A high school drop out, but wanting to go back to school seeing now that its somewhat nessasry

[shadowcat]

Well i dont want to make this long, but i dropped out of high school when i was grade 10 for personal problems. I was a shy angry person, i never made friends, i would get bullied alot and sometimes would end in fights. Anyways i dont want to talk about my traumas because i have talked alot about it in here that i think ill just tire out everyone who has seen my threads, but yeah i have so called Social Anxiety Disorder, im not good in a room full of people, i get really nervous, i sweat sometimes,i fidget around with things, look away, stay quite...

Now you can see why i had a hard time in high school concentrating, had bad grades i skipped, the whole nine until i dropped out.

Years went by i was always working but now i realize how much i need school, my friends were telling me about going to college as a "mature student" something they have here in Canada for people who are older then 19 who dont have time to go back to high school but want to study for a career.

The idea sounded nice to me, it all sounds nice when it is said, but when its done its a different story, i really dont know what to do, what to take, i have no talents, i was never good in math science school all together.

I do feel like a loser, i admit, my younger sister is in college for physiotherapy, my brother is going to college soon for music......as for me,

Im just stuck here struggling in my mind what to do, i dont really want to be a janitor all my life (yes im a janitor) the only thing im really working on right now is learning how to drive, thats about the only constructive thing i ever done in my life

Im just lost right now, i dont want to live with my parents all my life, i want to do things by myself, im 25 i cant drive and i got no education and a crappy job, lord...where did i go wrong?

[Chris Knows]

Have to turn over one stone at a time to get where you want to be.

 

Continue learning how to drive. Find out on how you can go back and get your Degree. I know a lot of places allow you to take your classes online now to get your degree.

 

One step at a time. Continue working towards your goals and you will get there.

[Momake]

Well, I would think you would go straight to a professional degree/diploma so that narrows your choices a bit in the university arena.

 

However, you need to decide if you want to do college or university first, right? Being in Canada the distinction between the programs offered (and subsequently jobs) differ.

[Lecturer]

First, you can go for your Grade 12 Equivalency to get the high school thing out of the way. Then, I'd recommend you decide what you'd enjoy doing - if you don't like math and science, look to the trades. What do you enjoy in life?

[shadowcat]

First, you can go for your Grade 12 Equivalency to get the high school thing out of the way. Then, I'd recommend you decide what you'd enjoy doing - if you don't like math and science, look to the trades. What do you enjoy in life?

 

I think they have those grade 12 equivalency tests in college.

 

I worked in my dads auto shop for like a year, but i didn't enjoy it that much.

As for life i like things like working out,lifting weights,biking and just being on the computer. Besides all that i cant think of anything else.

[pinkelephant]

where you went wrong isn't as important as where do you want to go now. i think finishing high school is a good idea. you can definitely benefit from an adult school, which will probably be nicer for your social anxiety. adults know how to be more mature (not guaranteed though! lol) and be more considerate of others. it might be nice for a social environment too, you'll find people who are in the same boat and you can motivate each other and not feel like you're too "far behind". You shouldn't feel that way regardless, but hanging out with younger people can bring on that unnecessary feeling.

 

a friend of a friend also dropped out by grade 10, but he recently got his GED (or something like that? It's a high school equivalent and doesn't take as long. and i think he attended something that helped him prepare for it) and then he went to some paramedic school. I haven't followed up on him in quite a while, but I might check to see how he's doing. We're also in canada, so I might find out some info that could be useful to you. if I do, I'll pm you the details.

 

I still think going through all the highschool requirements is a better idea, but I'm the type that really enjoys the learning process and taking my time with it, learning every bit. It might not be "necessary" for a college degree, but everything you learn does contribute to your general knowledge and having a bigger general knowledge pool is definitely nice.

[shadowcat]

Well i did go to an adult school in my city and i got some credits out of it, maybe like 3. but in all i failed a couple classes and i dropped a few.

My experience in the adult school was almost the same as in high school, there was lots of immature people there and there was really only about 5 to 6 real "adults" in my class. I did have the same Social Anxiety as in high school.

