I'm planning on dropping out of high school in my junior year, leaving home without my parents consent, and traveling the world with my boyfriend whom lives in the U.K. But we are also planning on going to travel for just 2 years. And after those 2 years I plan on continuing my studies in the U.K. for a while while living with my boyfriend. I want to study child psychology Am I ruining my life or am I following my dreams?
Well, conventional wisdom suggests dropping out of HS is risky. If you are interested in psych, though, I can tell you a couple things. You will need a HS degree or equivalent to study psych in the U.S. Not sure about the UK. Also, in the U.S., psych is the most common major for Bachelor graduates and with only a BA/BS you can't get very far in most states. In many states you can't even get licensed without a Masters degree. If the system in the UK is similar, you have a lot of education ahead of you if you want to find the work you want. I don't know if dropping out of HS is the way to start that journey, but then all journeys are our own.
There's no question that the income potential of people who do not finish high school is significantly lower than people who do. That said, if you follow through and actually go back to school after the 2 years, there's nothing wrong with spending a couple of years traveling the world. Keep in mind if you're under 18, you are going to have real difficulty getting into other countries. Here's the rub: The majority of people who say they're going to go back to school in a couple years... never do. It's far easier to get some sort of job and just fall into a rut. So in that way, getting the high school degree, then getting the bachelors degree, and *then* taking time off before going for the masters is more likely (statistically) to result in your actually getting the education and career you want. Quixotic is correct in that for psychology, you'll need at least a masters degree to get any sort of job in the field. However, not completing high school should not be an issue. Almost any community college will accept you without a high school degree provided that you can pass appropriate placement tests. Another possibility you might consider is social work. Similar work to psychology, and you can get hired with a bachelor's degree (though it's still wise to eventually get the master's.)
Chip and QuixoticSJ have made a number of wonderful points on the subject of returning to school in the future. However, have you considered the logistics of all of this? Traveling internationally and establishing foreign citizenship as a minor without a proper education or qualifying for work visa? Yes, bouncing back in the future could pose a challenge, but how is all of this suppose to happen?
I'd at least wait until you're 18. And the whole leaving the US without your parents consent thing doesn't sound good to me. Have you ever met your boyfriend in person? How are you going to pay for the massive cost associated with travel? How will you get passports since you're a minor? It sounds like a fun thing to dream about, but maybe not such a good idea to do.
You are ruining your life BY following your dreams. It will be A LOT harder to get back into line after 2 years, and you will be much more mature and educated, thus much better in dealing with the complications of travelling the world. It's a great fantasy, but jumping headfirst into this big "adventure" at 15 years old will be detrimental for you in the long run. I think it would be best if you waited until you graduate from high school.
Yeah, as much as I want to say go do whatever you want and don't worry about the future, everyone else is right. At least graduate high school first. If you wanted to so anything else with your career I wouldn't say that, but with psychology you'll need a good college education and that will be a lot easier d you already have those four yeArs of high school down. Graduate high school, save up some money, and then go traveling. After that, you can just apply for colleges and continue to study psychology, but you won't have to worry about getting those missed years of high school back. Just wait a little bit longer.
Wait a couple years... If you're still thinking the same, do it. I tell you by experience that you will change your mind, you're very young & want to live adventures but think about the future. You may regret it. You may have to study HS again in two years and you will regret dropping so soon.
hen go traveling. After that, you can just apply for colleges and continue to study psychology, but you won't have to worry about getting those missed years of high school back. Just wait a little bit longer.
