So I am a let down...

[Iskatehard]

Alright Sb-C.. Let me give you some of my personal background..

Truth be told.. I never completed highschool. I was going to, I was about to graduate in December.. But something happened. I went to a doctor.. And found some shit wrong with my heart. There was a large possibility of having to have a very expensive surgery.. And I had not health insurance of my own, and in order to remain on my parent's plan, I had to be in school.

So I didn't graduate, and said I'd go until the end of the year, so I could be covered. Of course, I didn't finish, and had no intention by that point.

I had to talk to a counselor today, just as an act of goodwill to some worrisome parents. We talked about getting my GED and going to college. I said I didn't want to.

She asked why.. And I said.. I want to make something of my life, and I want to be important. But I want to do it with knowledge obtained on my own. I don't want to be somebody by taking the same route everybody else seems to take.

"But what do you want to do when you grow up? You might have to have education to do it"..

And I responded "I don't want to DO anything. The only thing I really want is to 'feel'. Feel good. And whatever I have to do to feel like that, then that's what I'll do."

I really feel strongly about that. I really feel strongly about making myself somebody significant all on my own. I want to feel the most complete sense of accomplishment there is to feel. I want to know I can do it without having to submit to a shady education system. And I don't give a fuck about money.

But my parents. They worry too much. They keep pushing me to get out and get my GED and go from there. But I just don't want to! I am considering it though.. Because with what my parents have done for me throughout my life.. I owe them everything.

What do you think is the best choice? Submit? If I do and I end up being somebody, I'll hate it though.. It's like taking steroids to play a sport better. Fuck that..

[almostgood]

well normally i would tell you to just follow your heart, but why not just get a GED so you can at least have something to fall back on if you need to get a job in the future? you could at least try college to make it up to your parents, i mean you're good at philosophy, so why not be a philosophy major?

[erickoston=beast]

well i would stay in school until u can have that surgery done because if u don't u will have complications ur whole life and may not live as long (knock on wood) to do what u want and its a small price to pay for a surgery that important
..also i fully agree with u on the whole education thing its like now it's like we're being programmed to go to college n shit (i have nothing against people who do) u know, to each his own. and everyone now thinks if u don't go to college u are a failure which is wrong, i don't care if i don't make millions and drive the nicest car on the block, i want to have fun and live my life to my liking.
you only live once anyway. and people get by just fine with regular jobs everything is good as long as YOU like the way your living, fuck how others view u.

[WhiteTrash]

Yeah I would get the GED to fall back on, it's not like selling out or anything, it's more making sure you are backed to be able to live the life you choose but also have that behind you to help you if needed.

[Ezio]

Get your GED and go to college. Education opens up a lot of options and enables you to pay for whatever will make you feel good, whether that is traveling, skating, or fucking ugly prostitutes. If you just hold off on all that good stuff for 5 years or so, you run less of a risk of being homeless or something else. Live YOUR life, but have the funds to back it up. :)

[Toke_It_Up]

Well you should at least get your GED, so you can fall back on it. Its your choice to go to collage or not, but i really think it would be wise to at least get you GED.

[Iskatehard]

Yeah, I really suppose I should atleast get my GED as a form of "life insurance", in a sense..

And a philosophy major? They still offer those? I remember hearing a bit about them a long time ago, but I've always heard they're not really something that would get you a whole lot of job opportunities. I don't really see how it could, either..

edit - To Koston

The events I was talking about with the doctor and shit was about 8 months ago or so. It's pretty much over with and all is well.

[SkateTilldaDeath]

Like everyone has said, I would get your GED just for something to fall back on, plus it means you will be able to get your surgery and hopefully live longer than if you hadnt gotten it like somebody above said.

[emericaxskater]

You're fucking stupid if you don't at least get your GED. How do you expect to do anything in life without a highschool education?

Unless you're one of the select few who invent something amazing or something like that. And no offense, but I highly doubt that you are.

[Lakai.]

Aww... Damn dude, why do your threads have to be so serious and semi-depressing?

Well, i hope you work things out, i get in these situations a lot, where I don't feel like doing anything other people want me to do.

But atleast get your GED for sure and consider college i guess

[Iskatehard]

You're fucking stupid if you don't at least get your GED. How do you expect to do anything in life without a highschool education?

Unless you're one of the select few who invent something amazing or something like that. And no offense, but I highly doubt that you are.

How am I "fucking stupid"?

How do I expect to do anything in life? I'm doing something right now. I did shit yesterday. I'll probably do shit tomorrow.

Intellect isn't required to live a good life by anymeans. I can still have good emotions, feel satisfied, and do something that I feel is important. Sure, I might not be doing the more technical jobs that would require a lot of precise education.. But at the same time, I don't really think I want to.

