit skiing literally 3 years out of high school

and then real life kicks in.

 

[Agate420]

dawg im speaking to u as someone who is only 5 years older and was in a VERY similar mindset / predicament at 17, so please take my advice for what its worth.

graduate high school at all costs necessary

i dropped out when i was 16 to ski more, re enrolled when i was 17 at an alternative high school because i realized i fucked up, and i couldnt get hired anywhere worth sticking around, did a bunch of credit recovery, and luckily somehow graduated high school on time with my class (2.0 GPA baby, lets go!). i was a terrible student the entire 4 years, i know what its like to hate high school, believe me

dumbest decision i ever made was dropping out. had to go through so much extra bullshit in life because of it. make it easy on yourself in the long run and graduate. Just get C's and get ur diploma, u dont have to be a star student, and im aware that 75% of what ur learning is pretty useless, but i dont think u realize how important ur diploma is in the scheme of life. also alternative schools are full of weird ass people, and i really wish i didnt have to go through that.

i had the same plan as you, move to hood in a van, find a ski related job and bum it. so glad i had people around me who cared enough about me at the time to convince me otherwise. i seriously think i could have potentially fucked my life up if i ended up doing such. my life isnt perfect by any means but im so happy to be in the position that im in rn. All the dudes i know who ended up doing what i planned, are absolute fucking degenerates 5 years later.

Most of em now have drug/alcohol problems, are chasing loose ass chicks, working shit jobs they hate, and live full time in their shit vans. these arent bad people, im just giving u some insight of what that lifestyle looks like in reality. its not as fun as it sounds. they also lowkey suck at skiing now.

college was never something i saw myself doing at 17, until i got a little older and realized that i did in fact, want to go to college and pursue a degree. if i never graduated this would be completely out of the picture.

Because of me dropping out, no colleges would accept me other than community colleges, so i had to do 2 years at a CC in order to transfer into university. ( in hindsight that was kinda clutch because it saved me thousands ), but damn wouldnt it have been nice to go to the same uni as all my ski homies.....

ur life is going to be significantly harder if you choose to abandon ur degree. GED should really only be an option if you've already flunked out / didnt graduate on time.

also stop smoking weed, ur too young. Again im saying this as someone who started smoking everyday at 16, that shit lowkey fucked my development as a young man up. Wish i made better choices

thanks for listening to my ted talk, best of luck

Just talked with my city worker lady about some alternative options to graduate highschool like the alternative school in my town (yes i’m aware there are some weird ass people in there but some are old homies and normal school just didn’t workout for them) From what i’ve heard they have this online program and you can pump out almost 2 credits a week. Also debating doing my core classes through the online program and then remaining in public school and filling my schedule with classes that will help me in the long run like welding, mechanics, graphic design… etc

 

[eheath]

Just talked with my city worker lady about some alternative options to graduate highschool like the alternative school in my town (yes i’m aware there are some weird ass people in there but some are old homies and normal school just didn’t workout for them) From what i’ve heard they have this online program and you can pump out almost 2 credits a week. Also debating doing my core classes through the online program and then remaining in public school and filling my schedule with classes that will help me in the long run like welding, mechanics, graphic design… etc

or just finish high school man, seems really complicated solution to a simple problem, ya know? HS is easy as fuck, just go to class and do your homework, you won't regret finishing your last year.

 

[saskskier]

Finish high school and then go do what you want. It'll never get easier than it is now. You might have a job making $1400/month, but you don't have any expenses and those add up fast. Rent is crazy expensive (if you can find places who will rent to you). Have you had to pay for groceries lately? I have a steady, well paying career and it hurts to go to the grocery store.

Love all the suggestions for picking up a trade, but are you ready to work like a dog? You'll be the new, uneducated grunt on any jobsite until you gain some experience and will get the crappy, menial tasks until you have an idea of what you're doing, and even then, you'll still be the young guy on site, so they'll still give you the crappy, menial jobs. And that's IF you can find an employer who will hire someone without education or work experience.

Finish school. Keep working and save up while you don't have any expenses so you have a bit of financial freedom to chase the ski-bum dream.

