Stay In School? Why?

I think it's time to tell the truth to our young people about the real world. I hope this essay achieves this goal.

 

This goes out to the graduating class of 2009 from high school and college. A lot of promises were made to them by their parents and teachers that because they've graduated they'll be guaranteed the American Dream: a great career, a beautiful home, and a wonderful life.

 

My teachers made exactly those same kinds of promises to me a little over twenty years ago. I considered dropping out of school several times. But my parents, my teachers, and even public service commercials on TV told me if I did my life would be a road of endless poverty and despair, saying high school dropouts earn an average yearly salary of 25 percent less than that of high school graduates. In my family for instance, only three of my six siblings graduated from high school. So I stayed and graduated, believing because I now had that all-important high school diploma, my trump card so to speak, the road ahead of me for the rest of my life would be paved with gold.

 

Somebody lied to me.

 

Since my graduation, I've been through one menial paying job after another, barely making more than $10,000 a year. Whenever I filled out a job application or got an interview, nothing happened afterwards. My local state employment service only serviced minorities, women and veterans.  The job I have now barely pays for the rent to my apartment, much less for food. And jobs which required the skills I learned in high school weren't out there in the job market, and those that were required something I didn't have: experience.

 

My attempts at furthering my education were a joke. Professors at my local community college, like most professors, were only interested in either promoting their own self-gratification or flirting with the female student body. I've been to my local technical school three times, and each time I've completed their evening courses I've never been able to land a job anywhere.

 

What really gets my goat about all this is that those dropouts, those so-called "losers" who those public service commercials told me would be living on skid row or in prison, are in fact doing much better than I economically. They have great paying jobs and can afford to buy a home and raise a family, while I have nothing. I've done everything that the people who I assumed knew best asked of me. I've never done drugs and stayed clear of trouble with the law. Yet they're the winners in life it appears, while I, the graduate, am the loser.

 

For example, a brother of mine who is a dropout and who's had several run-ins with the law during his life now works as a tractor-trailer driver, got married a few years back, had a daughter and bought his own beautiful home. A nephew of mine who dropped out now works for the state. And his brother, also a dropout, is a surgical assistant for an animal hospital. As much as I love them as family, there's nothing more humiliating.

 

Believe it or not, there's even been a recent study of the job market regarding this as well. According to this study, many employers tend to prefer hiring dropouts over graduates for the reasons that dropouts, especially those with police, court records, court fines, child support and other obligations, are more hardworking and responsible-minded and tend to make fewer mistakes on the job, while graduates like me tend to be edgy under pressure and file more grievances in court.

 

Oh wow! My teachers back at high school never told me I had to knock up a girl or raise cain around town sowing my wild oats and get arrested to earn a decent living in this country! I should've dropped out while I had the chance. Stay in school? Ha! Why should I when it's dropouts who get a piece of the American Dream and graduates end up living on welfare?!

 

The graduates of 2009 should keep in mind all of the promises of success made to them during their time in school, remembering that degree or diploma is a promise in writing of a future made to them by their educators. In ten years time, if sucess hasn't come to them, or if their dreams or goals haven't been achieved, they should find the best lawyer they can afford an go back to their alma maters to collect a hefty price on those promises.

 

Reviews

[Mirth]

As a soon to be graduate, let me inform you, this is the most depressingly article on the future I've read. But you're the only person willing to stand up as an example and say, "This is life too.". That in itself takes courage.

As a piece of work, this essay is delivered thoughtfully and with flow, with enough emotion to keep us interested and show us who you are. Wonderfully done. Maybe volunteer some extra time (if there is any extra time in the future?) to your newspaper as a free journalist? You're not getting paid, but it's definitely experience.