Dropping out of High School.
Buffalo, NY · Member since 2017 · 64 posts · 85 votes
I want to build a real estate investing business. I want to buy and hold, I want to rent I want to do BRRRR's and I feel like High School is holding me back. I also want to get a job working with GC starting out as a laborer and working my way up. I sit in school for 6-7 hours a day miserable, tired and annoyed. I feel like I could be home studying, or in an internship and gaining real world experience. I dont feel like i fit in school because of what I want to do. What do you guys think about this? I am finishing up 10th grade. I have big plans and I want to start executing them. The only issue with this is I want to join the fire department and I dont know if they require a High School diploma or not. Im feeling really torn at the moment. (For reference I am a honor roll student 90.4 GPA)
Short answer. Do not drop out of high school. PERIOD.
@Cody L. Thats why I asked and learned before I executed. Im glad I have a wonderful platform to get this sort of advice on. Thank you Cody
@John Moorhouse DON’T drop out of school. So many doors in life are closed to those who haven’t finished high school. Even better, graduate high school and then go get a business degree as cheaply as possible. You will learn so many things doing that. In the long run (aka the rest of your life) a few years of school isn’t very much time, but the benefits will last your entire life.
@John Moorhouse as an employer, I wouldn't hire someone, even in the lowest paying job, if the applicant didn't have enough drive to finish high school. My though process is that you quit when things are tough, and dont see things through to the end. I would not want that type of employee. Theres too much competition for those jobs, and the ones without a high school education are put at the bottom of the pile.
Just food for thought from someone on the other side of the interview table.
If only that wasnt the thought proscess because thats not what I was thinking when starting to consider this. However through reading these posts over today I have changed my mind. I apreciate your comment, thank you Jason.
I am in professional corporate world. A lot of times where they went to school is a good indicator if they have a chance at a phone screen. Let’s think about it. You have two person with same job experience. One graduated from a real 4 year college and one from university of phoenix. Who would you likely to call first. Now a days you can’t even get a good job without a masters, so you better hope the self employed route works for you.
This is the reason why I just got a living trust. I made sure my kids can’t have any of my money until they graduate from college.
Horrible idea.
I don’t know what’s up with the spike in “should I quit going to college” posts. It’s now trickled down to people dropping out of high school. Young kids watch too much fantasy land stuff on Facebook and Instagram. Stay in high school. Get what you can out of it. Even if that’s just hanging out with friends, barely passing classes, just enjoy the experience. Later, when you’re an adult you can decide if you want to go to college. Dropping out of high school will do you absolutely zero favors.
@John Moorhouse
I see the cons of college being a good reason not to go but dropping out of high school is a bad idea. How many contractors would you hire without a high school diploma?
@John Moorhouse
Pt. 2: Why don’t you do BOCES and learn how to build a house? Kill two birds with one stone. There are so many alternatives, make quitting your absolute last one
@John Moorhouse @John Moorhouse dropping out May make it harder for you to do certain things but coming out of that and succeeding anyway will be an accomplishment above and beyond the average folks who conformed. Theirs not just one path to success. You could finish high school online just make sure accredited. It’d allow you to be flexible and focus more on your business. But the choice is ultimately yours I think whatever you decide to do even if others disagree you should make your own choices in life that build your character more than being someone who can’t make decisions because their too worried about what other people think about it.
@John Moorhouse I'd definitely say stay and finish at least high school, even the most sound business plan can habe issues in execution and best to have a fall back, even going to a local community college would be beneficial to learn more in finance or what ever you're interested. You can still work on your business , but having an income producing set of skills in your back pocket would be best. Just think about what you 10 years from now would benefit from your actions today
So I think @John Moorhouse is going to stay in high school. Good.
Sounds like he is ahead of the game, seeing potential not only in real estate, but maybe learning construction aspects to put sweat equity into projects. Even better.
Some of us older investors (I'm 33, so not old, but old enough to bridge the gap between those who had an IBM 386 when they were teenagers, and those who were watching Blues Clues on Youtube) need to realize John's generation has way too much information, way too much stimuli, and have never seen cash money before. What does this mean? It means they know everything, want to do everything, and the concept of money is foreign. :D
College is not the draw it once was, and isn't as necessary as people think. If you want to be a professional, sure, college is necessary.
John -- if I were you, not only would I stay in high school, but I would consider community college (especially if your grades aren't good enough for full-ride) and then transfer all credits to a local state school. Can even major/minor in something construction/real estate related, and get an "education on the cheap" -- and I don't mean the University of Phoenix's of the world.
Colleges are a business, and to me, they are no different than walking into a store to buy a product. Why pay full price when you can use the systems/programs at your fingertips to get the SAME education for a FRACTION of the cost. Same model we employ in real estate...buying @ market value makes you the sucker. Make your value on the PURCHASE.
Ultimately, you should do what works best for you. Education is always part of the real estate game, so is the social aspect. A degree and experience in your field will serve you well, I think. If you can, try working summer construction just to see if you like it. Anything you can get into easily and ascertain your desire to do it is important. Me personally, I'm a willing set of hands, but I leave most maintenance/projects to professionals. I'd rather manage them then get my hands dirty, just my personal preference.
