Ok, so here's the deal. I'm sick of high school. I'm sick of the people. The teachers aren't so bad, but the students are.. let's say intolerable. I cannot stand them, and it may be correct to say that they don't like me much either (except for this one weird guy, Brent, but we won't go there AND her graduated last year.)

So, I've been looking into my options about getting out of there. Here's the three that I've come up with:

1) Dropping out.

2) GED

3) The California High School Proficiency Exam (the CHSPE)

Number one won't work because I believe that I can do better than that, and I couldn't get a decent job anyway without some sort of diploma equivalent.

Number two wouldn't either- you have to be eighteen.

But (and that's a big but ) the CHSPE might work- but there are a few problems. One, your parents can still make you go to school, which is what my mom is planning on doing if (when) I pass the exam. Then, I believe you don't get the same, eh- what should I call it? - privileges as people with the diploma or the GED get. Like moving out.

Which the next step in my plan. I've already found people to move in with (friends of mine from the college or my old mentor, Danielle.) I make just enough money to pay my third/half of the rent, plus groceries, and with just enough left for emergencies (I don't shop much unless I need to.) I'm also planning on getting a desk job, because I'm proficient in Excel, Word, and Power Point.

Now, I know what most of your arguments are going to be:

"You're going to miss high school! Proms, activities, all of it!"

I don't go to dances. I don't do activities. I socialize enough with my college friends, co workers, and I don't need any of the extra high school crud- all they are interested in is drugs and alcohol.

"Don't grow up too fast!"

Too late.

"You're going to miss being taken care of!"

No. I'd rather take care of myself rather than live at home.



So, does anyone know anything about what I need to do to get my plan going?

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True. I think it's important to be able to laugh at one's self. But I also think it's important to not be fueled by an overwhelming amount of material.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.

-Dr. Seuss

"It's just a fact of life no one cares to mention,
She wasn't good, but she had good intentions."
- Lyle Lovett

Well, in some states it's tough to get into the State universities with a GED. If that's what you want to do. You may have to go to a Junior/Community college for a couple of years to "prove" yourself before the State universities will look at you.

My advice: Stay in school and graduate.

Boo -- your Dad is listening

If your Mom can force you to go to school after taking the CHSPE, couldn't she make you go to school if you tried to drop out (option 1, there)?

Can you get courses at a junior college? Until you're old enough to get a GED? They might like that.

I'm with Tucson Tim: stay in school and graduate.

Life is full of intolerable people. You won't always have the option of moving away from them. Might as well learn how to cope with them.

I suggest talking with an advisor. I don't know how far along you are on your scholastic voyage (makes it sound neat, eh?), but if your grades are good enough there's probably a "fast track" type program that can let you finish early.

Or, you can look at vocational-school options. Generally you end up being at your highschool for maybe a class or two, and spend the rest of the day at a specialized training school.

Lastly--don't be too eager to move on. Not that I'm old like most of these geezers around here (J/k!) but you do realize early on just how easy you had it in highschool. I spent a lot of my time in college wishing I could go back to highschool [then I had to go to the HS to pick up a copy of my transcripts, and after 30 seconds of hearing the mindless conversations of the students in the halls, was glad that I was no longer there ].

Oh and in case you were wondering, no I wasn't popular in school (I'm a BAUT user, come'on). Just don't be too eager to skip parts of your life; as hall-mark as it sounds, you'll appreciate them later.

Good luck.

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I'm like one of those idiot savants...well, except for the savant part.

You've got two separate issues merged here. One is taking care of yourself, and the other is finishing high school early. There's a connection, but they're not the same thing. You could do one and not the other, if you wanted.

If the idea of moving out just comes from the idea of your parents forcing you to stay in school, then it won't work unless you also have yourself legally emancipated from them. Without that, you're still legally required to do what they decide until you're 18 even if you run away (which itself is illegal under 18 if they don't consent to it). And it might be nearly impossible to get that unless they're very abusive or neglectful.

Depending on how much high school you're been through already, you might be able to graduate early just by cutting fat out of your schedule. I realized in retrospect that the list of classes I had to take to graduate added up to several credits less than are actually taken in the standard 4 years (perhaps to allow for on-time graduation of people who failed a few classes), so I could have esily left a semester early if I'd scheduled things right even without doing anything extra beyond that... and maybe a year early if I'd combined that with summer classes and "quizzing out" of some classes by just taking their final examinations. But I didn't because nobody told me the option existed until it was too late; there comes a point at which you've already gone through too much of the curriculum in a non-concentrated way. But seriously look into the exact graduation requirements for at least the semester-early option.

Not being a Californian, I don't know the difference between that CA test and a GED, but this would get you a regular diploma and avoid both of those things.

Your plan about moving in with some others into a place you can't afford on your own sounds short-sighted, both because it depends on them not choosing to leave (which they could) and because just grabbing any office job that gets you by for now indicates a lack of any more serious career plans or intention of continuing your education, the most likely result of which is that you get stuck in a rut that only makes it harder to do anything else to improve your life later on.

If this isn't the case and you do have more specific and more long-term plans, you'd have to say what they are to get specific comments about what to do after an early end to high school. Some schools or employers might not be prepared to deal with your unconventional status in one way or anohter.

...and because just grabbing any office job that gets you by for now indicates a lack of any more serious career plans or intention of continuing your education, the most likely result of which is that you get stuck in a rut that only makes it harder to do anything else to improve your life later on.
Case in point:
You don't think I graduated highschool saying, "Oh boy, I can't wait to sell insurance!!!" do you?