I'd much rather do whatever I do on my own. It might not make me best candidate for a CEO position or getting a job as a doctor or lawyer.. But that's only as bad as I make it. And I don't intend to stress that too much..

And select few that create something? I don't know.. I'd really like to create something (maybe not invent a product...) at some point or another in my life. Yeah, I probably wouldn't make a lot of money off of it, but so?

But yeah, I probably am going to go get my GED as soon as possible, just for my parents' emotional sake. Kinda feel lame as fuck

[skateron NC 539]

I'm incredibly surprised that you didn't finish high school, you make some of the wierdest yet most interesting posts on this forum, you seem so...knowledgeable.
I'd say go for it, you have plenty of time left after college to "feel good", and if you do decide to get a job that needs a high education, the education needed will be there.

[Iskatehard]

I'm incredibly surprised that you didn't finish high school, you make some of the wierdest yet most interesting posts on this forum, you seem so...knowledgeable.
I'd say go for it, you have plenty of time left after college to "feel good", and if you do decide to get a job that needs a high education, the education needed will be there.

This is where I am kind of split..

It would probably make a lot of sense to go to college and do that bit.. If I need it, I got it. If I don't, then okay. But... I don't want to go through it and then find myself doing something significant. Even if it's unrelated to my studies.. It's still going to be in my mind often "Is this a product of the knowledge and skills I've crafted within myself, or is this a product of the common education that was given to me?"...

It's just shady.. It seems like a damned if I do and damned if I don't type of catch. And it might seem hard to figure out where to "draw the line" on whether or not what we know if of ourself (if that makes sense).. I know one person can say "Yeah, you learn it in college.. But it's not simply 'given' to you. It's still original, and it's still worth taking utmost pride over"... And some could say "the knowledge we have and apply to our lives is never obtained entirely from ourselves. There are always numerous outside forces that teach us, thus the knowledge we have can be credited to said forces"

And then, of course.. There's the ideas that absolutely no type of knowledge is entirely "original".. And that the point isn't WHAT YOU KNOW, but what you do with what you know.. And I can somewhat understand that..

I don't know myself, really.. I mean.. For some reason I don't want to take pride in knowledge that's obtained through mediums that are intended for teaching, y'know? When you simply study something.. It's like you KNOW it, but you don't really understand it. We can all agree that knowing and understanding are two separate subjects, right? For example, some people know E=MC^2, but they don't understand it. And some people know it's upsetting for somebody to lose somebody they love because they hear it from multiple parties.. But they can't empathize when they've never lost someone themselves, only sympathize.. And that's not worth as much, is it?

If I get out there and knowledge comes to me rather than I pursue it, it seems so much more sincere.. And so much more applicable. I want to spend my life doing whatever I really KNOW is important to me, not what I think feels important to me.


And as for the "drawing the line" bit.. I guess I draw it on mediums like school since I don't completely agree with how it's set up. As I mentioned a bit in a previous thread, it seems like you drown in information. And when you know too much about too much, it only confuses you. You think you understand and comprehend what you don't. It begins to become harder and harder to determine what facts and bits of information are and aren't relevant to you, in a weird sense.

[StarcraftLedZeppelin]

So you want to be a bum? Also are you a girl?

[WhiteTrash]

How old are you as well?

[Iskatehard]

Just short of 20...

[codyguy]

i wouldn't say that what you would be doing is because of the education you got if you were the one to choose to learn. there's no shame in education. it's not like you just plug yourself into something and come out with more knowledge, you choose what to learn and what to go by.

[StarcraftLedZeppelin]

Get your G.E.D a least, it shows you can finish what you start when employers look at your what ever the fuck you hand them.

[Iskatehard]

i wouldn't say that what you would be doing is because of the education you got if you were the one to choose to learn. there's no shame in education. it's not like you just plug yourself into something and come out with more knowledge, you choose what to learn and what to go by.

I personally do see it as a "plug and learn" type deal... But eh, I'm probably not really learning shit if that's how I see it... Shit.

I really wish I didn't. And I certainly don't find my ideas logical upon reading them once posted.. But shit, I guess I'm not wording it right then. But for some reason the "There's no shame in education" line really hit me, in a way.. Hm.

[dutch madman]

I know how you feel, i've been living that life for a while now. Although it is a good life, i'd have to agree with your parents, because after 2 years of shit jobs, i realized the fun jobs are out of reach, because i didn't graduate.

I like working, and i'm willing to learn for fun work, but at the same time, you can use that time to gain knowledge too.

Honestly, i think your teacher would be glad to answer any questions, be it in a philosophical manner or not. Every question asked and answered is always something learned, the same goes for school.

Outside of school, there is always time to enlarge your knowledge with what you wish to know, but you'll need a decent paying job if you ever wanted a place of your own, and money to buy all the neccesities in life.

[emericaxskater]

How am I "fucking stupid"?