You'll figure it out soon...just keep working to make yourself better. HS, college, education, jobs, social stuff, real estate, involvement in BiggerPockets, reading RE books...these will all mean improving John personally and professionally and that's what you need.
@Nate Fanara
I you are bored, you are in the wrong school. Change high school and finish it.
DO NOT DROP OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL. HUGE MISTAKE!!! Attend school during the day, work evenings and weekends to earn money and grow your business. You only have two years left in High School..you can do this.
If you want to be successful at RE you will be at a severe disadvantage if you quit school and let me tell you breaking into this business is already hard to do . I don’t care what you read in rich dad poor dad you must finish school to succeed in this country ! Banks won’t talk to you ,good Employers won’t talk to you , people in the business world won’t talk to you . So How do you think we raise capital to get going in the RE market ? We work diligently at our good w2 jobs and save back as much as possible for down payments etc. so that begs the question ; what kind of job can you get with such a poor education ? How much can you save back on a McDonald’s or gas station attendants salary to fund your RE acquisitions ? Answer ; none . Don’t make a fool mistake that will cripple you before you even get started
@Joe P. Wow, a ton of amazing advice in that, thank you. I am going to respond to you and other people commenting because I dont have the time at the moment to respond to everyone. I am staying in high school even though i still dont see the benefits yet. I think the business world needs to be adapted to 2019. Nowadays people are getting full college educations just from using google, the downside is you dont get a diploma. Maybe ill go to a community college, but I have no money and a student loan debt would set me back, even if its only 10-20k. I think i am going to try and find a real estate investor who is willing to take me under his/her wing and show me the ropes of the business. I can offer my time for unpaid grunt work for them too. I need to find something to stimulate my mind in the places school is failing to do. My grades are pretty good and in AP (college level courses) but they still fail to challenge me where i need it most. And i cant just transfer schools because we have no money, but I am blessed to go to one of the top schools in NewYork State. If anyone has any ideas of how I can go about find a mentor/internship or a way to gain good real estate experience please let me know. Thank you Joe, and to all other who I cant get back to yet but may in a few hours, John.
@John Moorhouse how did you get a 90.4 gpa?
In all seriousness, don’t drop out of high school unless you want a much harder life.
@Michael H. I got a 90% from just doing my work on time and making sure its quality. I hate being there but when im there I at least give it my best... most of the time, its harder at the end of the year
OMG dude, with a thread title like this you're about to have this entire online community dust off their keyboards and tell you exactly why this is not a good idea - and they're right! At 15/16 years old, 2 more years is over 10% of the lifespan that you've lived, SO OF COURSE IT FEELS LIKE FOREVER!
You're not wasting your time - you're doing what needs to be done, whether that's working in RE, for a GC, or becoming a firefighter. I work in public safety - THEY WILL NOT HIRE YOU WITHOUT A DIPLOMA. Period. The end.
Stay the course and finish school. Get some more life experience. Part of experiencing life is graduating high school - There are some folks who don't get that luxury- don't be the guy who willfully closes the doors of opportunity because he thought it was beneath him.
Alright, I'm done with my turn on this soap box - whose turn is it next?
@John Moorhouse Hey fellow Buffalonian, i grew up in and around Buffalo. My man, do not leave highschool. You have to look at the bigger picture. Throughout my young life i've changed what I wanted to do many times. In the moment I was sure i was going to be something without a doubt in my mind. BUT you will change and value things differently. Without a highschool degree, life becomes harder. Get your education, spend a few years learning and stalking these forums. Save up your money and get a part time job and build good saving habits. Investing in yourself is the best move you can make in life.
Say you graduated HS and then you went to college and got a degree in something desirable. You get a job out of college and make 50-60k. You want to jump into REI right away but it'll be much harder to scale quickly and you'll have no fall back if REI doesn't work out. But say you save 60% of your money from your job whatever that may be. You're going to have so much more potential to scale at this point. So now you have a job that if REI didn't work you'd make money anyways and if REI does work then if you save enough and be smart you have the possibility of retiring.
You have a ton of successful people posting in this thread, listen to them. If you want to make money and be wealthy, copy those who are already there.
Finish HS. & go to college or do a vocational/trade school. It is foolish not to. Lifetime income and education are directly correlated. An education opens plenty of doors for you and shows people that you have the ability to learn. Yes there are tons of stories of people who are successful without HS or college. They are the exception not the rule. In business, you do every little thing that can give you an edge. College is just one more thing to help you be better.
Don’t go to a private school unless they’re in the top 20. I’d personally go to the best state or city school you can get into. NY has plenty of them.
RE sounds great, but it is very cyclical and requires a ton of capital. The best way to invest in RE is by having a high paying job.
90 is not quality. Valedictorian is quality. You got it in you?
@John Moorhouse hey man, the temptation is there to drop out of school, trust me I get it. I was an ok student myself but also felt like I wasting my time in school listening to and learning things that didn’t apply to my life goals.
