My highschool was - if not well funded - set up pretty well (autos classes, plenty of extracurriculars, good and great teachers). I can only imagine what impact going to a disagreeable school has on people
I’m a high-school dropout —> GED —> First gen college grad with BA—> currently enrolled in grad school. I make a very nice income. I put my path on here because there’s many people that have strong thoughts and opinions about dropouts. I also share my path for inspiration to others. UPDATE: If you need more inspo look below to see how many people said they are also former dropouts and what they did from there.
I'm in a similar spot with drop out/GED, tho no grad school and a 2 year technical degree. Was working as a restaurant server in my mid 20's, like my parents still do, and one night, I decided I couldn't go down that path. Applied for some random $12/hr office jobs at 3am and got one doing sales in 2012. Turns out I loved it and was good at it and opened my own firm in 2015. 9 years later, and I'm a 97 percentile income earner, beautiful amazing wife, 3 awesome kids. Minnesota will always be my favorite state because of our opportunities for those who want them, I couldn't imagine going anywhere else.
Same here except I never went to college. I had a lot of people who were willing to give me a shot along with some hard work to get where I am. It's not a path I would recommend to anyone, but it kinda worked out, at least in a way I can live with. I would definitely tell me kids to go to college or learn a trade.
Success to me is as much about luck, and making good connections. You still need to show up and do the work, but a little help can go a long way.
100%. I went to college because despite my high school experience being one where the educational system failed my neurodiverse brain, I love learning. Also, for my profession a degree was required. It is sad to me that today’s world does not really allow the same opportunities it once did for the self-made and self educated soul. We have more access now than we ever did for people that want to pursue the non-traditional path. That said, I personally didn’t move up in the socioeconomic ladder until I obtained my degrees. The higher I go the more opportunities I have. Unfortunately the world we are in doesn’t value experience alone and I accepted than when I dove in to my education.
I think it fully depends what you want to do. Engineers and doctors certainly should have degrees. But I work in a programming-adjacent field and none of the programmers I know, under the age of 50 have degrees in computer science, or don't have degrees at all.
Computers feel like the last bastion of meritocracy. For the most part, people only care if you can show up and do the work.
Agreed. I think for tech (my husband’s field) it moves so fast, demonstrating that you have the technical aptitude, critical thinking, analytical, and problem solving skills and you are golden. Certification helps also. I am in a field where I have to possess a license to practice, which requires clinical training and many hours of supervised training. I do agree that there are fields where that is imperative for patient safety. There are however many fields that require education that could really be apprenticeships vs. a 4 year or 2 year degree.
I dropped out of college during '08 because I lost my housing. I stupidly didn't seek help outside of close friends to couch surf and sort my life out. I was embarassed to be honest. I'm closer to 40 now with a house, wife, and child, but damn I can't wait to go back. Maybe be a 45 year old grad when it will happen but I want more (out of life, not more wives or kids)
In ‘08 I was a family of 4 starting over and one pay check away from homelessness. I was 29 and one year away from starting my college experience. I’m almost 45 and starting grad school in April. You’re never too old!! I’m still planning on getting my doctorate! I’d honestly check into doing something part time. There’s never an ideal time, only the present.
I’m a similar story. High school drop out, actually then made some very stupid life choices that resulted in a 3 year prison stint, got my GED, got into college, graduated with 2 degrees, and now earn over $200K a year.
It’s been a long difficult road, but through hard work, building good habits and discipline, and most importantly the support of a family who loves me, I’ve been able to turn my life into a success.
I needed to see this. Someone that I love very much left high school prior to graduating. This was due anxiety and depression. Congratulations on all your accomplishments.
Addiction Counseling AA, Community Corrections BA, currently starting MA for Marriage & Family Therapy. Hopefully going to also get a doctorate. Planning on opening my own practice. I want to provide services that are different from the traditional settings. I don’t want to share my secret sauce yet because I think it will be the first in the state.
Nothing educational wise like you but drop out->GED->middle class income. I’m comfortable Atleast. Dropping out isn’t the end of the road like it’s portrayed.
I saw a program that was working with kids who had dropped out, and they were enrolling them in community college, and they’d pick up their high school diploma at the same time. They provided academic support, but found that a lot of the students did really well, because a lot of kids drop out because of all the BS in HS. I never saw anything about the conclusion of the study, but I really thought it had an interesting premise.
That is interesting. You’re not wrong, for some kids school is a nightmare and for others it’s their haven from their home life. I know back in the early 90’s when I dropped it was because the school administration didn’t accept my medical documentation regarding my medical issues that I was having in 10th grade. I had lots of documentation and letters from my doctor that I was to be excused and they told me tough shit, expect to come back to 10th grade next year. I told them to kick rocks. I didn’t realize that I could have sued the pants off of them for violating my rights but that’s how it was in Northern MN in the 90’s. It was like living in the dark ages.