 

What i do really want is just a short program in college or something, i mean i was looking @ some colleges and they offer grade 12 equivalent classes for people who dont want to go back to high school, but i dont know.

[shadowcat]

Have to turn over one stone at a time to get where you want to be.

 

Continue learning how to drive. Find out on how you can go back and get your Degree. I know a lot of places allow you to take your classes online now to get your degree.

 

One step at a time. Continue working towards your goals and you will get there.

 

what are some good websites in Canada ?

[Momake]

I assume since you are diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder that you have seen or are seeing a clinical psychologist. What does he/she have to say about this? This condition of yours is affecting your life quite a bit. Are there any medications or treatments you could take?

 

Also, since you're so into computers - how about the IT field?

[shadowcat]

I assume since you are diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder that you have seen or are seeing a clinical psychologist. What does he/she have to say about this? This condition of yours is affecting your life quite a bit. Are there any medications or treatments you could take?

 

Also, since you're so into computers - how about the IT field?

 

i been to the phsycologist when i was in high school but he never really helped

just talked to me, etc i am thinking of going back and getting help.

 

As for computers i mostly use the pc to go online,read,watch movies and chat

nothing technical really.

[Momake]

i been to the phsycologist when i was in high school but he never really helped

just talked to me, etc i am thinking of going back and getting help.

 

As for computers i mostly use the pc to go online,read,watch movies and chat

nothing technical really.

 

Sorry but this post seems like a cop-out to me already. I am a proponent of tough love so here goes...

 

If you are going go through with this college/uni thing you will have to realize a few things and they are as follows:

 

- Commit to something and don't quit

- Learn new skills that take effort and time to develop - understand that this is difficult and will be painful. There will be failure and there will be success. Only persistence will pay off.

- Do NOT make excuses - just because you haven't learned about the technical aspect about computers doesn't mean you won't enjoy it IF you put the effort into learning it.

- Take action - for example - rather than thinking about seeing a psychologist... go see one. Make an appointment tomorrow. Likely you will need to see a Family Doctor first and then get a referral. Make an appointment with your family doctor or go to a Walk-in Clinic tomorrow. If you want to be productive tonight - look for doctor's clinics tonight on the internet if you don't have a family doctor.

 

IF you are not ready to do all of these things I suggest you take another look at whether or not you truly are ready to make these life changes. There is no point in starting a degree if you're going to call it quits part way through. It will be a waste of a LOT of money and precious time.

[turnera]

Yep. Pick one thing to accomplish by Sunday night - making an appointment for a therapist, searching 5 sites for high school equivalency and picking one, signing up for one summer class, taking on an extra job to save up money so you can go to school and work fewer hours...pick SOMETHING to get done by Sunday night.

[fang76]

I had a similar start in life. I was poor trailer trash and got made fun of a lot at school which resulted in a lot of fighting, expulsions, then dropping out a few months into the 9th grade. Over the next 5 years, I cared about nothing but drugs, sex, and where the party was. Also got a few misdemeanors racked up against me.

 

I'm in my mid 30s now and I make a very respectable salary (most of my jobs land around 80k/yr). I never went back to school or got a GED. Around 20 I had a kid and that motivated the hell out of me. I started learning computers by reading books I either stole or could afford from the clearance shelves. I got a low paying job as an entry level help desk then learned computer networking and eventually software engineering. All from books I read at home and practiced on cheap computers.

 

The first half of my career, I lied on my resumes and said I had more experience than I did. I used to put that I had a high school diploma, but just started leaving it off after I realized 90% of the people interviewing me just assumed I had the right education and didn't check. I had a new job every 6 months to a year and a half. This was helpful in making big jumps in salary. With a 10k/yr increase with every new job, I was able to go from 20k/yr to 80k pretty fast.

 

Now that I have been in this career for over a decade, I don't have to lie about my experience and getting high paying jobs has been very easy in the last 5 years.

 

I don't condone stealing computer books or lying on your resume. However, just know that there is always a way to make it. I'm not proud of the way I did it, but I did it, you know? Not everyone is cut out for college. Find something that interests you and make it your life for the next 5-10 years and the rest of your life will fall into place. If you can't do that, then learn to be content with what you have now, even if it isn't much.