The Cost of Dropping Out

By Parker Boyack

The reality is, dropping out not only is bad for yourself, but for the country as well.

The average lifetime effect of dropouts is — $5,191, in other words they are a drain on society because they participate in welfare programs and many dropouts end up in prison. In fact, 75 percent of state prison inmates are high school dropouts. This doesn’t mean that all dropouts are failures, in fact some people have dropped out of school and become extremely successful. Generally however, statistics show that someone who drops out of school ends up making much less.

Dropping out is actually very selfish, because you are focused on yourself and not others. Few people realize how much they can contribute to their communities when they stay in school and even fewer actually care. Some reasons students give for dropping out include financial constraints, homesickness, a lack of guidance and they have educational burnout. These usually aren’t valid excuses because students have many resources available to them, which can include financial help and counseling.

When a student decides to drop out of school, it may seem like a good decision in the present but they fail to realize the drastic consequences they will face in the future as a result of their decision. Only 45 percent of dropouts are employed, and in today’s tough economy that number is likely to go up. In 2004, the U.S. Census Bureau came out with some data which showed that the average yearly earnings of someone with a high school diploma were $27,915, compared to $18,734 for those who dropped out of school. The average yearly salary for those with a bachelor’s degree was $51,206, and $74,602 for people who had an advanced college degree.

It’s time to face the facts and start doing something worthwhile. If you or someone you know is considering dropping out, be the person who does something about it. Normally people will just give up and call the person a failure, but statistically speaking a dropout affects you and me and we need to try to help those people be better citizens by getting a degree. The government has realized the draining effects dropouts have on the economy so they are helping the schools with the worst dropout rates to get more students into college.

Author Information

Parker Boyack is a writer for MyCollegesandCareers.com. My Colleges and Careers is a one-stop resource that helps people search for online degrees that can help them start their career.

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