Is High School the New Kindergarten?
If a master’s degree is the “new bachelors degree” then is high school the new kindergarten.  Not completing your high school education is professional suicide in a world increasingly driven by specialized skills and technology.  Your chances of competing for high paying jobs decrease with every year of schooling that goes unfinished.  Put more simply, your earning potential and employability go up substantially with each successive degree that you earn. With a high school diploma, you are 70% more likely to find a job than a non-graduate.  And that job pays an average of $700 more every month than a non-graduate’s job does.

Reasons for Dropping out of High School, and Solutions for Going back
There are actually many reasons why people drop out of high school.  Illness, pregnancy, apathy, and money are some of the more popular explanations.  And who is anyone else to judge why you didn’t and couldn’t complete school.  But while there are many reasons to drop out, there are very few reasons not to go back.  I’m not talking about marching back into your local school and re-taking English composition class with Mrs. Hoover.  You don’t have to go through the whole high school drama scenario again, with social cliques, detention slips, and awful food.  No, I’m talking about completing high school coursework online and/or studying for your GED exam.  The requirements are quite manageable, and you can study in total anonymity if age or ability makes you feel self-conscious.  Just make sure you select a reputable program.  Some GED tests are not what they claim to be.

Not having a high school degree under your belt is like trying to run a marathon with a ball and chain around your ankle.  You can do it, but why would you want to?  The 26.2 miles are usually hard enough as it is.  Having a GED provides you with a foundation from which to build a more sustainable career.  Besides, wouldn’t you like to have an extra $700 in your bank account every month?