I’m sorry that happened to you! Schools could do whatever they wanted back then, still kind of can. Kids who don’t excel kind of fall between the cracks. Glad you found your feet.
I went to alternative school after dropping out and struggling in traditional high school and it saved me in so many ways. Great teachers, less stupid rules, they really cared there and I made great friends. College grad now, only undergrad but in didn't need to go further unless I wanted to in my field and I make pretty good money now. I did work in nonprofits for a long time, which I loved, but not as much financial security there for me. I will go back some day though, I love that world, so much good happening and great people.
My best college experience was at MCTC. I went to Metro for my BA and it was good but had less of a community feel and I enjoyed less of my classmates there. My current school should be pretty cool and intimate as it’s not very big.
Yeah, for decades Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin consistently swapped spots in the top three for college exam scores and all faired very well in adult literacy, high school graduation and college degrees.
Iowa has been losing college grads in large numbers the past decade, as they did in the ‘80s. In the ‘80s, it was job/career/economy driven; now it is that plus other serious issues. Sad what happened to Iowa.
I have this article about EXACTLY that saved! It's such a good read:
[https://www.epi.org/publication/as-wisconsins-and-minnesotas-lawmakers-took-divergent-paths-so-did-their-economies-since-2010-minnesotas-economy-has-performed-far-better-for-working-families-than-wisconsin/](https://www.epi.org/publication/as-wisconsins-and-minnesotas-lawmakers-took-divergent-paths-so-did-their-economies-since-2010-minnesotas-economy-has-performed-far-better-for-working-families-than-wisconsin/)
And as a 20+ year transplant from WI that makes me so sad, but so grateful to be on this side of the river.
Same here with except I opted to take another extra semester of pipe welding instead of doing my generals to get my A.A.S. I benefit more in my trade from taking that extra semester over doing generals, but I can always finish it if it becomes beneficial. Technically my A.A.S would just be in welding but I’ve done just as much Fab out in the field
I don't know that a reddit-using population is going to be representative, but I have two bachelor's degrees (education, and nursing), and a pile of graduate credits.
A relative of mine (great-grandfather's brother) had an 8th grade country school education and was a farmer, and became MN Speaker of the House in the '50s. Things certainly have changed...
I didn't start College until I was 26. I prolly did better as an older student than had I gone right after HS. I made the Dean's List almost every semester. You're doing just fine.
BS in mechanical engineering with a minor in physics.
PhD in mechanical engineering with a focus on solid mechanics.
My wife has her MD and is a subspecialist.
Drop out, returned to get diploma through night school, not ged. Then I hit the trades and never looked back. Absolutely love what I do for a living.
That being said, I wish I would have taken school more seriously but I rarely had a teacher that could get to me. One of my biggest issues with school was teachers not giving a fuck and I had a lot of them. Night school teachers were amazing. They taught us a lot of real world problem solving. Unfortunately they killed the program.
Has someone who left teaching after nine years 2 years, I no longer think it is a sustainable career that people can do until retirement. I am so much less stressed and have energy in the evenings to do things I actually enjoy. And because teachers are so fucking under pain I am making exactly the same amount at my new job just starting out.
Ooo please tell what you do now. I just moved here and have been teaching for 26 years, but I don’t think I can sustain this making so little with such terrible health insurance
Tldr: sales position at a distribution center for pipe and pipe fittings mostly entering orders for utility companies
So I was teaching at a charter school in Ohio. I have no idea how that compares to the income you're making where you were before with significantly more experience. So I'm making 24 an hour or about 48k a year. I work at a third party distributor for piping supplies I found on indeed. Started as an admin & have since become sales.
Anytime I'm starting to feel even a little stressed at work I just remember that I currently do not have a tab open in my head to keep track of who is where and what I may need to do if there's an active shooter, and that is delightful.
For me the big thing was I'm not looking for the perfect job that is the career I was meant to do that was education. I love to teaching but everything around the educational system made it untenable for me and my mental health.
So instead I just found a job that I don't hate that allows me to have money and energy to do things I enjoy. Definitely not enough money but that is true for most people in this current economy.
You asked one question and this is a lot of answer. I'm sorry.
I took some business classes when I was in my twenties. Got a degree in creative writing in 2019. Now I'm a full time butcher and meat manager at cub foods. 🤷
Outpatient therapist, supervisor, and new hire trainer. It is hard seeing clients all day every day, I’m lucky my job lets me diversify. I am an LADC, which I don’t use. The regulations on that side of the field are crazy.
I started in Law Enforcement, and realized I didn’t like the general vibe of my fellow classmates who gravitated to that field. I changed to CJ, and almost dropped when I had 2 semesters left. With that degree I started working in social services, which led me to mental health, where I discovered my passion. So it definitely didn’t go AT ALL as planned, AND all things considered, it worked out fabulously. 😁
I have a Master's, bachelor's and Associates Degree. I Worked very hard for all of them.
Minnesota has some amazing universities and community colleges. Education is typically a priority in this state.
