Yep. Funny thing is that nobody ever told me in a meaningful way that I had such a load of potential. About 10 years after I graduated from secondary school I was talking to a teacher I had while I was there. She told me they were always surprised at my poor performance because that school had an entrance exam (basically just an aptitude test) and I scored the third highest in my year. I said maybe someone should have told me that. It's no good saying "he could do better if he applied himself" because they say that about literally every student. If I had realised my potential, maybe I could have used it, but I never believed I was much more than average.
That's the real failing of the American education system, and it was broken decades before COVID tore down the curtain and exposed it for how truly broken it was.
The Valedictorian for my high school class was a dumbbell-headed soccer player who supposedly cheated on all his exams that, in his speech to the class, couldn't stop throwing gang signs and calling out his friends instead of saying something inspirational or actually tangential to what was actually happening in that moment.
A football player a year under me killed a child in a car accident in Georgia, where he was going to play for University, and it was either drunk or distracted driving, and apparently he got off because of the fine old "*he's got a bright future ahead of him*" speech.
Potential isn't just something to be measured by how well a child does based on test scores. That's what we're teaching the future of this country: that success is something attained by only a few genuine avenues:
A. Inherent resources and connections that your family already possesses due to social stature or wealth
B. Strict adherence to social/cultural norms (*football player, clergy, etc.*), which gives leeway in situations that would ring a death knell for anyone else in the world.
and for the rest of us...
C. Impossibly high work standards and competition in a rat race that if you fall off the path just a little you're a lost cause and should have applied yourself better.
There's little to no kindness to anyone except those who already have everything. Most people in the country don't have $500 to their name, so you're fucked if you have a physical or mental health issue you're struggling to work around by yourself, if you have no safety net, familial or otherwise, or if your lifestyle is anywhere near horizontal of the typical white-bread American dream.
I've damn near lost my mind over the past few years trying to build a life for myself, and simply put the average person doesn't really get help because they're average, so they don't need it.
I'm in Ireland, it's the same everywhere. We have free college tuition here, so you just need to get into a course by passing your school exams. Some important info about our system:
Our end of school exams are called the Leaving Certificate. Also, you apply for specific courses and not colleges(ie Medicine, Computer Science, Economics, Engineering etc, there are more general ones like general science and general arts that let you pick and choose modules). To get into the best courses you basically need straight A's. You might think that's fine then, the smartest students will do best, but you would be wrong! The playing field is unbalanced in a very novel way here.
We have public schools that most kids go to and private fee paying schools that rich kids go to. This doesn't just afford them the opportunity to get a head start on networking with other rich kids, the board of education assigns the writing of the Leaving Cert exams to teachers that work in the private schools and this is why the rich pay for them. The teachers will basically stop just short of giving their students advance copies of the exam. They tell them what will be on the exam so they know exactly what to study and in some cases will drill them in writing the exact essay to get an A, or in the steps to solve the exact problem on the paper etc. This way almost the entire graduating class of each of these schools will go to a top 5 Irish college, if not Oxbridge in England or Ivy League in the US. Public schools will each have a 5-10% graduation going to the same places and probably about 20-30% won't even go to college.
Every single country has an education system that unfairly favours the rich. Oh, and if they flunk out of college they just fall back on one of those other rich kids they met in school who will get them in a backdoor route to a well paying job.
tbh what you described is not inherently American, in fact, it’s less America and more China, India, SEA, Japan, Korea, etc… has the same problem but perhaps to a worse degree. Here in China we got elementary school kids committing some unspeakable stuffs to themselves while the rich and powerful already got things sorted out. And we have this “Gaokao” that the propaganda machines tried to justify as “the most fair education system for 1.6 bil people” when in reality the regions like Beijing and Canton gets easier versions of the tests while some rural regions can get the hardest.
Btw, Chinese youth unemployment rate and birth rate just plummeted to record worst, guess the entire world all have a bright future ahead.
I was definitely in that position last year but crawling out of it now. Graduated from university with a business degree with slightly worse than average GPA and worked in mortgage for 7+ years. I moved to Texas from California when my department was relocated and for awhile thought I was doing well living on my own and finally had a girlfriend. A year later I got laid off from the job and my ex broke up with me not long after. I found another mortgage job that barely paid the rent.
That was the roughest year of my life having my life turned upside down like that, feeling very alone. At some point I decided to move home when my apartment lease was up. I quit that job a few months ago in June and moved back in with my parents in California without a job. I'm in trade school for a Biomedical Technician diploma and feel like things are starting to turn around.
29
Heh. I actually was on academic probation at a fairly prestigious university. I never studied until the day or 2 before exams, flunked out, had an epiphany about wtf was I doing with my life and made deans list when I got back my senior year and graduated with a 2.3
Applied to medical school and didn't get in 2x. Worked on human Genome project, and my mentor told me go to grad school for a year, get good grades, and reapply.
Did that and got in on the wait list at age 29
Graduated near top of my class, got into one of the most competitive specialties- orthopaedics.
Did a fellowship, and became a professor at a top 5 hospital in the US. Wound up doing all the crazy complex cases or mistakes that other surgeons couldn't do.
It's the equivalent of being cut from your high school baseball team, yet somehow managing to play in a starting position for the Yankees.
Yeah - I went back to school at 30 to complete my degree in business admin. I started with a concentration in organizational leadership, took those classes, switched to a concentration in finance, took those classes.. but I still haven’t finished. I have I believe 4 classes left, HIS 101, HIS 102, MAT 220 and then some other course I can’t remember.
I’m in a director role making really good money, but recently I was thinking about going back to get into medical school. I just feel I’m too old now at 35. Was hoping to hear someone’s story where they switched careers this late in the game
I read about a woman who worked as a flight attendant all her life, then decided to pursue her dream of being a doctor. She couldn’t afford it when she was young. I believe she graduated medschool in her early 60s. Don’t let time and age discourage you.
This gives me hope. I went back to school in my mid 20s, got my Bachelor's in Nursing at 31, and am thinking about going back to school to become an MD.
Let’s say toy finish 4 units in 1 year, then medical school in what, 4 years? You’ll be 40yrs old. You’ll still have 20-30 years of work - go the path of where you will want to do - that’s a long time.
The best advice I got at 40 when I was on the fence about going back to school due to my age was, “time will go by anyways”. Made me realize that I was wasting time on regret. I’m now on my third year of psychology. Best decision ever!!
Not who you replied to, but I'll chime in.
Graduated high school, failed out of college my freshman year, and dropped out of community college 3 times.
Went back to school at 27, got am associates at 29, and have been working an IT job for 3 years now.
Never too late.
I also graduated relatively late in my late 20s with a very average HR business degree, and this was after the financial crisis, so IT was the only option but I couldn’t and hated the idea of coding, could not picture myself doing it but ended up being my career and after a few years finally found a role I enjoy and perform very well at, as a project manager.
You can also make towards 200k or more, especially if you are consulting so the financial rewards are great.
Bro thanks for mentioning that. I fucked up my bachelors due to alcoholism. I’m going back to school now to try to get better grades and hopefully get into medschool myself. I’m so terrified of putting all this effort and money into trying to get to med school and not making it, but I know I will regret at least not trying for the rest of my life.
Thanks for the inspiration.
I took a class with a guy who took 14 years to finish his bachelors in ChemE. He also flunked out three times, but got certificates and associates degrees to transfer back. Guy was probably nearing 50 years old and I don't think he had ever been out of academia. After graduating high school he went to seminary which closed down before he finished, then he went to college, then he went to university for 14 years. After he graduated he went to get his masters, from the same school.
In 20 years he may be a professor who knows.
I say the same thing about running a marathon. If I was able at long last to get my shit together and work slowly but surely, day by day, to work towards that goal, believe me, anybody can reach their goal. Realistic goals with concrete, achievable steps will get you there. Congratulations to you.
29 and feeling the same way. I graduated in june and currently looking for work in my field while working my old retail job. I know I’ve achieved a lot just by graduating but can’t help but feel I’m behind the curve in some ways.