How do I expect to do anything in life? I'm doing something right now. I did shit yesterday. I'll probably do shit tomorrow.

Intellect isn't required to live a good life by anymeans. I can still have good emotions, feel satisfied, and do something that I feel is important. Sure, I might not be doing the more technical jobs that would require a lot of precise education.. But at the same time, I don't really think I want to.

I'd much rather do whatever I do on my own. It might not make me best candidate for a CEO position or getting a job as a doctor or lawyer.. But that's only as bad as I make it. And I don't intend to stress that too much..

And select few that create something? I don't know.. I'd really like to create something (maybe not invent a product...) at some point or another in my life. Yeah, I probably wouldn't make a lot of money off of it, but so?

But yeah, I probably am going to go get my GED as soon as possible, just for my parents' emotional sake. Kinda feel lame as fuck

Not getting your GED would be a huge mistake. Sure you might be happy for a couple years, but when you get married and start a family (assuming that's what you want) you're gonna have to support them. You won't be able to find a high paying job without your GED, and you'll be stuck as a construction worker, or some minimum wage job.

[Roboman]

And a philosophy major? They still offer those? I remember hearing a bit about them a long time ago, but I've always heard they're not really something that would get you a whole lot of job opportunities. I don't really see how it could, either..

Yeah, they don't lead to all that much in the way of practical jobs, unless you want to become an academic (and judging by your posts I think that might be damn near ideal for you).

[Skateselect]

i would definitely recommend majoring in philosophy, some of your posts and threads in that section are phenomenal

[Roboman]

^ The first thing that anyone in a media / sociology / philosophy course gets told is...

"You will not be writing opinionative essays, because you're only undergraduates, and nobody cares about your opinions."

So essays are all about arguing certain cases, using other well known peoples work to support articulate a point you believe in. A lot of my friends do sociology which works in a similar way, its really interesting work. You find out about so many different viewpoints.

[flipuk]

Quick question:
Do you have a job.
Do you live with your parents.

If you answered no to the first and yes to the second, or yes to both and you are 20, then yes, fucking get a GED. Unless living your life means living with your parents in what is most likely a dead end job.

[i cheat at golf]

I sort of feel the same way as you, I've got no idea what I want to do, all I want to do is LIVE!

It seems like such an awful fucking waste of a human being's mind to be stuck behind a desk 9-5 for 50 or so years (figuratively speaking)


My sister went out with a guy once who had a philosophy degree, and his job was to design disaster relief plans. Like, working out what to do in case of a major disaster (like the tsunamis, or floods and stuff[i'm not really sure, i just know it was disaster relief plan])..

Stuff like that would be good I think, because it would give you some satisfaction I guess..


I know exactly how you feel about how you want life though. Like, I know exactly hwo I want to feel at the end, I just don't know what to do about it, or how to get there..

[Brick]

This reminds me of the Bob Dylan quote that WhiteTrash posted in a separate thread. "Success? What's success? Success is getting up in the morning, going to bed at night, and doing what you want in between."
You could be "successful" in the sense where you get an education and a job and make a good living. Or you could be "successful" in the sense where you get up each day and do what you want to do and what you love doing. I would take the second one only because I think that the ultimate success would be waking up each day happy and excited for what you do. Im not saying that education isnt important, I think you should get your GED but then search for "success" wherever you see fit.

[CTskater94]

so if you are planning to do something in life without an education, what exactly are you planning on doing? i dont think you'll "feel good" if you dont have a house

[Tiberian Sun ¥]

get your fucking GED. There are a few situations when college may not be the choice for somebody but there is no excuse for not getting your highschool education.

[Turboz]

Do something with music or skateboarding. No education required

[codycantskate]

Not getting your GED would be a huge mistake. Sure you might be happy for a couple years, but when you get married and start a family (assuming that's what you want) you're gonna have to support them. You won't be able to find a high paying job without your GED, and you'll be stuck as a construction worker, or some minimum wage job.
well construction workers arent exactlyy paid badlyy my freind.

[Iskatehard]

Do something with music or skateboarding. No education required

For real.

Not specifically skating or music for me... I mean, I don't know. But there are countless topics similar to music and skating in the sense of formal education required.

Might be a bit harder to get rich off of, if you will.. But it's far from impossible to take part in it and get money from it's industry in some way. And I think that would be a lot more enjoyable than learning something a bit more "traditional" in terms of formal education requirements and such.

[codycantskate]

i gotta say man you seem Like your smart enough to get by without any GED i mean Seriously they didnt have them 100 years ago and hell 200 years ago they barely had schools what is a GED really i mean the human species has survived for a long time without being told what we need to learn or know and theres no reson that we need it now

[Iskatehard]

My sister went out with a guy once who had a philosophy degree, and his job was to design disaster relief plans. Like, working out what to do in case of a major disaster (like the tsunamis, or floods and stuff[i'm not really sure, i just know it was disaster relief plan])..