 

[OregonDead]

Just talked with my city worker lady about some alternative options to graduate highschool like the alternative school in my town (yes i’m aware there are some weird ass people in there but some are old homies and normal school just didn’t workout for them) From what i’ve heard they have this online program and you can pump out almost 2 credits a week. Also debating doing my core classes through the online program and then remaining in public school and filling my schedule with classes that will help me in the long run like welding, mechanics, graphic design… etc

yes, talk to the people at your highschool about your options. don't know how it is back there but out here schools have more and more different options where they will pay for their student's to get more technical job training. these opportunities aren't necessarily just going to jump out at you though so talk to a few different teachers/ counselors if you can. our local high schools have some different programs where students can get started on some community college classes while they are still in high school. some of these programs they earn a tech certificate at the same time as their diploma. with a certificate start working at like $20 - $25 /hour right of high school. also be like 1/2 way through an associate's of applied science so they can get that in a year or two while working in their field and not be racking up any school loan debt. now they are rolling out bachelors degree

programs in management specifically for people that have an Associate of Applied Science who are working in their field.

traditional school is not for a lot of people but there are other ways

 

[Young_patty]

Bro you're gonna end up living in a van down by the river.

 

[Agate420]

Bro you're gonna end up living in a van down by the river.

sounds pretty sick to me

 

[r00kie]

sounds pretty sick to me

It's lonely, hungry, and cold. Camping should be recreational, not a long term living arrangement.

 

[supremeblientele]

sounds pretty sick to me

because ur still young and dont realize how hard life on ur own is.

u gotta experience that shit first hand to understand what i mean. life comes at you quick homie

 

[supremeblientele]

or just finish high school man, seems really complicated solution to a simple problem, ya know? HS is easy as fuck, just go to class and do your homework, you won't regret finishing your last year.

not easy for everyone.....

no denying he 100% has the IQ to graduate, nearly everyone does, but when someones not doing well in public school its usually not the curriculum thats the issue, 99% of the time something is going on outside/inside of school preventing him from graduating. not saying thats an excuse to not graduate, but the whole "highscool is easy" claim is just ignorant.

maybe homie is getting bullied, maybe his parents havent set the best example, or are going thru a divorce, maybe he's got some mental issues he's working thru.

school isnt easy for everybody, asking a 17 year old boy to sit still 8 hours a day then go and do homework is no "easy" task. surely wasnt for me, surely isnt for most the kids i work with

alternative school is a solid option, because u still receive a high school diploma, and as long as ur GPA is solid colleges dont give a fuck if ur highschool was technically "alternative". My ex who also went to alternative HS got into a 9% acceptance rate university because she actually tried.

as long as he gets his degree who gives a fuck what school it came from

 

[supremeblientele]

Just talked with my city worker lady about some alternative options to graduate highschool like the alternative school in my town (yes i’m aware there are some weird ass people in there but some are old homies and normal school just didn’t workout for them) From what i’ve heard they have this online program and you can pump out almost 2 credits a week. Also debating doing my core classes through the online program and then remaining in public school and filling my schedule with classes that will help me in the long run like welding, mechanics, graphic design… etc

nice man, definitely keep poking around and find a routine / classes that work for you

but by all means, at the end of the day u need to GRADUATE

 

[Agate420]

not easy for everyone.....

no denying he 100% has the IQ to graduate, nearly everyone does, but when someones not doing well in public school its usually not the curriculum thats the issue, 99% of the time something is going on outside/inside of school preventing him from graduating. not saying thats an excuse to not graduate, but the whole "highscool is easy" claim is just ignorant.

maybe homie is getting bullied, maybe his parents havent set the best example, or are going thru a divorce, maybe he's got some mental issues he's working thru.

school isnt easy for everybody, asking a 17 year old boy to sit still 8 hours a day then go and do homework is no "easy" task. surely wasnt for me, surely isnt for most the kids i work with

alternative school is a solid option, because u still receive a high school diploma, and as long as ur GPA is solid colleges dont give a fuck if ur highschool was technically "alternative". My ex who also went to alternative HS got into a 9% acceptance rate university because she actually tried.

as long as he gets his degree who gives a fuck what school it came from

I used to do really good in school up until the end 8th grade when covid hit and everyone lost all motivation after a year of online. this happened to probably around half of my school and now our attendance rate is at like 50%. I started to do better in school n then some doctors prescribed me adhd meds and this whole year has just been a mess of either them not working or being tweaked out in school.

 

[supremeblientele]

I used to do really good in school up until the end 8th grade when covid hit and everyone lost all motivation after a year of online. this happened to probably around half of my school and now our attendance rate is at like 50%. I started to do better in school n then some doctors prescribed me adhd meds and this whole year has just been a mess of either them not working or being tweaked out in school.

id say get off the meds then. im not a psychiatrist, or ur parents, so i cant really say whats best for you, but in my experience ive seen those kind of meds do more harm than good. if you feel its negatively affecting you, then u should have that conversation with ur parents.