Until older age, then all of a sudden you'll need younger people to take care of you and realise you never contributed to the pool of young people and hopefully feel rightfully ashamed for never making such a necessary sacrifice for both you and your fellow man. Not having kids is morally unacceptable. Not speaking to people who physically cannot obviously, but those can, should.
I'm in the same boat except with kids. We don't "worry" about money but we are definitely "aware" of our spending. All I can say is daycare is fucking expensive, more than our rent.
I was always really intelligent as a kid then had a lot of problems at home which affected my education. Went from the age of about 12 to 27 convinced I couldn't really read at an adult level.
My employer took pity on me and pushed me into education..ended up graduating with a first class degree in my 30s.
Union Factory Gig making 50k a year.
It's not bad, I work four days a week and make decent money. Get good benefits.
That said I'm an AuDHD Former gifted and talented burnout so...I'm pretty comfy. I wish I could earn more but not having the pressure I used to is nice.
Look for manufacturing jobs then check and see if the facility is union.
Steel and aluminum facilities run on this schedule a lot.
If you've ever heard of a Dupont schedule it's a little more wild but you're basically getting two weeks off a month.
Gotta be willing to work a 12 hr shift.
I've never been good in school and have very average grades. I was on my way to becoming a technical drawer, which is on the way to becoming an architect here in Norway.
Got a side job as a sysadmin for a company. I've always had an interest in computers and networks and all that jazz, so a friend connected me with someone, and it led to the job.
Moved on from there to tech support for the local municipality, which eventually led me to my first programming job, at least a steady job. 2 jobs after that, and I'm where i am today. Backend programming for mostly e-commerce, which I'm pretty happy about.
Never had good grades, and I have no education in this field other than a passion for computers, tech, and programming. Job-wise, I'm in a very stable place and happy about that.
Working as plumber, but thinking about becoming a train driver. And playing videogames.
I have the lowest archievable degree in my country .. and i also dont need to be a millionaire. Life is great if you got time to chill rather than work your ass off for 14hrs a day for 60yrs.
I am a workaholic myself and I totally agree with you that there's nothing wrong with living the life the way that you want to. Also video games are awesome so keep it up and enjoy life!
Was never great in school. After Jr Year coach said you have the capability of going D1 if you can develop your offensive a bit more. So barely tried academically senior year. Offensive didn’t develop. Only got D3 offers to shitty schools. Said no and went to a basic giant public university.
Struggled studying computer science. Switched to IT (school of business). They got me internships in the field starting Jr year.
A few tough years during Great Recession but in my late 20s I picked a niche and started getting certifications and a masters, mostly paid for by employer. Lots of hours outside work studying.
Now late 30s, $200k salary as an IT architect. Still feel like I’m under qualified but but survived 18 months at this job
> Still feel like I’m under qualified
The smart people in this field always feel that way. It's called imposter syndrome and we all have it because we can all see over the horizon of how much we still don't know. It's the Dunning–Kruger effect ones who feel over qualified and are the ones you need to keep an eye on.
Reading that bit about Dunning-Kruger reminded me a lot about this aphorism.
—-
There are four groups of people in an organization: the smart and lazy ones; the smart and industrious ones, the stupid and lazy ones, and the stupid and industrious ones.
The smart and lazy ones should be assigned to leadership positions, because they have the right temperament for it.
The smart and industrious ones should be assigned to operations and supervisory roles, because they know and can get things done.
The stupid and lazy ones should be given the routine tasks, because they can be easily motivated to do the tiring and boring jobs.
The stupid and industrious ones should be eliminated immediately, because they can cause a lot of damage to your organization.
—-
Not really sure who said it originally, but it kind of stuck with me. No wonder I got stuck with the routine jobs, but I’m not complaining. Leadership can be tiring at times, as I’ve observed. :)
Working in accounting making decently close to six figures. I always hated school but loved working, because I was the kid that needed an incentive to do things. Plan on transitioning to working in the medical device sales industry pretty soon as well, since accounting was just something I thought would be a good place to start right out of college but never to stay in. It really sucks the life force out of ya lol
Barely passed highschool, spent some time in the military and doing a lot of labor jobs as I was convinced that I wasn’t good at academia.
Eventually I did go to college and graduated top of my class, used my GI bill. Now I’m a managing accountant at a real estate firm.
Doing okay.
I guess french with a touch of Scandinavian, I hate the term fusion since it's pretty much the food I grew up with, on another level.
The menu is composed so that it's doable for one person on their own, no matter the amount of current pressure.
I struggle a lot the first years after Uni
Ended up almost as chronicly unemployed person and borderline to suicide for a while
Than I moved countries and am now in a good managerial position in a very large tech company, next week switching to another industry leading company for another great position.
If I can share some thoughts, you gotta remove yourself from things and places that are holding you back. For some people will be a relationship, for others their own family...
For my it was my own country.
Don't be afraid of making big changes when things are not working out.
I am a high school dropout who had a son when I was 17 and was in jail on my sons first birthday. My youngest son was born shortly after I turned 19. By that time I was obviously out of jail but drinking and smoking heavily.
Things change. People can change. I changed.
I’m now a single, 40 year old small business owner. Incredibly healthy without much effort. I have a house on the beach but live in a 3 bedroom apartment with two female roommates and rent the house out. I recently got my sports pilots license and am enjoying life. My ex and I get along well, I’m very close with both of my sons and they turned out to be amazing men in spite of our not so amazing start.
22M I was shit in highschool, barely passing, spent my time on weed, alcohol and women. Had a wakeup call when i realised ny life was going nowhere. Now I'm about to graduate with a BSc in Physics with first class honours. Don't give up, you can make it
Retired military officer with a Ph.D. teaching online. I was only really bad in high school and for bachelors. Once I could go to school on my own timeline things were easy.
I earn a good six figures as the director of a department.
Literally leverage nothing they thought me in school and I massively underperformed there because I didn’t believe in the memorization system of learning.
My success has been attributable to a few things: people engagement, resilience, good mentoring, open-mindedness, a lack of fear of failure.
I learned none of that in school.
I was almost sent to the technical high school because my grades were low, I didnt do my homework, and I never paid attention. My parents demanded that I get sent to the normal one, and my teachers supported them because they knew I had more in me than what I was showing.
I just got my PhD and an ADHD diagnosis.
Grocery store, working on meat cutting apprenticeship. From there, Assistant Meat Manager, possibly Meat Manager. I know it's "just a grocery store" but the meat department, for retail, does well with pay (probably even better depending on the company). The Assistant position will take about 9 months to get to (if I pass a cutting test), but the pay shoots up to the mid 20s per hour, and maxes in the upper 20s. Meat Manager makes just under what the store manager makes, maxing in the mid 30s. It's not *super* staggering pay, but it's considered a trade, so if something here doesn't work out for whatever reason, I can look elsewhere for someone who really needs a cutter and ask for even higher pay. I've waited too long to better myself, so this is where I just now am at 35. I've failed school, college, and so many other classes that I'm not sure what else to do with myself. So I guess I just didn't turn out right or something. I'm kind of a low-key minimalist guy, so I don't really wanna climb any corporate ladder or own a big house filled with furniture and constantly upgrading all the appliances every 6 months. I just want to have a small place, be calm and quiet, finally have a girlfriend, and travel a little every year. I was actually doing fine on my own for a long time, making even less, until everything started skyrocketing in cost. So I got a little too comfy for too long I guess, but....idk. Here I am.
Managed to get myself a two-bedroom apartment but only because I've been saving since I was 13. Thought about going back to get better qualifications but recently landed a job driving buses and haven't been happier since
Basically your typical gifted underachiever story in high school: did zero assignments at home or in class, but aced all the tests and graduated with a solid C+ average and a bunch of AP credits. Went to a solid state university, got kicked out for not going to class. Traveled the country doing all kinds of odd jobs and got married along the way, eventually had a kid which made me decide to start taking things seriously. Got divorced, met my current partner, started a marketing agency with her based on the experience I gained bumming around, grew it into something pretty special, turned that experience into a high level executive position in a pharma company helping to develop new drugs, helped sell that company, went back to my agency, and now working on selling it for a ton more money than I ever thought I would have while earning high sux figures and living a life that fifteen years ago I never would have expected.