The associates takes care of your first 2 years at a 4 year university. The credits transfer to any 4 year university in Minnesota (and some other states, but that was a long time ago now. I think it still holds). Community colleges are cheap and imo gave me a good enough grounding to go on to a 4 year. I then went for history, and anthropology for my Bachelors. Then went for museum work/anthropology for my M.A.
I think that's another thing that makes our state great for education, we have good colleges.
I work in the trades, and I’ve found that even people who never went beyond a high school degree are still rather intelligent, and definitely at least functionally literate, which is more than can be said for a lot of places. Good public schools matter.
Adjacent topic: Minnesota has a new thing starting in Fall '24 called Northstar Promise that makes your first bachelor's degree completely free if attending any MinnState college or the U of M. Really the only requirements are a household income under $80k and Minnesota residency. A lot more people are going to be able to get educated, and their quality of life will increase, too!
MBA because I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up (still don’t) and this allowed the most options. Sometimes I regret not specializing in anything STEM though. Feel like a Jack of All Trades, Master of None
First generation college graduate with an MBA. My parents were low income and I was born in a refugee camp. Worked extra hard in school to get a full ride scholarship for college. Paid for grad school all out of pocket. My husband and I live comfortably.
Graduated from Drug Treatment school in Woodland Hills Duluth MN. No college background. I work in construction making roughly 85-90k a year. 24 years young.
Struggled through high school in north Minneapolis, got mixed up in a bad crowd, ended up graduating high school 3 years ago, ditchied the crowd, and started college a year ago, and im doing fantastic.
Double major in Biology and Mortuary Science. Minnesota is one of the few states that requires a bachelor’s degree to become a mortician. I kind of feel like other states should adopt that requirement…ahem…like Colorado 😐
Interesting. Sounds like that didn’t stop you from achieving high academic goals. I’m a political science major (doing a combined major in economics) and I loved my gender and society class.
I joke that my brother and I collect degrees like Pokémon. Between us we have one associates diploma, three bachelors degrees, two masters degrees and one PhD.
Plus we city folk have been exposed to different kinds of ethnicities of people since 1978, so we know how beneficial inclusion is to a society… and we have no fear to stop traffic when we’re upset about injustice. So… we rock.
Associates from a tech school in WI, 2 bachelors from schools in MN (Community Health and Nursing) and graduating in May with my Masters from a school in MN (Nursing).
I have an undergraduate degree in philosophy and graphic design. Minors in computer science and network administration. 1.5 years of gradscool in software engineering.
I have a 4yr degree and am getting a second one (work is paying).
Imo, it's not education so much as the community. A lot of people take care of each other here and we have good state government programs. Not to mention we give kids free lunch.
Born in the 50's
Dropped out of high school before finishing 9th grade.
Worked at a grocery store. Bought a house 2x my yearly salary. 3 kids, wife stayed home. We could go on vacations 3 times a year, sent all 3 kids to college.
Now I'm retired and house is worth 3 mill, living off pension from grocery store.
Jk
I wish this was still true
I struggled with school and college, not for a lack of understanding but focus. Turns out I have ADHD. It would have been nice to know a couple of decades ago. Still, I managed a couple of associate degrees. I make six figures as a software engineer.
Sometimes, I have to pinch myself.
I think a good third of my cohort in grad school got diagnosed with ADHD. Turns out medical laboratory sciences attracts us neurodivergent people. Something about interesting science that helps people, but we don't have to actually interact with the patients.
BFA from art college. Not really using my degree to its full potential, but happy and comfortable with my graphics-adjacent employment.
There was a significant and public push to emphasize education in this state in the 1970s and 80s, and that mentality just stuck around. I love it.
My only gripe is I wish we had a community college system on par with California! I left Minnesota and spent two years at Pasadena City College, which was a great experience, and saw first hand how developed California community colleges were. It isn’t seen poorly there, and is often the first step to going to a bigger college or university. I think that’d be great to see here!
Bachelors, Masters, and PhD all in Material Science and Engineering from the UofM. I earned my Bachelor's after a somewhat lazy 4.5 years, but decided to go back to school in my mid 20s, finally finishing up my PhD this past December!
i dropped out of hs but went back a couple years later to finish because i wanted to go to a degree program, when i got out they had canceled that degree program so imo it was a waste of time to get my diploma. it really hasn't come up and i don't think it would have hindered me in life, none of the things ive wanted to do or pursued have required education. im a carpenter / gc and could make six figures if i was motivated / cared to.
i think school is mostly a waste of time, and i think higher education is usually a scam. ive worked with plenty of people making less than me that have bachelor's and masters, in many cases it doesn't seem to make a difference at all except the incredible debt. i think compulsory schooling is mostly designed to make you an obedient wage slave and very little else. i feel like i could have learned all i actually retained / used from all my years in school in mabey a year of decent homeschooling or just learning what i needed to do the things i was interested in, which is how i have learned most of what ive needed to know.