Covid was extremely hard for me too man, i can totally understand losing some motivation, but just because everyone else isnt attending / graduating doesnt give you the excuse to do the same. gotta take care of business

sounds like ur going through a lot tho rn man. sucks to hear that, but life will get better if you put in the effort and actively try and make it better. nothing will improve on its own, you've gotta be the one driving the boat.

if you choose to be dropout/work , smoke weed, and move to hood in a van, so be it. just be ready to deal with the consequences of that decision, which we have listed above, and they arent very appealing IMO

ur gonna suffer whether u choose to graduate or not, that is a fact, life is very hard, but i can tell u rn its better to suffer with a well paying job, a decent crib, nice skis, and a stable girl / friend group.

versus suffering alone in a van with nothing but pennies and top roman and some wook tinder chick.

 

[Agate420]

id say get off the meds then. im not a psychiatrist, or ur parents, so i cant really say whats best for you, but in my experience ive seen those kind of meds do more harm than good. if you feel its negatively affecting you, then u should have that conversation with ur parents.

Covid was extremely hard for me too man, i can totally understand losing some motivation, but just because everyone else isnt attending / graduating doesnt give you the excuse to do the same. gotta take care of business

sounds like ur going through a lot tho rn man. sucks to hear that, but life will get better if you put in the effort and actively try and make it better. nothing will improve on its own, you've gotta be the one driving the boat.

if you choose to be dropout/work , smoke weed, and move to hood in a van, so be it. just be ready to deal with the consequences of that decision, which we have listed above, and they arent very appealing IMO

ur gonna suffer whether u choose to graduate or not, that is a fact, life is very hard, but i can tell u rn its better to suffer with a well paying job, a decent crib, nice skis, and a stable girl / friend group.

versus suffering alone in a van with nothing but pennies and top roman and some wook tinder chick.

Thank you man, you’ve given me some really solid advice. This thread has definitely changed my view on getting my diploma and having a fallback job, i talked to my buddy about jobs and stuff and i found out he works week on week off as a welder for some big company a few hours away during the summer. He told me i could come over a few nights a week and he would help me work on my welds. My school has good ties with the manufacturing company in town and they come in to look for new hires regularly. The van however is non negotiable. From the time i’ve been on this earth i can see that not everyone is actually that happy with their situation and skiing and traveling is what brings me joy so that’s what i would like to do for as long as i can and the van just works best for skiing as much as possible and exploring national parks and whatnot. I would like to thank you again and everyone who responded to this thread, this was really helpful

 

[supremeblientele]

Thank you man, you’ve given me some really solid advice. This thread has definitely changed my view on getting my diploma and having a fallback job, i talked to my buddy about jobs and stuff and i found out he works week on week off as a welder for some big company a few hours away during the summer. He told me i could come over a few nights a week and he would help me work on my welds. My school has good ties with the manufacturing company in town and they come in to look for new hires regularly. The van however is non negotiable. From the time i’ve been on this earth i can see that not everyone is actually that happy with their situation and skiing and traveling is what brings me joy so that’s what i would like to do for as long as i can and the van just works best for skiing as much as possible and exploring national parks and whatnot. I would like to thank you again and everyone who responded to this thread, this was really helpful

hey man if that van is gonna bring u happiness and allow u to see the world, im all for it just make sure u graduate before you decide to do that / live that lifestyle.

but eventually, van life is gonna get old (and trust me it will) ,and ur gonna wish you'd had something more stable to fall back on. such as a potential career, studies, a gf, real homies (not just drinking/smoking buddies), or a nice place to stay. you wont have as much difficulty finding your way in the world with a hs degree. ur young, and no one expects you to have the rest of ur life mapped out, but the sooner u start thinking about your long term future the better. you'll look back and wonder where all the time went soon enough..

im glad i was able to help, i literally give this kind of advice to kids about ur age as part of my line of work, so its re assuring to hear that you felt you benefited from this lol.

all the best homie GET THAT DIPLOMA

 

[WoFIowz]

school isnt easy for everybody, asking a 17 year old boy to sit still 8 hours a day then go and do homework is no "easy" task.

Nice post. Only gotta disagree with this statement. You can 100% get the majority of your studying and homework done in high school during class time. Yes it's possible from experience. All op needs are C's. That's like paying attention 50% of the time, turning in half your homework, and just showing up. Teachers hate failing students, especially in general classes so he does have resources at his disposal.

I used to do really good in school up until the end 8th grade when covid hit and everyone lost all motivation after a year of online. this happened to probably around half of my school and now our attendance rate is at like 50%. I started to do better in school n then some doctors prescribed me adhd meds and this whole year has just been a mess of either them not working or being tweaked out in school.