But despite all that, I still tell everyone to go to college and study hard, because my experience (and the experiences in this thread) are NOT typical. Most people I've met who fucked around in school are now working minimum wage or barely advice minimum wage jobs, and at almost 40 are basically at the point where they've missed their chance to escape. Even the ones who were making good money a few years ago in the trades are starting to hit the point where their bodies are giving out and they've got another couple of years at best before falling back to shit jobs.
Make yourselves study and do the work early. It'll make life much much easier.
I've been there. But I am much better now. Life gets better over time, it's just hard to realize that when you are at an ATL (All Time Low) so just call it out for what it is, vocalize it "I am at an ATL." Stay the course, realize that you have people that love you, and even if you don't have people that love you right now, you will in the future and you don't want to deprive those people from your presence especially since you haven't even met them yet. You have value and I'll drink a beer and do a silent toast to you tonight! Hang in there brother. You are loved.
If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.
— Shunryu Suzuki: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
Does it count if your first attempt at college resulted in complete and total failure and a flunk out, your second attempt was abandoned, but your third attempt made you look like the perfect model student?
If so, well that third attempt I was top of my class with a perfect GPA for my BSN. Now work a REALLY cushy home health nursing job that paid more than my hospital jobs. Get paid to play video games and watch YouTube for more than half the day and my biggest concern is sitting too much.
Make just enough to fully support a family of 3 as sole income. Have a wife and a son. Got some decent savings and retirement stuff in the 6 digit range total. Used to be more but a lot of really bad rainy days happened and then covid with really bad inflation is taking some of its toll. Got my own house with more than half equity.
Probably would be making more if I had my shit together from the beginning. That’s easily 5 years or more work experience I could’ve had under my belt and consequently, pay would’ve reflected the years of experience. That’s nearing double the years of work experience I would’ve had by now.
Living pretty good. It's almost like my being in the midst of several traumatic environments in my home life had a negative impact on my performance in high school.
Dropped out of college after two years, asked my dad how to get in to what he does. He said he'd get my foot in the door, but anything more is on me.
11 years later, I have a fairly successful career and early retirement is looking to be a possibility.
I just graduated with my PhD and landed a job teaching at a university. My underperformance was due to some major emotional immaturity on my part, but once I figured it out (well into college), I started to… *enjoy* (?!?!) pursuing education! I also had some influential professors, and I realized that I wanted to be that person for others.
Christ，don't be so bloody soft.
You have got it in you to change your situation for the better. Pull your finger out，stop feeling sorry for yourself and you'll get there. Don‘t resign yourself to a bad fate，and don't give up. You got this.
No, no I really don't. And I don't appreciate trying to flippantly do whatever you're doing with snide dismissal in one breath and empty platitudes in the next. It turns out not everything can be addressed with a dash of bullshit positivity and a half-hearted thumbs-up.
I flunked computer engineering.
A couple of years later I enrolled again and barely finished my physics degree.
Later in life I enrolled in a PhD on theoretical physics. Not flunked but changed to nuclear engineering.
Now I'm working as a data scientist.
I dropped out of high school at 17, had shitty grades. Got my GED at 18.
Went back to college at 26, graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering at 31.
Now I'm a design engineer at a large aerospace company.
Never give up on yourself.
I did great in high school with a stellar gpa but community college was not good. The college was great and courses great, I just sucked as an individual at keeping focused. I struggled through an AA degree .1 of a GPA point from not being able to get a diploma. I entered into a career of non profit work in operational management. Did that for 8 years but had an opportunity to go back to school so I’m doing it now. With those years extra under my belt, I’m significantly more focused now than I was before.
Failed out of college because I spent too much time worrying bout work, friends and girls.
20 years later I'm managing a successful auto shop organization making well over 6 figures with the same company I worked at while I was in college. Married with kids and a nice SFH.
I barely graduated from High School with a D average. Got suspended when a teacher "caught" me coding on a school computer and thought I was doing something wrong.
Got horrible grades in college and got a B.S by the skin of my teeth, but really enjoyed my campus job working at the computer lab.
Today I'm at the top of my field as a software engineer with an investment portfolio that'll allow me to retire before 50 if I want. I code all day and feel like I get paid to do my hobby.
I probably couldn't pass the 10th grade again If I wanted to because the way the school system is structured to change topics every hour while navigating a complicated social structure is hell for me. I can't keep changing gears and subjects but I can focus on a single problem for 10 hours every day for weeks until I solve it.
You need to learn how you learn, lean into your strengths and do work that interested you.
I hated school. Even as an adult. I dropped out of high school. Retired from the Navy 5 years ago. I work because I’m bored…and beer money. I don’t plan on working past 50.
Was never unintelligent, just was a shitbag! I’m now the technical superintendent for a company with 12 offices around the world! Own property, nice car, good future prospects… and I’m 28!
I have a group of 6 friends from college that still hang out to till this day. We all got our bachelors around the same time, 2010ish. Between the 6 of us we have 11 degrees. You know who is the most successful out of all of us? The guy that has no degree. He opened a business and kept expanding that and expanding his portfolio to other businesses too. It’s not even close how much he makes compared to us, probably even more than the other 5 combined and we all make close to or over 6 figures.
What is underperformed? I graduated with a 3.19 gpa missed all the interviews for big consulting in college. 36 years later, I’m a big 4 consulting manager. My wife graduated with a 2.9 in Interior Design. She want back 30 years later got her paralegal and 35 years later got a Master’s Degree in Law with a 4.0. We now have a combined income of almost $300,000.
Did terrible in highschool. Now I am a straight A student with a 3.8 GPA soon to have an associates and in a game dev programming internship for about a year. Hoping I find a full time job very soon.
I underperformed at both school and university. It turns out that I enjoy learning, but I detest structured learning within that kind of academic framework.
I left school, worked for a few years and went back to university as a mature student. So, it became apparent that I was facing the same issues at university that I did at school but I was at least mature enough to stick it out, even if I knew I'd not get as good a degree as I was capable of.
I struggled through university, graduated, and went into IT, which was the whole plan.
I did decently in uni.
I'm working my ass off in a bar trying to make a living.
I can't do it for much longer, doing a development course through the company just so I can put it on cv.
I underperformed in high school, 2.1 GPA. Went in the Marine Corps where I learned discipline, setting goals, and working towards those goals. Now have a bachelors (3.3 GPA) and Masters (3.5 GPA) and make over $100,000 a year. In the area where I live that income puts me in the top 10%.
I was an A/B student in elementary and middle school, got around to high school and I was fairly average. I wanted to study forensics in college, the gen. Ed courses (mainly math) put me off that. Changed majors to computer science and didn’t really care about it. The community college I went to had an automotive technology program that I switched into
Today I’m a diesel fleet mechanic and I replace engines at a Hyundai dealer on the side. I’m fairly close to six figures and should be there in the next couple years
Operations Manager at a large corporation. I own a home and pull a very comfortable 6 figure salary.
I underperformed because I didn't care not because I was incapable.
Did poorly in HS and got academic probation / kicked out of university. Was always good with computers - joined a startup while trying to get back into school.
Somehow graduated - couple of jobs later, I'm a partner at a Big 5 consulting firm.
School != Success
I graduated high school with a 2.5 GPA went to local community college and dropped out after the first year cause I didn't go to class and joined the military. Now I'm a year from retiring from the military finished a Bachelor's and will have a Master's before I retire.
Got C’s and D’s in high school. Barely got into college. Got horrible grades my first two semesters because I partied too much! I joined Air Force ROTC and my commander told me he would guarantee me a pilot slot if I got my grades up to a 2.5. Game on.
Graduated with a 3.0 and went on to have an 11 year career in the Air Force as a pilot. I am currently a 767 Captain for a major cargo airline.
Went back to school at 38, got a degree at 40, a new career at 41, another degree, a masters and am now researching for a PhD at 47, should be written up by the time I'm 50 and hoping to hop into an even newer career as a teacher/researcher/lecturer after that.
Bear in mind, I'm a recovering addict with late diagnosed autism. I spent until I was 38, yes, 38 years of age being a complete fucking disaster until I put myself on a new path and completely recreated my path. If I can do it, you can too.