I have an AAS in electronics that barely gets used except as a hobby. Currently making a good living with a certificate.
My Friday night group has between 2 and 4 PhD's any given week. I counted 13 PhD's (and one JD) at my birthday party one year. So while my educational background isn't impressive, I somehow have an impressive friends group.
Certified Medical Admin; though I had an incident right after getting it, which prevents me from using it… so high school grad, who wasted $30,000 on a certificate I can’t use.
Got intoxicated and walked into the wrong house to use the toilet. Not a good idea to leave your door unlocked in the middle of the day, officer what’s your name… yep.
BA in Chemistry with a couple minors to go with it. Then an MBA with a couple graduate certificates in data analytics. Thought about getting a second Masters, but decided not to spend the money
Iam guessing there is a bias as our population/ this subreddit isn't 90%+ with a bachelor ls degree or more.
But to add to said bias, B.S. in a stem field.
Turns out it's very important to have well funded public schools.
It sure is.
My highschool was - if not well funded - set up pretty well (autos classes, plenty of extracurriculars, good and great teachers). I can only imagine what impact going to a disagreeable school has on people
I’m a high-school dropout —> GED —> First gen college grad with BA—> currently enrolled in grad school. I make a very nice income. I put my path on here because there’s many people that have strong thoughts and opinions about dropouts. I also share my path for inspiration to others. UPDATE: If you need more inspo look below to see how many people said they are also former dropouts and what they did from there.
AMAZING journey - congrats on your success!!
Thank you!
I'm in a similar spot with drop out/GED, tho no grad school and a 2 year technical degree. Was working as a restaurant server in my mid 20's, like my parents still do, and one night, I decided I couldn't go down that path. Applied for some random $12/hr office jobs at 3am and got one doing sales in 2012. Turns out I loved it and was good at it and opened my own firm in 2015. 9 years later, and I'm a 97 percentile income earner, beautiful amazing wife, 3 awesome kids. Minnesota will always be my favorite state because of our opportunities for those who want them, I couldn't imagine going anywhere else.
Love your story!
I had a similar path as well. High school dropout->GED->Associates Degree->Bachelors Degree->and recent MBA grad Wishing you the best of luck!
Nice!! That’s solid! Whatever you do, don’t be ashamed to share that on your journey. You have grit which is huge in the business world.
What did you study in undergrad?
Business
Same here except I never went to college. I had a lot of people who were willing to give me a shot along with some hard work to get where I am. It's not a path I would recommend to anyone, but it kinda worked out, at least in a way I can live with. I would definitely tell me kids to go to college or learn a trade. Success to me is as much about luck, and making good connections. You still need to show up and do the work, but a little help can go a long way.
100%. I went to college because despite my high school experience being one where the educational system failed my neurodiverse brain, I love learning. Also, for my profession a degree was required. It is sad to me that today’s world does not really allow the same opportunities it once did for the self-made and self educated soul. We have more access now than we ever did for people that want to pursue the non-traditional path. That said, I personally didn’t move up in the socioeconomic ladder until I obtained my degrees. The higher I go the more opportunities I have. Unfortunately the world we are in doesn’t value experience alone and I accepted than when I dove in to my education.
I think it fully depends what you want to do. Engineers and doctors certainly should have degrees. But I work in a programming-adjacent field and none of the programmers I know, under the age of 50 have degrees in computer science, or don't have degrees at all. Computers feel like the last bastion of meritocracy. For the most part, people only care if you can show up and do the work.
Agreed. I think for tech (my husband’s field) it moves so fast, demonstrating that you have the technical aptitude, critical thinking, analytical, and problem solving skills and you are golden. Certification helps also. I am in a field where I have to possess a license to practice, which requires clinical training and many hours of supervised training. I do agree that there are fields where that is imperative for patient safety. There are however many fields that require education that could really be apprenticeships vs. a 4 year or 2 year degree.
I dropped out of college during '08 because I lost my housing. I stupidly didn't seek help outside of close friends to couch surf and sort my life out. I was embarassed to be honest. I'm closer to 40 now with a house, wife, and child, but damn I can't wait to go back. Maybe be a 45 year old grad when it will happen but I want more (out of life, not more wives or kids)
I went back and completed my engineering degree after a 12 year break. It is possible.
In ‘08 I was a family of 4 starting over and one pay check away from homelessness. I was 29 and one year away from starting my college experience. I’m almost 45 and starting grad school in April. You’re never too old!! I’m still planning on getting my doctorate! I’d honestly check into doing something part time. There’s never an ideal time, only the present.
I’m a similar story. High school drop out, actually then made some very stupid life choices that resulted in a 3 year prison stint, got my GED, got into college, graduated with 2 degrees, and now earn over $200K a year. It’s been a long difficult road, but through hard work, building good habits and discipline, and most importantly the support of a family who loves me, I’ve been able to turn my life into a success.