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I'm like one of those idiot savants...well, except for the savant part.

I remember high school. One year seemed like forever.

Now - sixteen years later - I can't slow the time down. It's just flying by.

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Spock Jenkins of the Vulcan Jenkins'.

Reminds me of a commercial. I don't recall what the product was, but it was a series of kids saying things like, "When I grow up, I want to be middle managment." "When I grow up, I want to be a 'Yes' Man."

It was rather comical.

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Spock Jenkins of the Vulcan Jenkins'.

I remember that commercial. Don't remember what it was for. Although I think they stole it from the, "Nobody ever said, 'I want to be a junkie when I grow up'" PSA's.

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I'm like one of those idiot savants...well, except for the savant part.

My 18 yr old daughter really wants to move out too. She makes just enough to survive. Survival doesn't include insurance (health and vehicle), fuel for driving to classes twice a week (in my vehicle), money for prescriptions, Dr. or Dentist visits, auto maintenance, college tuition and books...to name a few things. She's faced the hard economic fact that she cannot afford to move out. Life isn't tough here, she just wants to "take care of herself."

I told her she'll have enough time for that when she graduates from college.

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Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Albert Einstein

Boo: Been there, done that - recently. I hated every instant of high school. Hated the people, hated the easy curriculum, hated being ignored in favour of the "slow" students, hated the school activities, hated assemblies, hated dances (I didn't bother to attend any, not even grad/prom), hated the useless social cliques, and hated the fake angst that everyone but me seemed to have. I even hated the smell.

But I stuck through it. Why? I knew I was going to university. I knew that high school would be over one way or the other. I knew I'd move on, and that the idiots in school would likely not.

My advice? Suck it up, stick it out. It's only four years, after all. Deal with it. Ignore it. It'll be over soon enough.

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Quaeso quousque humi defixa tua mens erit? Nonne aspicis, quae in templa veneris?

I don't know if it is a possibility in your area, but you could try transferring to a different school, or even a private school if you are determined to spend your own money anyway. Of course, it sounds like you also want to move out pretty badly. Consider that one really really carefully--the stress of living at home versus the stress of living hand-to-mouth for the foreseeable future.

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Do try not to take me too seriously.

The worst part? No summer break! I shoulda been a teacher...

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I'm like one of those idiot savants...well, except for the savant part.

I love our summer break.

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Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Albert Einstein

Depending on how much high school you're been through already, you might be able to graduate early just by cutting fat out of your schedule. I realized in retrospect that the list of classes I had to take to graduate added up to several credits less than are actually taken in the standard 4 years (perhaps to allow for on-time graduation of people who failed a few classes), so I could have esily left a semester early if I'd scheduled things right even without doing anything extra beyond that... and maybe a year early if I'd combined that with summer classes and "quizzing out" of some classes by just taking their final examinations. But I didn't because nobody told me the option existed until it was too late; there comes a point at which you've already gone through too much of the curriculum in a non-concentrated way. But seriously look into the exact graduation requirements for at least the semester-early option.

In the long run, I think Delvo has the best overall solution. I know you want faster (instant) gradification but sometimes you just have to pay your dues. Take a full load and attend summer school - that should allow you to graduate earlier.

I think the school system in America (K-12 and college) serves to prolong adolescence far too long. As a counterpoint, my wife grew up in the Philippines. School years there went from June until May and the days were over 8 hours long. They didn't get two weeks off for Christmas, a week for spring break, and every holiday known to man or a host of "teacher work days." School went from grades 1-10 but if you add up the hours, that's more than an American student attends from K-12 and even into college. She was able to skip a grade so she graduated high school at 15 and college at 19. There was no interest in prolonging childhood there - life was too hard to afford that luxury.

The best thing I got out of high school was myself. There are some who say those are the best years of your life. Bull! Life after high school has been far better. I've never bothered to attend any of the reunions (and I graduated 32 years ago).

Boo, I think most of us have been there and done that. School was hell for me. It was hell for a lot of people. Still, your idea is going to limit your options on two fronts: time and money.

Colleges aren't going to think much of a GED, so your only way out of that trap is community college. Which will ultimately take up more of your valuable time and money than you would have used completing HS.

The second side is money. Yeah, you could live outside of home, but that'll take up every bit of income you're likely to make starting out. You will have almost no time or cash left to improve your situation.

Boo, I urge you take the long view in this. Take your lumps now while you have the luxury to be able to shrug them off (relatively) easily. It will pay off in the long run.

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In Fallout 3, 'happiness' is a warm junkyard dog and a loaded gun. It's mostly the loaded gun.
- Moose's one-line review.

"your going to regret that one. You are now a colonoscope...
- Chrissy, corrupting PraedSt's wish.

...unless the plan would have been to go to such a college right after high school anyway. (And that's often a pretty good plan even for someone who will end up at a state university later anyway: get the classes the two colleges have in common out of the way where they're cheaper, then transfer to the more expensive university for the classes you can only get there, thus graduating with the same degree as if you'd been there all along, but at less cost. But it helps to have already decided on your major and planned according to the university's curriculum for that major.)

If BBB was going to go to such a college (or other school you can get into without a diploma) anyway, then the same thing gets done this way, only sooner. That's why giving a proper response depends on knowing what the plan "would have been" with a normal high school routine in the first place.