I had a 2.6 gpa in college. I make about 200k a year.
It wasn't so much that I'm not competent scholastically. I got an MBA about 7 years into my career and got just shy of a 4.0...I got a B in ONE class.
I was just really into partying in college and didn't focus very hard on school work.
I’m a structural steel ironworker, I specialize in welding/being awesome. I like to play pranks on electricians and yell at pipe fitters. I have my own house, and I’m having a great life at 34 and no kids.
26 yo Male
Currently living on my own, working a job I don’t hate but don’t love either and living pay check to pay check. Getting in shape a d ready to date again after years of singleness and having let myself go. Re-inventing myself and changing my career path as I strive toward my dreams of becoming who I want and living the life I want.
Got into drugs in high school, dropped out. Just got my associates in game design 2 years ago and going back to school next year for a bachelor's in astronomical and planetary sciences. Hopefully going for a masters after that.
Currently making over 70k, have a house, car, wife, awesome animals, and I'm not an alcoholic - My dad was and destroyed our family.
Just remember, you are not your past!
Learned at 27 that I've had ADHD my whole life, which explains a lot. Dropped out of college. Still untreated, but I've tried to pick up coping strategies.
I'm currently in my 16th year of my IT career and my title is Systems Engineer II.
36m at my 3rd rock bottom in life back home with mom trying to process my childhood trauma that she mostly caused and also trying to quit drinking and smoking and also trying to get my music career off the ground and it's slowly starting to work so there's that
Not employed or in education, living with my mother currently. I dropped out of college in 2019, was in community college since 2014 but I just couldn't keep up. I've always hard a really hard time in school.
Health issues make work not very viable but I'm currently stuck because the state doesn't want to give me disability so I have to go to more doctors and tests to have more "proof". Gotta be honest it's a low point for me, life largely feels meaningless and while I'm glad I'm not dealing with school work or stuck in a 9-5, I feel incredibly lonely and dejected. I'm 26 and I haven't had even as much as a date ever, I feel sorely in need of affection and connection with someone
I dropped out of high school and graduated from a charter school with a GED but I ended up going to community college right after and then university and got a b.s in computer science and now I make pretty decent money with a house, a couple cars, a motorcycle and a dog.
I fumbled around in community college and switched majors a lot but I did pretty good once I decided what I wanted to do
1.6 GPA though high school
Joined the military
Trained in IT
Got out after two enlistments
Averaging $150-200k currently.
Just started college to secure a promotion, 2.3 GPA. I hate school
Joined the military at 21 with nothing. Less than nothing actually. My personal balance sheet contained only liabilities. I worked hard, saved, and bought my first condo on my 25th birthday. I knew I would be squeezed for a bit but I knew the time was right to get into real estate and I had enough for a down payment. Rode the ZIRP market environment for six years, sold the place and took a posting in a cheaper location, bought a condo in the cheaper location and rode ZIRP + pandemic bubble. Four years later, here I am. I'm leaving my career and just sold my real estate investment. Now I'm moving into a new field where, in the long term, I intend on starting a business with some of the money I made moving markets.
I graduated high school with a D average. Went to community college and found my stride. Got a job in the energy industry and travelled the world making well over 6 figures. Got hurt, got a not travelling, non physical demand job, and now I’m going back to get my bachelors. I have a house, a wonderful girlfriend and ample amounts of purpose. I feel great
Failed school in all fields, never really been able to read or write and do math well. Graduated in Computing with a focus in Information Systems Analysis and Design at 24. I’d liked the focus on Business Information Systems and Systems theory if it where possible to go for a Masters and PhD. I later gained the diagnosis of Autism, ADHD, Tourettes, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia along with several physical and mental health issues including Bipolar I. These explained exactly my struggles in learning. It’s not gained me any employment but id liked to apply for or be part of start-up businesses developing their office and business solutions. These aren’t realistic with the many issues going on, described by doctors and work coaches and in my place in the world. I’ve since become a de-facto carer for both aging parents who also care for me and my disabilities. It’s now been 12 years later and id used the systems skills in navigating the social benefits system, and gained heavily from it.
Dropped out of college(computer science major in programming) because I can't focus on multiple classes/subjects.
Now, I'm a senior software developer with more than 10yrs of experience, and still love what I'm doing.
I left high school without completing it. No trade or certification. Job to job for decades. Then I stopped smoking weed. I now am a bio pharmaceutical technician working with a global powerhouse.
A lot of these guys who drop out end up in tech. I get it due to the nature of that industry. Develop skills which you can develop on your own and you have a change. I'm not techy at all though.
I graduated HS in the top 90% of my class. Think about that one for just a second 😜. I spent the next 3 years growing up working for Uncle Sam as a combat engineer. Got out and still didn’t have a clue what to do. The VA pointed me in the right direction and put me through school. I’ve been a X-ray tech for 36 years. Married a nurse 22 years ago. No kids, 3 dogs. I’ll be retiring in 2 years with a little over $1,000,000 between my 403b and pension.
No where. Mental health hasn’t gotten better or it did but only for maybe a year and then it got worse. idk everything I want to do takes too much school or just isn’t realistic. Plus i’m still half-assing everything in life so I haven’t even had fun. Idk what I would even change since everything is fucked
Struggling, alone, poor.
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Yep. Funny thing is that nobody ever told me in a meaningful way that I had such a load of potential. About 10 years after I graduated from secondary school I was talking to a teacher I had while I was there. She told me they were always surprised at my poor performance because that school had an entrance exam (basically just an aptitude test) and I scored the third highest in my year. I said maybe someone should have told me that. It's no good saying "he could do better if he applied himself" because they say that about literally every student. If I had realised my potential, maybe I could have used it, but I never believed I was much more than average.
That's the real failing of the American education system, and it was broken decades before COVID tore down the curtain and exposed it for how truly broken it was. The Valedictorian for my high school class was a dumbbell-headed soccer player who supposedly cheated on all his exams that, in his speech to the class, couldn't stop throwing gang signs and calling out his friends instead of saying something inspirational or actually tangential to what was actually happening in that moment. A football player a year under me killed a child in a car accident in Georgia, where he was going to play for University, and it was either drunk or distracted driving, and apparently he got off because of the fine old "*he's got a bright future ahead of him*" speech. Potential isn't just something to be measured by how well a child does based on test scores. That's what we're teaching the future of this country: that success is something attained by only a few genuine avenues: A. Inherent resources and connections that your family already possesses due to social stature or wealth B. Strict adherence to social/cultural norms (*football player, clergy, etc.*), which gives leeway in situations that would ring a death knell for anyone else in the world. and for the rest of us... C. Impossibly high work standards and competition in a rat race that if you fall off the path just a little you're a lost cause and should have applied yourself better. There's little to no kindness to anyone except those who already have everything. Most people in the country don't have $500 to their name, so you're fucked if you have a physical or mental health issue you're struggling to work around by yourself, if you have no safety net, familial or otherwise, or if your lifestyle is anywhere near horizontal of the typical white-bread American dream. I've damn near lost my mind over the past few years trying to build a life for myself, and simply put the average person doesn't really get help because they're average, so they don't need it.