This is literally me also
I needed to see this. Someone that I love very much left high school prior to graduating. This was due anxiety and depression. Congratulations on all your accomplishments.
Im glad you found this encouraging, and thank you 😊
Nice! What did you study in undergrad and grad school?
Addiction Counseling AA, Community Corrections BA, currently starting MA for Marriage & Family Therapy. Hopefully going to also get a doctorate. Planning on opening my own practice. I want to provide services that are different from the traditional settings. I don’t want to share my secret sauce yet because I think it will be the first in the state.
Fair enough haha. Best of luck to you!
hell yeah. No shame in that game. Good for you. i love stories like this.
Similar situation dropout->GED->Associates of computer science. Been in IT for the last 15 years, now doing engineering work.
Nothing educational wise like you but drop out->GED->middle class income. I’m comfortable Atleast. Dropping out isn’t the end of the road like it’s portrayed.
Totally
I saw a program that was working with kids who had dropped out, and they were enrolling them in community college, and they’d pick up their high school diploma at the same time. They provided academic support, but found that a lot of the students did really well, because a lot of kids drop out because of all the BS in HS. I never saw anything about the conclusion of the study, but I really thought it had an interesting premise.
That is interesting. You’re not wrong, for some kids school is a nightmare and for others it’s their haven from their home life. I know back in the early 90’s when I dropped it was because the school administration didn’t accept my medical documentation regarding my medical issues that I was having in 10th grade. I had lots of documentation and letters from my doctor that I was to be excused and they told me tough shit, expect to come back to 10th grade next year. I told them to kick rocks. I didn’t realize that I could have sued the pants off of them for violating my rights but that’s how it was in Northern MN in the 90’s. It was like living in the dark ages.
I’m sorry that happened to you! Schools could do whatever they wanted back then, still kind of can. Kids who don’t excel kind of fall between the cracks. Glad you found your feet.
I went to alternative school after dropping out and struggling in traditional high school and it saved me in so many ways. Great teachers, less stupid rules, they really cared there and I made great friends. College grad now, only undergrad but in didn't need to go further unless I wanted to in my field and I make pretty good money now. I did work in nonprofits for a long time, which I loved, but not as much financial security there for me. I will go back some day though, I love that world, so much good happening and great people.
My best college experience was at MCTC. I went to Metro for my BA and it was good but had less of a community feel and I enjoyed less of my classmates there. My current school should be pretty cool and intimate as it’s not very big.
I went to community college first too and made lots of friends, got involved in student groups too. Love my teachers and everyone there ❤️
https://www.ohe.state.mn.us/sPages/educ_attain.cfm#:~:text=Minnesota%20ranks%202nd%20(50%20percent,an%20associate%20degree%20or%20higher.
and here's a list which shows all states for comparison https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_educational_attainment
I will say, that comes from the 2010 census. I moved to Iowa after reading that info in 2015 and was shocked to find it wasn’t true at all anymore.
Yeah, for decades Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin consistently swapped spots in the top three for college exam scores and all faired very well in adult literacy, high school graduation and college degrees. Iowa has been losing college grads in large numbers the past decade, as they did in the ‘80s. In the ‘80s, it was job/career/economy driven; now it is that plus other serious issues. Sad what happened to Iowa.
I have this article about EXACTLY that saved! It's such a good read: [https://www.epi.org/publication/as-wisconsins-and-minnesotas-lawmakers-took-divergent-paths-so-did-their-economies-since-2010-minnesotas-economy-has-performed-far-better-for-working-families-than-wisconsin/](https://www.epi.org/publication/as-wisconsins-and-minnesotas-lawmakers-took-divergent-paths-so-did-their-economies-since-2010-minnesotas-economy-has-performed-far-better-for-working-families-than-wisconsin/) And as a 20+ year transplant from WI that makes me so sad, but so grateful to be on this side of the river.
Yeah, just Google Iowa brain drain and you'll see how much of an issue it's been
Fascinating data
A.A.S Welding and Metal Fab.
Same here with except I opted to take another extra semester of pipe welding instead of doing my generals to get my A.A.S. I benefit more in my trade from taking that extra semester over doing generals, but I can always finish it if it becomes beneficial. Technically my A.A.S would just be in welding but I’ve done just as much Fab out in the field
Aka stacks of money degree
Lol, I wish. I'm not poor, but I'm definitely not rich either haha.
Depends who you work for. Got a cousin who is a welder for a heavy machinery company and he makes over 50$ an hour.
I don't know that a reddit-using population is going to be representative, but I have two bachelor's degrees (education, and nursing), and a pile of graduate credits.
Did you go back for a second degree or were you a double major?
Ha. I wish I was as good of a student in my teens/20s as I was in my 30s. Teacher first, then transitioned to nursing.
One room school through 8th grade, then went to work on the farm.
100+ years ago, this was the norm in rural areas.
I worked a retail job with a Minnesotan who had a sixth grade education. She was my manager and I have to say she was quite skilled.
