First and foremost:
DON'T DROP OUT. …seriously. Life only gets harder than what high school is now even if you have a diploma. Don't make it even harder than that.
You want a GED at least. It opens up some basic jobs to keep you above water while you figure out what you want to do, and it allows you to get into college later on if you need to.
If you drop out, then make a plan. Make a GED part of it, and make sure your plan makes sense in the world we all live in. Don't focus on what would be "nice" or how messed up the world is now. The world is the way it is, and it's not likely to change drastically before you need to make a living in this world as it is now.
The pain of high school can be hard. Owing companies money? No one I've met has said high school was harder than that.
Please. Just trust me on that point. I haven't met anyone in my generation (I'm in my late-twenties) who said having no education past high school was a good idea. Not. A. One.
Here are some options that may work without a diploma.:
- You can do the military and learn a craft for free.
- You can go to a tech school and learn a craft as well.
- You can find a very, very low wage job where you can learn a trade. Then you can look into opportunities for certification.
It's very possible to live without a high school diploma, but you'll pay for it elsewhere.
- The military will ship you to wherever they want for 7 years. And you're stuck there for that time. A dishonorable discharge and no degree basically ensures you'll never find work.
- Tech school still has tuition, and you may end up in an area that's still saturated with few open jobs.
- And low wage jobs with no credentials are hard to come by, because everyone who doesn't have a diploma will be looking for those jobs as well. And there are a lot of people without diplomas.
Also consider what stress relievers you have.
Unless your parents can/will support you, it's all on you to pay for whatever you need.
If video games is your way to destress, then you may not be able to get a current gen console or keep up with your gaming PC. You may have to invest in a Game Boy Color and games with serious replay value. You may not be able to afford to drive to your friends' every other night, because gas money can be used for food (read as: ramen and spam) money.
*Be sure to eat veggies and fruit too. Probably bananas and canned spinach with some salt.
TripleA9000 asks a good question. What do you want to do? If you're not sure, then you have time to figure it out. Just try to make ends meet with that GED and do some volunteer work to get experience in stuff you kinda like. Read some books about potential careers. Even stuff like a video game tester. Those jobs may not be easy to get, but it's better than not trying for it at all. Stay grounded in reality, but dream big, and try to open doors along the way.
If you already have an idea of what you want to do, then try to find a job that can net you experience towards that or can get you some certification that would be useful to that career.
Do you like playing around online? Try learning Java. It's a concrete and useful skill, and if you can do it, then that by itself is something most high school dropouts can't do. You might find decent work as a contractor in a small town doing websites, or at a local government place doing their web work.
Finally, do something that makes you stick out (in a good way) for the jobs you apply to. Even with education, having a 4-year degree or 6-year degree isn't a lot, because you have a whole class of tens of thousands each year with the same level degree.
So when you're applying to jobs that only require a GED or no diploma at all, you need to stand out on a resume. Volunteer work and experience with a reference are good things to consider.
tl;dr: I would suggest you consider:
- Don't drop out.
- The world is the way it is. You have to live in it as it is and not as you want it to be nor as it should be.
- You'll need a GED at the very least. And that's only so you can consider the military or a community college. It can help you get some jobs that require some basic level of academic knowledge. You can study for that for a few weeks and get it after a test or two.
- Figure out what you want to do, and figure out how to achieve it without a high school diploma.
- With the GED, you may be able to just skip to a community college. College courses are far different from high school, so you may find you learn better there.
- In the meantime, find some work that can pay your bills. If you're smart with your money and you're willing to really sacrifice, you can probably find a living on two part-time jobs at 60 hours per week (total).
But serious, don't drop out. Find a tutor, transfer to a different school, beat up a kid who will do your homework (don't do this)…but srs, don't drop out tho.
I've seen a lot of 20 and 30-year olds who regret it now. Too many to suggest it to you, no matter how impossible high school is for you.