Stuff like that would be good I think, because it would give you some satisfaction I guess..


That job sounds pretty fuck rad dude. I'd so much rather have a job which requires me to devote thinking and logic/reasoning rather than applying traditional specific facts and knowledge, if that makes sense. I mean, it's like.. Shit, I'm a human.. Might as well get a job which expresses that, rather than something that's just preset formulas over and over and over, with nothing new to it.

[doogmah]

dude, you have to get your GED at least. it's necessary to live. with the economy as shitty as it is right now, it's a pain in the ass to get job, especially without some sort of high school completion. i fucked up conventional high school and just smoked pot and drank instead of getting work experience and decent grades, and i feel like a fucking asshole for it now. im going to night school and doing online classes to complete the rest of my credits (dropped out junior year). seriously, get your GED. do whatever you want after, but at least get that so you can get some sort of job to support yourself.

[Iskatehard]

i gotta say man you seem Like your smart enough to get by without any GED i mean Seriously they didnt have them 100 years ago and hell 200 years ago they barely had schools what is a GED really i mean the human species has survived for a long time without being told what we need to learn or know and theres no reson that we need it now

For sure dude, I know what you mean.

But I have to admit.. The changes we've been making over the recent years seem to define things like skill and intellect by a specific standard, and it's becoming more and more relative to society directly.. (Or maybe I should say they create a disregard for skill and personal intellect)

That's just kind of scary to me, in a way... More and more the industries are being more and more focused on specific method and formula. Fuck, the majority of jobs it seems.. They offer no potential for the shining of your specific person.

When the jobs are based on shallow facts and knowledge standards and they seemingly in no way place value on individualism... It's fucking bad, I think. We're humans, and goddamn, we gotta make that a point in our society. Why the fuck make people behave like machines, if you will, in society =\

I don't want any damn part in that.. But really, I bet nobody does.. But it still happens, so..

[iamtheyeti]

For sure dude, I know what you mean.

But I have to admit.. The changes we've been making over the recent years seem to define things like skill and intellect by a specific standard, and it's becoming more and more relative to society directly.. (Or maybe I should say they create a disregard for skill and personal intellect)

That's just kind of scary to me, in a way... More and more the industries are being more and more focused on specific method and formula. Fuck, the majority of jobs it seems.. They offer no potential for the shining of your specific person.

When the jobs are based on shallow facts and knowledge standards and they seemingly in no way place value on individualism... It's fucking bad, I think. We're humans, and goddamn, we gotta make that a point in our society. Why the fuck make people behave like machines, if you will, in society =\

I don't want any damn part in that.. But really, I bet nobody does.. But it still happens, so..

Dude I know exactly how you're thinking... You don't want to grow up and do some pointless job where you become a tool for society. I understand that, I used to think like that. But you gotta realize that not conforming to society's standards will get you nowhere and your life will just suck ass if you keep having an attitude of you against the world. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO CHANGE THE WORLD. Just play the game, live comfortably and happily, get the most out of life even if it means complying with 'the man', and get mad pussy along the way.

My 2 cents

[Iskatehard]

Dude I know exactly how you're thinking... You don't want to grow up and do some pointless job where you become a tool for society. I understand that, I used to think like that. But you gotta realize that not conforming to society's standards will get you nowhere and your life will just suck ass if you keep having an attitude of you against the world. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO CHANGE THE WORLD. Just play the game, live comfortably and happily, get the most out of life even if it means complying with 'the man', and get mad pussy along the way.

My 2 cents

Haha, for sure. I was a bit worried when I reread my previous post that I was going to sound like your "typical angsty teen", if you will.

Yeah, I mean.. I know society is about contribution. We can't just do shit on our own.. And it's not so much about having an attitude of being against the world, or trying to revolutionize things.. Though I will say I don't personally agree with some of the common aspects in how it's set up.. But some things really aren't avoidable. And reality is, you have to take proper measurements and steps to to have your shit covered.. And even more so if you want to have a family, since you're going to be assuming the responsibility of offering them support as well as maintaining your own.

I like to think I'll be capable of that in my life. I might not always be able to buy a specific thing for somebody, but I'll try my damn best to replace that lacking with something else.. Though it probably wont be material itself. And I do plan on having a job that is of the society, if that makes sense.. I don't know if that makes me a "tool" of it or not, though.. But whatever.

I just want to be able to maintain a level of personal comfort and a sense of satisfaction in whatever it is I'm doing. I don't personally believe though that intellect is needed for that at all, atleast in the sense of traditional and form intellect we're coming up with over time. And I for sure feel that it's possible and can be done by anybody, without them "going against" or the like towards society.

[Turboz]

There was some episode of Jon Stewart with some guy who wrote a book on "thinking jobs" or some shit like that, if that helps.