According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the graduation rate for U.S. public high school students is right around 86% at this time. And while that number might seem a little low to some people, it’s actually higher than it has been in about a decade.
It’s clear that more young people have made graduating high school a priority. And it’s a good thing that they have, too! Staying in school and finishing high school is super important for young people for a variety of reasons.
If you’re someone who is entertaining the idea of not sticking around in school long enough to earn a trip to your high school graduation, you should reconsider this decision. A high school diploma might not seem all that essential to you right now. But it’s one of the most important pieces of paper that you’ll ever receive.
Today, we’re going to talk about the importance of school and, more importantly, the importance of graduating high school. Here are some of the top reasons why finishing high school is so important.
Gives You Access to a Basic Education
You’re not going to learn everything that you need to know to succeed in life in high school. Ideally, you aren’t ever going to stop learning throughout the course of your life.
But by attending high school and eventually finishing high school, you will get access to a basic education that will set you up nicely for the rest of your life. You’ll know how to do everything from figuring out algebra equations to having discussions about literary classics.
You’ll also have a much better idea as to what you want to do next in life based on what you learned in high school. There will be certain subjects that you enjoyed more than others. And those subjects might indicate which career path you want to try and take post-high school.
Allows You to Pursue a College Education If You Want
First things first: College isn’t for everyone! That has almost turned into a cliche at this point, but it’s true. You don’t have to go to college after graduating high school if you don’t want to.
But at the same time, it’s obviously not a bad idea to enroll in college after graduating high school if it’s something that appeals to you. You can start to lay down the foundation for your professional life by taking this approach.
It’s also something that isn’t going to be an option if you don’t finish high school. You won’t be able to get accepted into any college or university if you can’t prove that you graduated high school by providing your high school transcripts.
It’s yet another reason why graduating high school is so important. It’ll open up a world of possibilities to you.
Puts You in a Position to Attend a Trade School
Going to college is the right move for some people to make. But it’s not going to be the right path for other people to take.
These people might benefit from going to a trade school more. There used to be a stigma surrounding choosing trade school over college, but this stigma has slowly gone away in recent years. There is a huge demand for more trade workers, and it has turned trade school into a great option for lots of people.
But unfortunately, you won’t be able to take part in a trade school without a high school diploma. You’ll need to earn one in order to get accepted to the trade school of your choice. It’s why graduating high school should be at the top of your to-do list if you think that going to a trade school might be in your future.
Makes It Easier for You to Get a Job
There are plenty of jobs out there that you can get without a high school diploma. For instance, you’re not usually going to need to have a high school diploma to work as a:
- Waiter or waitress
- Housekeeper
- Custodian
- Security guard
- Landscaper
- Telemarketer
But if you don’t have a high school diploma, you are going to be limited as far as which jobs you can get. There are lots of jobs that are going to require you to show proof that you graduated high school. And if you can’t do it, employers are going to toss your job application right into the recycling bin.
Even if you don’t ever plan to go to college or sign up for a trade school, you should still get your hands on a high school diploma. It’ll make it so much simpler for you to obtain jobs that you actually want as opposed to just jobs that you have to settle for based on your situation.
Provides You With an Opportunity to Make More Money
According to a recent report, college graduates make about $25,000 more each year than high school graduates do. That might inspire you to graduate from high school simply so that you can go to college.
But even if you don’t decide to do that, it’s also worth noting that high school graduates make about $8,000 more each year than those who don’t ever get around to graduating high school. This further illustrates just how important a high school education is.
Not everyone is going to be put in a position to graduate from college so that they can start making more money. But most people have the chance to graduate from high school. You should take advantage of this opportunity so that you don’t miss out on that extra $8,000 per year that we just mentioned.
Lets You Join the Military If You Would Like
Have you kicked around the idea of joining the military at some point in your late teens or 20s? If so, you might not think that you need to be concerned about graduating high school since this is going to be your plan.
You should still make graduating high school a part of your plan, though, for two reasons:
- Because if your military ambitions don’t pan out, you’ll have a high school diploma to fall back on
- Because the military is going to require you to have a high school diploma to enlist
That’s right. You aren’t going to be able to sign up for any of the branches of the military if you don’t have a high school diploma or, at the very least, a GED. It’s one of the many requirements for those showing any interest in becoming military members.
Instills a Stronger Sense of Pride in Yourself
If you make the decision not to graduate from high school for one reason or another, you might feel OK with it at first. You’re not going to lose much sleep over it right away.
But as you begin to get older and see the error in your ways, you’re going to wish that you had sucked it up and earned a high school diploma. You’re not going to feel the pride that people feel when they walk across the stage while graduating high school.
This lack of pride could very well result in you dealing with low self-esteem. It could also drag down your self-worth and make you feel awful about your future.
You can avoid all of these negative feelings by doing your best to graduate from high school in the first place, even if you don’t necessarily want to do it at the moment. You’ll be proud of yourself for sticking with it and finishing high school in the end.
Makes Your Family Proud of You, Too
Your family is going to love you no matter what. Whether you graduate from high school or not, their love for you is always going to be there.
But unless they really don’t value education for whatever reason, those closest to you are no doubt going to be at least a little bit disappointed if you don’t go through with graduating high school. It’ll make them feel like they went wrong somewhere by not hammering home the importance of school.
So if you don’t feel like graduating high school for yourself, you should try to do it for your parents, your grandparents, or some of the other special people in your life. They’re going to be so proud of you when you finish high school. And when you know that they feel proud of you, you’ll also feel proud of yourself because of it.
Helps You Begin to Build a Strong Personal and Professional Network
No one—and we do mean no one—can make it through life alone. In order to achieve any level of success in life, you’re going to need to surround yourself with good people who have your back.
You’ll need to build a very strong personal and professional network for yourself. And you’ll have to rely on this network every now and then for any number of reasons. They’ll help to pick you up when you fall down and put you back on your feet.
You might think that you don’t have to worry about creating this kind of network until you establish your career. But the reality is that you should start building this network during your teen years. It really all starts in high school.
By staying in school and graduating high school, you’ll be able to put together a network that will last a lifetime. Even if you move away from your hometown, you’ll be able to utilize the connections that you have back home when you need them. The people that you met during your high school years will continue to support you for years to come.
Gives You the Right to Lecture Your Kids About School
If you plan on having kids one day, it’s going to be your job to emphasize the importance of school and education to them as they grow up. If you don’t, they might not value education as much as they should, and it could have a negative impact on them later on in life.
But it’s going to be awfully difficult for you to share your thoughts on the importance of school when you know, deep down, that you didn’t go through with graduating high school. And if your kids happen to find this out? Your words will mean nothing to them since your actions will show that you didn’t think school was very important once upon a time.
It’ll be a much different story if you can pull out your high school diploma and preach about its importance. You can also pull out things like your high school class ring as a symbol of your commitment to education. Go right here to learn more about why everyone should buy a class ring to celebrate graduating high school.
Your kids will love it when you share these things with them. They’ll also want to work harder from now on so that they, too, can graduate from high school and make you proud by doing it.
Graduating High School Should Be a Milestone Moment in Your Life
There are many young people who fail to grasp the importance of graduating high school when they’re still living out their teenage years. They don’t get why they need to be so hung up on finishing high school.
But as you’ve seen here, staying in school and getting a high school diploma is one of the smartest things that you can do. It will set you up for life in lots of ways and eliminate many of the roadblocks that would otherwise stand in your way.
If you’re considering not graduating high school, you should put some more thought into it. After hearing everything that you’ve heard today, it should be easy to see why making it to your high school graduation is so imperative.
Read more informative articles about the importance of school by checking out the rest of our blog.
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