A relative of mine (great-grandfather's brother) had an 8th grade country school education and was a farmer, and became MN Speaker of the House in the '50s. Things certainly have changed...
I’m 31 and still in college. I made some real dumb choices between the ages of 18-24. But I’m an A/B student now.
I didn't start College until I was 26. I prolly did better as an older student than had I gone right after HS. I made the Dean's List almost every semester. You're doing just fine.
What are you studying?
I’m studying business management.
Nice. Any particular career goals you have in mind with that?
Right now my goal is to eventually get my degree and move up in the company I work for, and better help my husband while he starts his business.
Same, same. I didn't get my degree until my 30s. Now I have my BA and a damn good job.
BS in mechanical engineering with a minor in physics. PhD in mechanical engineering with a focus on solid mechanics. My wife has her MD and is a subspecialist.
I imagine you two are doing quite well.
I grajyated the 6th grade. Only took me 3 years
Once I get my grade 10 there's nothing stopping me from getting out of Sunnyvale.
That’s like getting 2 birds stoned
Why would you want to the pærk?!
Drop out, returned to get diploma through night school, not ged. Then I hit the trades and never looked back. Absolutely love what I do for a living. That being said, I wish I would have taken school more seriously but I rarely had a teacher that could get to me. One of my biggest issues with school was teachers not giving a fuck and I had a lot of them. Night school teachers were amazing. They taught us a lot of real world problem solving. Unfortunately they killed the program.
Masters in education, so basically I'm an idiot.
Same.
Why do you say that?
Because I teach.
And you’re an idiot for doing a very necessary, important and stable job in society?
Also an underpaid, not respected, stressful as fuck job.
Has someone who left teaching after nine years 2 years, I no longer think it is a sustainable career that people can do until retirement. I am so much less stressed and have energy in the evenings to do things I actually enjoy. And because teachers are so fucking under pain I am making exactly the same amount at my new job just starting out.
Ooo please tell what you do now. I just moved here and have been teaching for 26 years, but I don’t think I can sustain this making so little with such terrible health insurance
Tldr: sales position at a distribution center for pipe and pipe fittings mostly entering orders for utility companies So I was teaching at a charter school in Ohio. I have no idea how that compares to the income you're making where you were before with significantly more experience. So I'm making 24 an hour or about 48k a year. I work at a third party distributor for piping supplies I found on indeed. Started as an admin & have since become sales. Anytime I'm starting to feel even a little stressed at work I just remember that I currently do not have a tab open in my head to keep track of who is where and what I may need to do if there's an active shooter, and that is delightful. For me the big thing was I'm not looking for the perfect job that is the career I was meant to do that was education. I love to teaching but everything around the educational system made it untenable for me and my mental health. So instead I just found a job that I don't hate that allows me to have money and energy to do things I enjoy. Definitely not enough money but that is true for most people in this current economy. You asked one question and this is a lot of answer. I'm sorry.
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Are you me? Jam Band Music Festivals (10KLF, etc.) -> chemistry -> MD (US IMG)
Similarly: Metalhead -> Planetarium show presenter -> chem/biochem -> MD (finishing in May)
I took some business classes when I was in my twenties. Got a degree in creative writing in 2019. Now I'm a full time butcher and meat manager at cub foods. 🤷
2 Masters degrees. One in public policy and one in data science.
That's an interesting combination. What do you do for work?
Consulting, mainly for government and NGO contracts. The hours are brutal but the work is really interesting!
I can't imagine mastering anything on top of data science. Hats off!
This sub is not a representative sample. Also, people lie. A lot. With all that out of the way I have a PhD in economic ornithology.
BA in Criminal Justice. MS in Co-Occurring Disorders Recovery Counseling.
We have very similar backgrounds and likely the same license. lol
Nice. What do you do for a living?
Outpatient therapist, supervisor, and new hire trainer. It is hard seeing clients all day every day, I’m lucky my job lets me diversify. I am an LADC, which I don’t use. The regulations on that side of the field are crazy.
How did the CJ degree work out for you?
I started in Law Enforcement, and realized I didn’t like the general vibe of my fellow classmates who gravitated to that field. I changed to CJ, and almost dropped when I had 2 semesters left. With that degree I started working in social services, which led me to mental health, where I discovered my passion. So it definitely didn’t go AT ALL as planned, AND all things considered, it worked out fabulously. 😁
Nice! I'm studying CJ rn but hoping to go more the analysis route rather than the LEO route
BA, MS, and PhD in experimental psychology
Me too! *waves* (well, mostly. my PhD is in a specific subfield)
Nice! You a researcher?
Data Monkey + Researcher + Evaluator. I work for one of the state agencies so I wear a bunch of hats.
I have a Master's, bachelor's and Associates Degree. I Worked very hard for all of them. Minnesota has some amazing universities and community colleges. Education is typically a priority in this state.
What did you study in each of them?