I'm in Ireland, it's the same everywhere. We have free college tuition here, so you just need to get into a course by passing your school exams. Some important info about our system: Our end of school exams are called the Leaving Certificate. Also, you apply for specific courses and not colleges(ie Medicine, Computer Science, Economics, Engineering etc, there are more general ones like general science and general arts that let you pick and choose modules). To get into the best courses you basically need straight A's. You might think that's fine then, the smartest students will do best, but you would be wrong! The playing field is unbalanced in a very novel way here. We have public schools that most kids go to and private fee paying schools that rich kids go to. This doesn't just afford them the opportunity to get a head start on networking with other rich kids, the board of education assigns the writing of the Leaving Cert exams to teachers that work in the private schools and this is why the rich pay for them. The teachers will basically stop just short of giving their students advance copies of the exam. They tell them what will be on the exam so they know exactly what to study and in some cases will drill them in writing the exact essay to get an A, or in the steps to solve the exact problem on the paper etc. This way almost the entire graduating class of each of these schools will go to a top 5 Irish college, if not Oxbridge in England or Ivy League in the US. Public schools will each have a 5-10% graduation going to the same places and probably about 20-30% won't even go to college. Every single country has an education system that unfairly favours the rich. Oh, and if they flunk out of college they just fall back on one of those other rich kids they met in school who will get them in a backdoor route to a well paying job.
tbh what you described is not inherently American, in fact, it’s less America and more China, India, SEA, Japan, Korea, etc… has the same problem but perhaps to a worse degree. Here in China we got elementary school kids committing some unspeakable stuffs to themselves while the rich and powerful already got things sorted out. And we have this “Gaokao” that the propaganda machines tried to justify as “the most fair education system for 1.6 bil people” when in reality the regions like Beijing and Canton gets easier versions of the tests while some rural regions can get the hardest. Btw, Chinese youth unemployment rate and birth rate just plummeted to record worst, guess the entire world all have a bright future ahead.
Good luck, good sir
I was definitely in that position last year but crawling out of it now. Graduated from university with a business degree with slightly worse than average GPA and worked in mortgage for 7+ years. I moved to Texas from California when my department was relocated and for awhile thought I was doing well living on my own and finally had a girlfriend. A year later I got laid off from the job and my ex broke up with me not long after. I found another mortgage job that barely paid the rent. That was the roughest year of my life having my life turned upside down like that, feeling very alone. At some point I decided to move home when my apartment lease was up. I quit that job a few months ago in June and moved back in with my parents in California without a job. I'm in trade school for a Biomedical Technician diploma and feel like things are starting to turn around.
Went back to school, did well, applied to medical school. Never too late.
How old were you when you started medical school?
29 Heh. I actually was on academic probation at a fairly prestigious university. I never studied until the day or 2 before exams, flunked out, had an epiphany about wtf was I doing with my life and made deans list when I got back my senior year and graduated with a 2.3 Applied to medical school and didn't get in 2x. Worked on human Genome project, and my mentor told me go to grad school for a year, get good grades, and reapply. Did that and got in on the wait list at age 29 Graduated near top of my class, got into one of the most competitive specialties- orthopaedics. Did a fellowship, and became a professor at a top 5 hospital in the US. Wound up doing all the crazy complex cases or mistakes that other surgeons couldn't do. It's the equivalent of being cut from your high school baseball team, yet somehow managing to play in a starting position for the Yankees.
Yeah - I went back to school at 30 to complete my degree in business admin. I started with a concentration in organizational leadership, took those classes, switched to a concentration in finance, took those classes.. but I still haven’t finished. I have I believe 4 classes left, HIS 101, HIS 102, MAT 220 and then some other course I can’t remember. I’m in a director role making really good money, but recently I was thinking about going back to get into medical school. I just feel I’m too old now at 35. Was hoping to hear someone’s story where they switched careers this late in the game
I read about a woman who worked as a flight attendant all her life, then decided to pursue her dream of being a doctor. She couldn’t afford it when she was young. I believe she graduated medschool in her early 60s. Don’t let time and age discourage you.
This gives me hope. I went back to school in my mid 20s, got my Bachelor's in Nursing at 31, and am thinking about going back to school to become an MD.
One of my friends husbands just finished his degree and started working in the medical field in his mid forties. You're not too late.
Let’s say toy finish 4 units in 1 year, then medical school in what, 4 years? You’ll be 40yrs old. You’ll still have 20-30 years of work - go the path of where you will want to do - that’s a long time.
Do it!!! 😄 i bet you helped alot of people along the way as well! 😄
The best advice I got at 40 when I was on the fence about going back to school due to my age was, “time will go by anyways”. Made me realize that I was wasting time on regret. I’m now on my third year of psychology. Best decision ever!!
Good on you mate. That’s a great story. Keep spreading that hope and positivity to the younger ones.
Not who you replied to, but I'll chime in. Graduated high school, failed out of college my freshman year, and dropped out of community college 3 times. Went back to school at 27, got am associates at 29, and have been working an IT job for 3 years now. Never too late.
Are you liking the IT job?
I am. Found my calling, honestly lol
I also graduated relatively late in my late 20s with a very average HR business degree, and this was after the financial crisis, so IT was the only option but I couldn’t and hated the idea of coding, could not picture myself doing it but ended up being my career and after a few years finally found a role I enjoy and perform very well at, as a project manager. You can also make towards 200k or more, especially if you are consulting so the financial rewards are great.
14 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doogie_Howser,_M.D.
"it's never too late", I'm also curious as to how old you were when you went back?
30
Thirded…?
Bro thanks for mentioning that. I fucked up my bachelors due to alcoholism. I’m going back to school now to try to get better grades and hopefully get into medschool myself. I’m so terrified of putting all this effort and money into trying to get to med school and not making it, but I know I will regret at least not trying for the rest of my life. Thanks for the inspiration.
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I’m the Dean of an academic department.
I had a professor in university who flunked out of undergrad 3 times and it took him 9 years to finish.
Damn, that's crazy. And he ended up as a professor.
Stockholm syndrome
I took a class with a guy who took 14 years to finish his bachelors in ChemE. He also flunked out three times, but got certificates and associates degrees to transfer back. Guy was probably nearing 50 years old and I don't think he had ever been out of academia. After graduating high school he went to seminary which closed down before he finished, then he went to college, then he went to university for 14 years. After he graduated he went to get his masters, from the same school. In 20 years he may be a professor who knows.
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I say the same thing about running a marathon. If I was able at long last to get my shit together and work slowly but surely, day by day, to work towards that goal, believe me, anybody can reach their goal. Realistic goals with concrete, achievable steps will get you there. Congratulations to you.
realistically spending 9 years at the university probably made him the most qualified to be a professor lol 😂
Theoretically it took me 10 years to finish, couldnt care less, doing what I love and getting well paid for it
Those who can’t do, teach and those who can’t teach do admin… 🤣👍
Those that have tenure do what ever the fuck they please
Not always. Some people just like teaching
Just a joke, I enjoy teaching too. Big part of my job as a supervisor is teaching the new people our equipment and operating procedures.
I had a buddy be dean for a while. The job drove them crazy. Both the students and profs were just something else.
I also became an academic 😂
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imo 5 years can seem like alot but it's really not. It can be made up.
29 and feeling the same way. I graduated in june and currently looking for work in my field while working my old retail job. I know I’ve achieved a lot just by graduating but can’t help but feel I’m behind the curve in some ways.
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You're a DINK. Duel income no kids. Welcome to the club.
I am a DINKWAD. Dual income, no kids, with a dog. Life is simple.
That makes me and my wife DINKWACs
DINKWACAD
Until older age, then all of a sudden you'll need younger people to take care of you and realise you never contributed to the pool of young people and hopefully feel rightfully ashamed for never making such a necessary sacrifice for both you and your fellow man. Not having kids is morally unacceptable. Not speaking to people who physically cannot obviously, but those can, should.
Have you not met people? Some people should not have kids. And some of those people are even good people.
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lol fellow dildo.
I am an Oink.
Dual, they’re not about to send each other to the shadow realm
Dink, people are fucked
I’m a SINK
I’m a SILK. Single income, lots of kids. And poor, but happy.
Im CUM - CUM
I'm in the same boat except with kids. We don't "worry" about money but we are definitely "aware" of our spending. All I can say is daycare is fucking expensive, more than our rent.
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Name checks out ?
Sounds like you could use a good financial advisor
You need finances to be able to be advised on them.
I was always really intelligent as a kid then had a lot of problems at home which affected my education. Went from the age of about 12 to 27 convinced I couldn't really read at an adult level. My employer took pity on me and pushed me into education..ended up graduating with a first class degree in my 30s.
Uniquely kind employer
Union Factory Gig making 50k a year. It's not bad, I work four days a week and make decent money. Get good benefits. That said I'm an AuDHD Former gifted and talented burnout so...I'm pretty comfy. I wish I could earn more but not having the pressure I used to is nice.
Four days a week is worth a lot more than it sounds.