Not trying to be a dick but I'm guessing your doc doesn't know you smoke weed? Stimulants and Thc aren't the greatest friends. Not to mention the weed is probably a major contributing source of your concentration issues. Definitely is a motivation killer after a while.

 

[supremeblientele]

Nice post. Only gotta disagree with this statement. You can 100% get the majority of your studying and homework done in high school during class time. Yes it's possible from experience. All op needs are C's. That's like paying attention 50% of the time, turning in half your homework, and just showing up. Teachers hate failing students, especially in general classes so he does have resources at his disposal.

im more referring to the act of literally being forced to sit in a classroom chair 8 hours a day. young boys need a lot of exercise, especially ages 14-18. so much test flowing thru u. a lot of them are also kinesthetic learners

 

[Quaggy]

I have a cousin from Canada that didn't finish high school and instead went to work in the oil fields of Alberta where he makes ~$100k for ~6 months of work. He spends the other 6 months taking trips and partying, it's not sustainable long term but it can be done.

You should finish high school though, and then perhaps find an oil field/rig job in the states if you want fast cash for your van life

 

[C.R.E.A.M]

OP let us know what you decide in 5 years

 

[mountaindewgirl]

I get it, you're feeling eager to make a radical change in your life and become a ski bum. Right now tho isn't the best time because you gotta get that diploma so u don't screw your future self in the career and dating markets.

There is a whole spectrum of things you can do right now that can scratch that itch for pushing your boundaries and getting way out of your comfort zone. You can try a bold new haircut or start doing open mic nights or volunteer with a group or start a YouTube vlog or join a local government volunteer committee... make a big change in your life that doesn't have potential to harm your future earnings prospects.

You probably dont have enough risk tolerance to run away right now. School, skills, savings, relationships, reputation, and a couple crazy plays will build it up so you can anything you want in the future.

As far as hating school, my advice is to work with your advisor to get into interesting workforce development classes and speed run the classes you don't like by taking CLEP exams which can replace your remaining required credits and double count as college credits.

 

[GnomesAreReal]

finish school no matter what, college too. If you drop out it's gonna be 'lit' the first few years then you'll become an adult without any real aducation. You're one back injury away from not being able to work most ski industy jobs.

 

[Lenny-]

I mean it's probably a good idea to get your diploma instead of a GED. However if you are really unhappy, your grades are shit, and you don't care about expensive colleges you might as well drop out and get your GED if you don't have other options like a homeschool academy or something to graduate early. I think if I had dropped out of highschool and got my GED I would be in the same place I am today and I have my HS diploma and an Associates degree.

The camper setup is probably gonna be hard to do comfortably if you haven't been saving for awhile. But if you have ~$3,000 you could move out to almost whatever mountain you want, get a job at the hill, and move into an employee housing unit. Then just save and eventually you can get your camper if that's what you still want.

You can also still go to a community college or trade school later in life with a GED if that's what you want. I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and guess that you are not getting good enough grades to get into an Ivy league school anyways so it's not like you are throwing away a big opportunity by getting your GED instead.

 

[Agate420]

I mean it's probably a good idea to get your diploma instead of a GED. However if you are really unhappy, your grades are shit, and you don't care about expensive colleges you might as well drop out and get your GED if you don't have other options like a homeschool academy or something to graduate early. I think if I had dropped out of highschool and got my GED I would be in the same place I am today and I have my HS diploma and an Associates degree.

The camper setup is probably gonna be hard to do comfortably if you haven't been saving for awhile. But if you have ~$3,000 you could move out to almost whatever mountain you want, get a job at the hill, and move into an employee housing unit. Then just save and eventually you can get your camper if that's what you still want.

You can also still go to a community college or trade school later in life with a GED if that's what you want. I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and guess that you are not getting good enough grades to get into an Ivy league school anyways so it's not like you are throwing away a big opportunity by getting your GED instead.

Got a meeting setup today to see if there is a way to kind of treat my school as a tech school, mainly focusing on industrial and business skills that i can engage in. Rather than going to algebra 2 and thinking about how these numbers don’t exist and how i’m never gonna think about this a week from now. At the end of the day i will be getting a highschool education.

The plan with the camper is to work my ass off all summer for the funds and then this fall design and build one with my buddy. I don’t know how else to put it other than he is a “garage kid” hes been designing and making things since his whole life and knows everything about electronics craftsmanship and engines. I plan on dropping atleast 7k on a camper we custom build so i can get a living space that i designed rather than buying a stock one.

I have also been looking a lot into trade school after this thread.