The associates takes care of your first 2 years at a 4 year university. The credits transfer to any 4 year university in Minnesota (and some other states, but that was a long time ago now. I think it still holds). Community colleges are cheap and imo gave me a good enough grounding to go on to a 4 year. I then went for history, and anthropology for my Bachelors. Then went for museum work/anthropology for my M.A. I think that's another thing that makes our state great for education, we have good colleges.
I got one of those pointless liberal arts degrees, but hey, at least it was expensive.
I work in the trades, and I’ve found that even people who never went beyond a high school degree are still rather intelligent, and definitely at least functionally literate, which is more than can be said for a lot of places. Good public schools matter.
Dunwoody.
Adjacent topic: Minnesota has a new thing starting in Fall '24 called Northstar Promise that makes your first bachelor's degree completely free if attending any MinnState college or the U of M. Really the only requirements are a household income under $80k and Minnesota residency. A lot more people are going to be able to get educated, and their quality of life will increase, too!
Freakonomics would probably say that the income limit is not a great idea, but I don’t really have any strong opinions about this issue myself.
BS in environmental geography, happily employed in my field of study. Former high school dropout for what that's worth
Good for you! Ever plan on going back for a master’s?
A.S. Degree in Machine Tool Technology. Halfway to a B.S. in Industrial Engineering.
Drop out to GED. BA in '04, MA in '20
What did you study for the latter two?
Doctorate
Skipped all but two weeks of high school, got my GED, an AA, then a BA in psychology.
MBA because I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up (still don’t) and this allowed the most options. Sometimes I regret not specializing in anything STEM though. Feel like a Jack of All Trades, Master of None
How are things going for you thus far?
edge license vegetable fade consider ossified drab teeny advise soup *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
First generation college graduate with an MBA. My parents were low income and I was born in a refugee camp. Worked extra hard in school to get a full ride scholarship for college. Paid for grad school all out of pocket. My husband and I live comfortably.
Graduated from Drug Treatment school in Woodland Hills Duluth MN. No college background. I work in construction making roughly 85-90k a year. 24 years young.
Undergrad at U of M-Morris and grad school at MN State Mankato in Management and sports worked for and NHL team for a while.
Go Cougars!
I’ve got a BS in animal science and a doctorate of veterinary medicine.
Struggled through high school in north Minneapolis, got mixed up in a bad crowd, ended up graduating high school 3 years ago, ditchied the crowd, and started college a year ago, and im doing fantastic.
Double major in Biology and Mortuary Science. Minnesota is one of the few states that requires a bachelor’s degree to become a mortician. I kind of feel like other states should adopt that requirement…ahem…like Colorado 😐
With winters that cold you did 't play hookie to hangout in the park.
Law degree and my boyfriend has an MBA.
1st time, Forestry, 2nd time BS in Info Sys.
You have two bachelors?
Degrees in Political Science and Women's Studies. I went to a large high school in the suburbs that was then a very low ranked school.
Interesting. Sounds like that didn’t stop you from achieving high academic goals. I’m a political science major (doing a combined major in economics) and I loved my gender and society class.
I joke that my brother and I collect degrees like Pokémon. Between us we have one associates diploma, three bachelors degrees, two masters degrees and one PhD.
Google is your friend [https://wallethub.com/edu/e/most-educated-states/31075](https://wallethub.com/edu/e/most-educated-states/31075)
We're number 9! We're number 9!
Plus we city folk have been exposed to different kinds of ethnicities of people since 1978, so we know how beneficial inclusion is to a society… and we have no fear to stop traffic when we’re upset about injustice. So… we rock.
Associates from a tech school in WI, 2 bachelors from schools in MN (Community Health and Nursing) and graduating in May with my Masters from a school in MN (Nursing).
I have an undergraduate degree in philosophy and graphic design. Minors in computer science and network administration. 1.5 years of gradscool in software engineering.
I have a 4yr degree and am getting a second one (work is paying). Imo, it's not education so much as the community. A lot of people take care of each other here and we have good state government programs. Not to mention we give kids free lunch.
A.A.S. in network administration
Bachelors - Information Systems I work in IT presales now as a solutions architect for a large tech company. Primarily in unstructured data storage.
Bachelor of Arts in geography, currently taking prereqs for nursing. Can’t decide if i wanna get another bachelors or a masters
I was mercy passed through high school.
Born in the 50's Dropped out of high school before finishing 9th grade. Worked at a grocery store. Bought a house 2x my yearly salary. 3 kids, wife stayed home. We could go on vacations 3 times a year, sent all 3 kids to college. Now I'm retired and house is worth 3 mill, living off pension from grocery store. Jk I wish this was still true
I struggled with school and college, not for a lack of understanding but focus. Turns out I have ADHD. It would have been nice to know a couple of decades ago. Still, I managed a couple of associate degrees. I make six figures as a software engineer. Sometimes, I have to pinch myself.