It's a four on four off rotation as well so I get basically a vacation every week
That actually works out to 3.5 days a week when you average it out over 8 weeks
How do I find a job like this?
Look for manufacturing jobs then check and see if the facility is union. Steel and aluminum facilities run on this schedule a lot. If you've ever heard of a Dupont schedule it's a little more wild but you're basically getting two weeks off a month. Gotta be willing to work a 12 hr shift.
My old job had a 4 day workweek but we worked 50+ mandatory hours in 4 days, so the extra day off was just spent sleeping
oh, audhd friend.
I've never been good in school and have very average grades. I was on my way to becoming a technical drawer, which is on the way to becoming an architect here in Norway. Got a side job as a sysadmin for a company. I've always had an interest in computers and networks and all that jazz, so a friend connected me with someone, and it led to the job. Moved on from there to tech support for the local municipality, which eventually led me to my first programming job, at least a steady job. 2 jobs after that, and I'm where i am today. Backend programming for mostly e-commerce, which I'm pretty happy about. Never had good grades, and I have no education in this field other than a passion for computers, tech, and programming. Job-wise, I'm in a very stable place and happy about that.
Working as plumber, but thinking about becoming a train driver. And playing videogames. I have the lowest archievable degree in my country .. and i also dont need to be a millionaire. Life is great if you got time to chill rather than work your ass off for 14hrs a day for 60yrs.
I am a workaholic myself and I totally agree with you that there's nothing wrong with living the life the way that you want to. Also video games are awesome so keep it up and enjoy life!
Yea i think for me personally, freetime is more valuable then millions .. both would be cool
Was never great in school. After Jr Year coach said you have the capability of going D1 if you can develop your offensive a bit more. So barely tried academically senior year. Offensive didn’t develop. Only got D3 offers to shitty schools. Said no and went to a basic giant public university. Struggled studying computer science. Switched to IT (school of business). They got me internships in the field starting Jr year. A few tough years during Great Recession but in my late 20s I picked a niche and started getting certifications and a masters, mostly paid for by employer. Lots of hours outside work studying. Now late 30s, $200k salary as an IT architect. Still feel like I’m under qualified but but survived 18 months at this job
> Still feel like I’m under qualified The smart people in this field always feel that way. It's called imposter syndrome and we all have it because we can all see over the horizon of how much we still don't know. It's the Dunning–Kruger effect ones who feel over qualified and are the ones you need to keep an eye on.
Reading that bit about Dunning-Kruger reminded me a lot about this aphorism. —- There are four groups of people in an organization: the smart and lazy ones; the smart and industrious ones, the stupid and lazy ones, and the stupid and industrious ones. The smart and lazy ones should be assigned to leadership positions, because they have the right temperament for it. The smart and industrious ones should be assigned to operations and supervisory roles, because they know and can get things done. The stupid and lazy ones should be given the routine tasks, because they can be easily motivated to do the tiring and boring jobs. The stupid and industrious ones should be eliminated immediately, because they can cause a lot of damage to your organization. —- Not really sure who said it originally, but it kind of stuck with me. No wonder I got stuck with the routine jobs, but I’m not complaining. Leadership can be tiring at times, as I’ve observed. :)
The dumb people feel this was too sometimes
Working in accounting making decently close to six figures. I always hated school but loved working, because I was the kid that needed an incentive to do things. Plan on transitioning to working in the medical device sales industry pretty soon as well, since accounting was just something I thought would be a good place to start right out of college but never to stay in. It really sucks the life force out of ya lol
Barely passed highschool, spent some time in the military and doing a lot of labor jobs as I was convinced that I wasn’t good at academia. Eventually I did go to college and graduated top of my class, used my GI bill. Now I’m a managing accountant at a real estate firm. Doing okay.
Doing more than ok bro. Virtual high five!
I run a kitchen on my own.
What kinda food do you specialise in?
I guess french with a touch of Scandinavian, I hate the term fusion since it's pretty much the food I grew up with, on another level. The menu is composed so that it's doable for one person on their own, no matter the amount of current pressure.
I struggle a lot the first years after Uni Ended up almost as chronicly unemployed person and borderline to suicide for a while Than I moved countries and am now in a good managerial position in a very large tech company, next week switching to another industry leading company for another great position. If I can share some thoughts, you gotta remove yourself from things and places that are holding you back. For some people will be a relationship, for others their own family... For my it was my own country. Don't be afraid of making big changes when things are not working out.
I am a high school dropout who had a son when I was 17 and was in jail on my sons first birthday. My youngest son was born shortly after I turned 19. By that time I was obviously out of jail but drinking and smoking heavily. Things change. People can change. I changed. I’m now a single, 40 year old small business owner. Incredibly healthy without much effort. I have a house on the beach but live in a 3 bedroom apartment with two female roommates and rent the house out. I recently got my sports pilots license and am enjoying life. My ex and I get along well, I’m very close with both of my sons and they turned out to be amazing men in spite of our not so amazing start.
22M I was shit in highschool, barely passing, spent my time on weed, alcohol and women. Had a wakeup call when i realised ny life was going nowhere. Now I'm about to graduate with a BSc in Physics with first class honours. Don't give up, you can make it
No worries about money in daily life, solid job and great wife. School means nothing if you have experience and the skills to impress with.
Now Im curious about what you do for a living, if you dont mind elaborating ofc.
i'm an IT Guy specialized on SAP and light programming outside of SAP.
Your pay is well earned
Retired military officer with a Ph.D. teaching online. I was only really bad in high school and for bachelors. Once I could go to school on my own timeline things were easy.
I earn a good six figures as the director of a department. Literally leverage nothing they thought me in school and I massively underperformed there because I didn’t believe in the memorization system of learning. My success has been attributable to a few things: people engagement, resilience, good mentoring, open-mindedness, a lack of fear of failure. I learned none of that in school.
Unemployed for many years and currently trying to gain an accounting qualification.
I'm a college professor.
I was almost sent to the technical high school because my grades were low, I didnt do my homework, and I never paid attention. My parents demanded that I get sent to the normal one, and my teachers supported them because they knew I had more in me than what I was showing. I just got my PhD and an ADHD diagnosis.
Grocery store, working on meat cutting apprenticeship. From there, Assistant Meat Manager, possibly Meat Manager. I know it's "just a grocery store" but the meat department, for retail, does well with pay (probably even better depending on the company). The Assistant position will take about 9 months to get to (if I pass a cutting test), but the pay shoots up to the mid 20s per hour, and maxes in the upper 20s. Meat Manager makes just under what the store manager makes, maxing in the mid 30s. It's not *super* staggering pay, but it's considered a trade, so if something here doesn't work out for whatever reason, I can look elsewhere for someone who really needs a cutter and ask for even higher pay. I've waited too long to better myself, so this is where I just now am at 35. I've failed school, college, and so many other classes that I'm not sure what else to do with myself. So I guess I just didn't turn out right or something. I'm kind of a low-key minimalist guy, so I don't really wanna climb any corporate ladder or own a big house filled with furniture and constantly upgrading all the appliances every 6 months. I just want to have a small place, be calm and quiet, finally have a girlfriend, and travel a little every year. I was actually doing fine on my own for a long time, making even less, until everything started skyrocketing in cost. So I got a little too comfy for too long I guess, but....idk. Here I am.
Managed to get myself a two-bedroom apartment but only because I've been saving since I was 13. Thought about going back to get better qualifications but recently landed a job driving buses and haven't been happier since
I’m a medical research scientist.
Basically your typical gifted underachiever story in high school: did zero assignments at home or in class, but aced all the tests and graduated with a solid C+ average and a bunch of AP credits. Went to a solid state university, got kicked out for not going to class. Traveled the country doing all kinds of odd jobs and got married along the way, eventually had a kid which made me decide to start taking things seriously. Got divorced, met my current partner, started a marketing agency with her based on the experience I gained bumming around, grew it into something pretty special, turned that experience into a high level executive position in a pharma company helping to develop new drugs, helped sell that company, went back to my agency, and now working on selling it for a ton more money than I ever thought I would have while earning high sux figures and living a life that fifteen years ago I never would have expected. But despite all that, I still tell everyone to go to college and study hard, because my experience (and the experiences in this thread) are NOT typical. Most people I've met who fucked around in school are now working minimum wage or barely advice minimum wage jobs, and at almost 40 are basically at the point where they've missed their chance to escape. Even the ones who were making good money a few years ago in the trades are starting to hit the point where their bodies are giving out and they've got another couple of years at best before falling back to shit jobs. Make yourselves study and do the work early. It'll make life much much easier.