However I encourage you to think like an investor. You currently have two years left in high school to develop skills and relationships that will benefit you in your future career as an investor. Meet with and talk to several people about your goal of real estate investing (in the future they will think of you first as they hear and talk about real estate). Maybe start a real estate investing club at school and meet like minded students and teachers who will share your goal. You could even listen to BiggerPockets webinars and talk ideas or maybe analyze deals together. If I could go back to high school now, I would totally do this.
Use your time in school by taking extra business classes or any kind of marketing classes that will teach you stuff for free. With every class you take think about how you can use that knowledge to build your future business. For example: science- learn about the water table so you can educate your clients on how it will affect a basement; erosion, so you know how long it takes for that drop off in an investment property to fall away; plant life, so you can identify wetlands. Math- learn how to budget your money, how to calculate real estate deals, how to calculate repair costs (we do a lot with math in this industry); History- you will be shocked at how much people refer to historical events in normal conversations when they want to sound smart; know history so you aren’t the dumb looking one and can hold your own in intellectual conversations. Computer- I hope you can take computer courses, the more IT knowledge you have the better and playing Games doesn’t count. Build websites, learn technical marketing tricks like optimization of your ads so you spend less money but reach out to more people, learn how to fix your own computer so you’re not wasting money by having someone else fix it for you.
Ultimately use this time in school to build relationships, learn skills for free, and start your business. Work part time with investors or realtors at night and on weekends to learn the industry (you may even make some money on the side while you’re establishing yourself in the business). If you’re not willing to work extra time on top of your current schedule then you won’t work hard when you’re actually out there doing the work of an investor. I started out in high school getting up at 5:00am each morning so I could get to school early to practice my trumpet, I then stayed late to be on student council, I was in the band, a political after school club, I worked two part time jobs, and had a girlfriend. Put on the stress, work harder, work longer, be better. No one wants to work with a lazy investor who won’t put in the hours or one who quits something as basic as high school. Also if you ever have to get a side job for whatever reason, then not having your high school diploma is like starting a race by being hit in the face with a baseball bat, you’re just making it harder on yourself for no reason. GEDs can be the kids of death and having nothing is really dumb.
Again, the temptation is there to quit, but don’t. “Losers quit when the fail but winners fail till they succeed.” Robert Kiyosaki
I hope this helps and if you are ever in Maine, reach out, I’d love to get lunch and talk about real estate. Don’t give up, you see the goal ahead and I can tell you’re excited to get there, don’t give up on the little things. You only have one life to live, don’t give up. Work each step, don’t give up.
@John Moorhouse Talk to your school counselor about testing out of highschool if you really want to get out early. Firefighters as well as most jobs do require highschool. The only thing I learned from school is how important it is to educate myself and side hustle after hours.
@John Moorhouse shouts bro, I was born and raised in buffalo but dude honestly my opinion may not mean **** To you but I started my business/Entrepreneurial journey going into my senior year of high school I also didn’t want to finish because I thought it was cool to call myself a drop out I honestly used that time to my advantage every day I had a book in my hand whether it was a personal development book or a how to book but I used that 6 to 7 hours effectively to better myself to get my mind right because everything is not as easy as you think it will be you will be running fast and I mean sprinting and you will be blinded by a brick wall that brings you back to reality enjoy the rest of your high school yearsFind a mentor and use your time outside of school very efficiently I did nothing my high school years I was always a very determined guy but once I started this entrepreneurial journey there were times I was up two days straight just working because I was so obsessed with what I was doing but my advice to you is to simply enjoy your last two years of high school use that time effectively start reading personal development books find a mentor and start your journey
For starters, I don't think that you can even sign a contract before 18.
I didn't graduate high school. I was homeschooled from 8th grade on and my folks kinda gave up around 10th or 11th. The perk for me was that the normal "rules" didn't apply to me. Which is thinking that has helped me to go far.
The cons:
No diploma.
You'll end up in manual/low skilled labor unless you're good at sales.
You will miss out on relationships, experience, and the lessons that come with it. (I never got to play sports)
Your "growing up" will happen like drinking water from a fire hose.
Chances are your relationships with your parents and family will suffer.
Your Gf's parents will love that she brought a drop out home.
No prom.
If real estate investing doesn't work out you'll get to explain to every potential employer why you don't have a diploma.
I totally admire your drive. At your age, I would start a side hustle detailing cars, Amazon Arbitrage, or something similar. Dropping out would be pointless as you can't even sign a contract legally.
Lastly,
Having the ability to stick things out that you don't enjoy is a great life skill. There are a number of times I would have walked away early had I not had the tolerance to endure.
If this was about going to College I would have very different advice.
@Thomas J. Clifford thank you for responding. After this thread i have changed my ideas on school. Maybe with what was said here it will help me enjoy school a bit more. When you are given something it is hard to appreciate it. Thats what happened with school, i was given it and I had trouble appreciating it. Hopefully this thread will be a good for people who are in the same mindset as I was. Gosh I did not even go into this thread thinking I may go to a community college. Thank you Thomas