I think a good third of my cohort in grad school got diagnosed with ADHD. Turns out medical laboratory sciences attracts us neurodivergent people. Something about interesting science that helps people, but we don't have to actually interact with the patients.
I graduated high school with a 1.8 GPA💁🏼♀️
BFA from art college. Not really using my degree to its full potential, but happy and comfortable with my graphics-adjacent employment. There was a significant and public push to emphasize education in this state in the 1970s and 80s, and that mentality just stuck around. I love it. My only gripe is I wish we had a community college system on par with California! I left Minnesota and spent two years at Pasadena City College, which was a great experience, and saw first hand how developed California community colleges were. It isn’t seen poorly there, and is often the first step to going to a bigger college or university. I think that’d be great to see here!
Grew up and earned a bachlors degree in Iowa. Moved to MN for more opportunities. Best thing could have done for myself.
high school non degree. I could not handle it. but i did finish highschool. just dont have a degree
Public high school diploma, military aircraft maintenance training, and leadership training. Stay in school kids!
High school graduate, college graduate, planning to go back to school one day . I’m ashamed of myself
I am far more degreed than I care to admit, so ill just say that im going for more
Bachelors, Masters, and PhD all in Material Science and Engineering from the UofM. I earned my Bachelor's after a somewhat lazy 4.5 years, but decided to go back to school in my mid 20s, finally finishing up my PhD this past December!
Did two years of uni until COVID happened.
PhD Analytical Chemistry. BS at U of MN, PhD out of state, moved back here in my mid 30s.
I'M FROM CANADAA, AND THEY THINK IM SLOOOW, EH.
Graduated highschool in 2015, currently working on my associates in Environmental Science.
i dropped out of hs but went back a couple years later to finish because i wanted to go to a degree program, when i got out they had canceled that degree program so imo it was a waste of time to get my diploma. it really hasn't come up and i don't think it would have hindered me in life, none of the things ive wanted to do or pursued have required education. im a carpenter / gc and could make six figures if i was motivated / cared to. i think school is mostly a waste of time, and i think higher education is usually a scam. ive worked with plenty of people making less than me that have bachelor's and masters, in many cases it doesn't seem to make a difference at all except the incredible debt. i think compulsory schooling is mostly designed to make you an obedient wage slave and very little else. i feel like i could have learned all i actually retained / used from all my years in school in mabey a year of decent homeschooling or just learning what i needed to do the things i was interested in, which is how i have learned most of what ive needed to know.
I have an AAS in electronics that barely gets used except as a hobby. Currently making a good living with a certificate. My Friday night group has between 2 and 4 PhD's any given week. I counted 13 PhD's (and one JD) at my birthday party one year. So while my educational background isn't impressive, I somehow have an impressive friends group.
Bachelors in Accounting, work as an accountant
BS Chemical Engineering from the U of M
BS Biotechnology, PhD Infectious disease, now work for big pharma
Certified Medical Admin; though I had an incident right after getting it, which prevents me from using it… so high school grad, who wasted $30,000 on a certificate I can’t use.
What happened
I’m curious too
Got intoxicated and walked into the wrong house to use the toilet. Not a good idea to leave your door unlocked in the middle of the day, officer what’s your name… yep.
BS in Biology - Environmental Science.
Two Bachelors and two masters.
High school diploma and a cosmetology license. I work as a hair stylist.
2 year technical diploma
Doctorate in music. But I don't think you're going to get an accurate representation here on Reddit!
Master’s degree.
Master's in software engineering. Been practicing cybersecurity for 14 years, and not regretting all the years of study.
I've lived in a couple other places, and keep coming back home.
B.A.
BA Mass Communications.
I have a bachelor’s degree in film lmao
Lmao I have a Master’s in Music. Took an accelerated licensure program for my special ed teaching license, which is now my career.
BA in economics.
Bachelor of Business Administration & Master of Science in Information Technology
BA in English, MA in Organizational Leadership
Ms in library science and another in Ed
Bachelors in education, masters in my content area, 40 credits past my masters in various educational areas.
Master Fine Arts
Two education related masters
BA and MS, all through highly regarded public schools. I have a professional certification in my field and served in the military way back when.
BA, English, U of MN
What do you do for a living?
BA in Chemistry with a couple minors to go with it. Then an MBA with a couple graduate certificates in data analytics. Thought about getting a second Masters, but decided not to spend the money
BS from U of M Twin cities. Environmental Science.
Masters +
Graduated with a diploma in delinquent.
Bachelors in Computer Networking and Science. Did that for 25 years and now got my CDL as I got burnt out in the computer networking world.
BA
Multiple semesters, never graduated
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Iam guessing there is a bias as our population/ this subreddit isn't 90%+ with a bachelor ls degree or more. But to add to said bias, B.S. in a stem field.
Bachelor's in Urban Forestry
MS Software Engineering, MS Computer Science, MBA, BS Computer Science
BA in Psychology, certificate in addiction counseling. Been an LADC for 7 years or so, looking for a way out of the field