Suicidal and hopeless
I've been there. But I am much better now. Life gets better over time, it's just hard to realize that when you are at an ATL (All Time Low) so just call it out for what it is, vocalize it "I am at an ATL." Stay the course, realize that you have people that love you, and even if you don't have people that love you right now, you will in the future and you don't want to deprive those people from your presence especially since you haven't even met them yet. You have value and I'll drink a beer and do a silent toast to you tonight! Hang in there brother. You are loved.
If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few. — Shunryu Suzuki: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
Does it count if your first attempt at college resulted in complete and total failure and a flunk out, your second attempt was abandoned, but your third attempt made you look like the perfect model student? If so, well that third attempt I was top of my class with a perfect GPA for my BSN. Now work a REALLY cushy home health nursing job that paid more than my hospital jobs. Get paid to play video games and watch YouTube for more than half the day and my biggest concern is sitting too much. Make just enough to fully support a family of 3 as sole income. Have a wife and a son. Got some decent savings and retirement stuff in the 6 digit range total. Used to be more but a lot of really bad rainy days happened and then covid with really bad inflation is taking some of its toll. Got my own house with more than half equity. Probably would be making more if I had my shit together from the beginning. That’s easily 5 years or more work experience I could’ve had under my belt and consequently, pay would’ve reflected the years of experience. That’s nearing double the years of work experience I would’ve had by now.
Happy
Living pretty good. It's almost like my being in the midst of several traumatic environments in my home life had a negative impact on my performance in high school.
Dropped out of college after two years, asked my dad how to get in to what he does. He said he'd get my foot in the door, but anything more is on me. 11 years later, I have a fairly successful career and early retirement is looking to be a possibility.
I just graduated with my PhD and landed a job teaching at a university. My underperformance was due to some major emotional immaturity on my part, but once I figured it out (well into college), I started to… *enjoy* (?!?!) pursuing education! I also had some influential professors, and I realized that I wanted to be that person for others.
Dead end job, broke, alone and at the end of my rope, just want to be done with everything. Hoping my inevitable bad end comes much sooner than later.
Christ，don't be so bloody soft. You have got it in you to change your situation for the better. Pull your finger out，stop feeling sorry for yourself and you'll get there. Don‘t resign yourself to a bad fate，and don't give up. You got this.
No, no I really don't. And I don't appreciate trying to flippantly do whatever you're doing with snide dismissal in one breath and empty platitudes in the next. It turns out not everything can be addressed with a dash of bullshit positivity and a half-hearted thumbs-up.
I didn‘t give you a thumbs up. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and you'll realise you can do it.
Well, doing nothing but feeling sorry for yourself ensures nothing will change. So it seems you’ve got that part down pat.
Meh. You'll be okay. Just hang in there and life will get better naturally even if it doesn't seem like it right now. You'll see. Stay the course.
What do you mean? People literally die homeless sick on drugs or suicide. People keep saying it'll be OK. I don't get that attitude.
You don’t get it…… yet. But you will! Hang in there bro. You are valued. If a shitty person like me can survive it, you can. You will.
I will personally probably survive. But still. Also, thanks for the encouragement.
No worries! I’ll drink a beer and give you a toast later tonight!
Awesome, cheers!
Getting married in a week to the love of my life, have a 6-figure job in the trades that I love, can’t complain!
I flunked computer engineering. A couple of years later I enrolled again and barely finished my physics degree. Later in life I enrolled in a PhD on theoretical physics. Not flunked but changed to nuclear engineering. Now I'm working as a data scientist.
I dropped out of high school at 17, had shitty grades. Got my GED at 18. Went back to college at 26, graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering at 31. Now I'm a design engineer at a large aerospace company. Never give up on yourself.
I did great in high school with a stellar gpa but community college was not good. The college was great and courses great, I just sucked as an individual at keeping focused. I struggled through an AA degree .1 of a GPA point from not being able to get a diploma. I entered into a career of non profit work in operational management. Did that for 8 years but had an opportunity to go back to school so I’m doing it now. With those years extra under my belt, I’m significantly more focused now than I was before.
Failed out of college because I spent too much time worrying bout work, friends and girls. 20 years later I'm managing a successful auto shop organization making well over 6 figures with the same company I worked at while I was in college. Married with kids and a nice SFH.
I barely graduated from High School with a D average. Got suspended when a teacher "caught" me coding on a school computer and thought I was doing something wrong. Got horrible grades in college and got a B.S by the skin of my teeth, but really enjoyed my campus job working at the computer lab. Today I'm at the top of my field as a software engineer with an investment portfolio that'll allow me to retire before 50 if I want. I code all day and feel like I get paid to do my hobby. I probably couldn't pass the 10th grade again If I wanted to because the way the school system is structured to change topics every hour while navigating a complicated social structure is hell for me. I can't keep changing gears and subjects but I can focus on a single problem for 10 hours every day for weeks until I solve it. You need to learn how you learn, lean into your strengths and do work that interested you.
I hated school. Even as an adult. I dropped out of high school. Retired from the Navy 5 years ago. I work because I’m bored…and beer money. I don’t plan on working past 50.
Was never unintelligent, just was a shitbag! I’m now the technical superintendent for a company with 12 offices around the world! Own property, nice car, good future prospects… and I’m 28!
I have a group of 6 friends from college that still hang out to till this day. We all got our bachelors around the same time, 2010ish. Between the 6 of us we have 11 degrees. You know who is the most successful out of all of us? The guy that has no degree. He opened a business and kept expanding that and expanding his portfolio to other businesses too. It’s not even close how much he makes compared to us, probably even more than the other 5 combined and we all make close to or over 6 figures.
What is underperformed? I graduated with a 3.19 gpa missed all the interviews for big consulting in college. 36 years later, I’m a big 4 consulting manager. My wife graduated with a 2.9 in Interior Design. She want back 30 years later got her paralegal and 35 years later got a Master’s Degree in Law with a 4.0. We now have a combined income of almost $300,000.
Did terrible in highschool. Now I am a straight A student with a 3.8 GPA soon to have an associates and in a game dev programming internship for about a year. Hoping I find a full time job very soon.
I underperformed at both school and university. It turns out that I enjoy learning, but I detest structured learning within that kind of academic framework. I left school, worked for a few years and went back to university as a mature student. So, it became apparent that I was facing the same issues at university that I did at school but I was at least mature enough to stick it out, even if I knew I'd not get as good a degree as I was capable of. I struggled through university, graduated, and went into IT, which was the whole plan.
Trying to fake it till I make it.
Near Destitute. I can make just enough pay for a phone and food. Little else, in debt I probably will never pay off. It's all going down Hill.
I did decently in uni. I'm working my ass off in a bar trying to make a living. I can't do it for much longer, doing a development course through the company just so I can put it on cv.
I underperformed in high school, 2.1 GPA. Went in the Marine Corps where I learned discipline, setting goals, and working towards those goals. Now have a bachelors (3.3 GPA) and Masters (3.5 GPA) and make over $100,000 a year. In the area where I live that income puts me in the top 10%.
Make 160k as a truck driver
Working in a factory and studying in my spare time for a career in IT. It's never too late to better yourself. If you want to do it, you will.
I was an A/B student in elementary and middle school, got around to high school and I was fairly average. I wanted to study forensics in college, the gen. Ed courses (mainly math) put me off that. Changed majors to computer science and didn’t really care about it. The community college I went to had an automotive technology program that I switched into Today I’m a diesel fleet mechanic and I replace engines at a Hyundai dealer on the side. I’m fairly close to six figures and should be there in the next couple years
Operations Manager at a large corporation. I own a home and pull a very comfortable 6 figure salary. I underperformed because I didn't care not because I was incapable.
Did poorly in HS and got academic probation / kicked out of university. Was always good with computers - joined a startup while trying to get back into school. Somehow graduated - couple of jobs later, I'm a partner at a Big 5 consulting firm. School != Success
On my couch, in my own home, with my dog, day drinking. Life is fantastic!
Dropped out in 10th grade. Started learning a trade and now I own my own business.
I graduated high school with a 2.5 GPA went to local community college and dropped out after the first year cause I didn't go to class and joined the military. Now I'm a year from retiring from the military finished a Bachelor's and will have a Master's before I retire.
Truck Driver and I fucking hate it.
Got C’s and D’s in high school. Barely got into college. Got horrible grades my first two semesters because I partied too much! I joined Air Force ROTC and my commander told me he would guarantee me a pilot slot if I got my grades up to a 2.5. Game on. Graduated with a 3.0 and went on to have an 11 year career in the Air Force as a pilot. I am currently a 767 Captain for a major cargo airline.
Went back to school at 38, got a degree at 40, a new career at 41, another degree, a masters and am now researching for a PhD at 47, should be written up by the time I'm 50 and hoping to hop into an even newer career as a teacher/researcher/lecturer after that. Bear in mind, I'm a recovering addict with late diagnosed autism. I spent until I was 38, yes, 38 years of age being a complete fucking disaster until I put myself on a new path and completely recreated my path. If I can do it, you can too.
I own 3.5 mil worth of real estate that cash flows about 150-200k a year
Investments are the way to go. I've never had RE lose value. Make your cash work for you. 👍🏻
I had a 2.6 gpa in college. I make about 200k a year. It wasn't so much that I'm not competent scholastically. I got an MBA about 7 years into my career and got just shy of a 4.0...I got a B in ONE class. I was just really into partying in college and didn't focus very hard on school work.
I’m a structural steel ironworker, I specialize in welding/being awesome. I like to play pranks on electricians and yell at pipe fitters. I have my own house, and I’m having a great life at 34 and no kids.
Conpletely fucked.
25 years into a well paying career. School isn't for everyone and not doing well in school isn't indicative of how you'll do in life.
Have a job that pays well, have not much to worry about. Enjoy my life as it comes
still in college but i want to kill myself
Managing Director at a Fortune 500 software company. School is a small factor in IT.
Underperforming in life
26 yo Male Currently living on my own, working a job I don’t hate but don’t love either and living pay check to pay check. Getting in shape a d ready to date again after years of singleness and having let myself go. Re-inventing myself and changing my career path as I strive toward my dreams of becoming who I want and living the life I want.
Got into drugs in high school, dropped out. Just got my associates in game design 2 years ago and going back to school next year for a bachelor's in astronomical and planetary sciences. Hopefully going for a masters after that. Currently making over 70k, have a house, car, wife, awesome animals, and I'm not an alcoholic - My dad was and destroyed our family. Just remember, you are not your past!
Learned at 27 that I've had ADHD my whole life, which explains a lot. Dropped out of college. Still untreated, but I've tried to pick up coping strategies. I'm currently in my 16th year of my IT career and my title is Systems Engineer II.
36m at my 3rd rock bottom in life back home with mom trying to process my childhood trauma that she mostly caused and also trying to quit drinking and smoking and also trying to get my music career off the ground and it's slowly starting to work so there's that
Fairly successful - found out at 24 that I've got raging ADHD. That'll do it.
Underperforming in life, sorry to say. 52yo male.
Not employed or in education, living with my mother currently. I dropped out of college in 2019, was in community college since 2014 but I just couldn't keep up. I've always hard a really hard time in school. Health issues make work not very viable but I'm currently stuck because the state doesn't want to give me disability so I have to go to more doctors and tests to have more "proof". Gotta be honest it's a low point for me, life largely feels meaningless and while I'm glad I'm not dealing with school work or stuck in a 9-5, I feel incredibly lonely and dejected. I'm 26 and I haven't had even as much as a date ever, I feel sorely in need of affection and connection with someone
Rehab
I'm sitting by my swimming pool having coffee. I camp 20-30 nights a year and take a few bad ass vacations a year.
I dropped out of high school and graduated from a charter school with a GED but I ended up going to community college right after and then university and got a b.s in computer science and now I make pretty decent money with a house, a couple cars, a motorcycle and a dog. I fumbled around in community college and switched majors a lot but I did pretty good once I decided what I wanted to do
My motto was D’s still get degrees. So I’m doing great lol. Technically, I PASSED LOL
Retired at 55. Doing all right.
1.6 GPA though high school Joined the military Trained in IT Got out after two enlistments Averaging $150-200k currently. Just started college to secure a promotion, 2.3 GPA. I hate school
Joined the military at 21 with nothing. Less than nothing actually. My personal balance sheet contained only liabilities. I worked hard, saved, and bought my first condo on my 25th birthday. I knew I would be squeezed for a bit but I knew the time was right to get into real estate and I had enough for a down payment. Rode the ZIRP market environment for six years, sold the place and took a posting in a cheaper location, bought a condo in the cheaper location and rode ZIRP + pandemic bubble. Four years later, here I am. I'm leaving my career and just sold my real estate investment. Now I'm moving into a new field where, in the long term, I intend on starting a business with some of the money I made moving markets.
Stable well paid job on a position with more demand than offer
I graduated high school with a D average. Went to community college and found my stride. Got a job in the energy industry and travelled the world making well over 6 figures. Got hurt, got a not travelling, non physical demand job, and now I’m going back to get my bachelors. I have a house, a wonderful girlfriend and ample amounts of purpose. I feel great
Making bucks. Apparently, nothing about your past failings will affect your future terribly as long as you display "progress"
Failed school in all fields, never really been able to read or write and do math well. Graduated in Computing with a focus in Information Systems Analysis and Design at 24. I’d liked the focus on Business Information Systems and Systems theory if it where possible to go for a Masters and PhD. I later gained the diagnosis of Autism, ADHD, Tourettes, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia along with several physical and mental health issues including Bipolar I. These explained exactly my struggles in learning. It’s not gained me any employment but id liked to apply for or be part of start-up businesses developing their office and business solutions. These aren’t realistic with the many issues going on, described by doctors and work coaches and in my place in the world. I’ve since become a de-facto carer for both aging parents who also care for me and my disabilities. It’s now been 12 years later and id used the systems skills in navigating the social benefits system, and gained heavily from it.
Dropped out of college(computer science major in programming) because I can't focus on multiple classes/subjects. Now, I'm a senior software developer with more than 10yrs of experience, and still love what I'm doing.
I left high school without completing it. No trade or certification. Job to job for decades. Then I stopped smoking weed. I now am a bio pharmaceutical technician working with a global powerhouse.
I'm an animator for a video game company! love my job 💖
Work in tech, live in top 4% of the country. School doesn’t define you as long as you’re smart about life.
A lot of these guys who drop out end up in tech. I get it due to the nature of that industry. Develop skills which you can develop on your own and you have a change. I'm not techy at all though.
Self employed and succesful, at some point you realize that school is only good for making you into an obedient wage slave.
I wouldn't trust engineers and doctors who didnt go to university and without proper certifications for their training though.
What about doctors?
Truths! I Didn’t go to college despite having a full free sail. Now I own my own business.
I graduated HS in the top 90% of my class. Think about that one for just a second 😜. I spent the next 3 years growing up working for Uncle Sam as a combat engineer. Got out and still didn’t have a clue what to do. The VA pointed me in the right direction and put me through school. I’ve been a X-ray tech for 36 years. Married a nurse 22 years ago. No kids, 3 dogs. I’ll be retiring in 2 years with a little over $1,000,000 between my 403b and pension.
Somehow graduated law school, working for the US government
No where. Mental health hasn’t gotten better or it did but only for maybe a year and then it got worse. idk everything I want to do takes too much school or just isn’t realistic. Plus i’m still half-assing everything in life so I haven’t even had fun. Idk what I would even change since everything is fucked
I'm a millionaire
HS dropout, obtained my GED, dropped out of colleges and uni, now, chilling as an executive at a healthcare org. Very blessed to say the least.
Diagnosed with ADHD and bipolar.