High school drop out - Options?

[BananaPeel]

Hi all,

I'm a 16 year old turning 17 and need advice on what the next steps I should take. For context I dropped out of school half way through year 11 (2025) and wanted to pursue a trade like my older brother who is successful. I had no real plan and just kind of winged it hoping that id get an apprenticeship reasonably easy but I had no luck for about a couple months and just worked retail with a good company, but my family had warned me to not get comfortable with them or else it wont go anywhere. So with that in mind I kept looking for a apprenticeship and was able to get a plumbing one and started doing that for a couple months, however it just wasn't what I wanted to do long term the guys on site were condescending and all around ignorant (typical tradie things). The guys that weren't rude and actually nice to me were telling me that you shouldn't do the trade, they explained that it was mentally and physically demanding and that a young kid like you shouldn't be here especially when there's a lot more opportunities out there. It also didn't help that the hours were long and rough by the time id get home just to fall asleep and wake up the next morning and head off to work, there wasn't a lot of time for me to have my own personal time and it just started to stress me out and felt like shit had no social life and was just working with these guys that hate everything. I didn't want to live the life that they were living. So after a couple months at it i just couldn't handle it and quit just to head back to retail working and I've been given a few choices on what i should do. One was to go back to school and finish off y12 however since i didn't complete y11 i would have to restart it essentially making me a year behind all my mates or I could continue looking of an apprenticeship with a a bigger company hoping that they'd treat me a little better. My parents have encouraged to make a choice and stick with it and Im just not sure what i want to do as a career although i would love to be a content creator though its quite not in the cards for me. I have been stressing and having major anxiety over this. I know that my life just starting but i already feel like I'm being thrown into the deep end not really knowing what to do and it sucks because my parents have always been supportive of me and i just feel like Im wasting there time and that they should've had a better since I don't deserve it

If anyone has advice id really appreciate it

(apologies for bad e

[luke_c]

Better off doing that as a side gig for the moment mate, my suggestion is to get a job doing something, I know factories are screaming out for workers atm, it'll help you understand the workplace a bit better and you'll have a leg up over your uni mates cos you're earning income straight away, in my honest opinion, there's no need to do year 12 unless you wanted to go to uni, but I think nothing beats real world experience and if you can move out of home later on once you're financially stable then do that, you'll learn a stackload of being independent and will mature faster with more responsibilities, which makes it more attractive to the opposite sex in some ways, and if you have children later, you'll be a better dad

[luke_c]

I'm like 41 and finally figured out what I wanted to do! Injuries and mum ensured that lol

[Quercus]

Hi BananaPeel,

I had a chuckle reading your age given that I am 41 and have no idea what career to try or where to even begin. What I am getting at is you have your whole life ahead of you to try different things and to find your way.

It is absolutely okay to feel lost and to change your mind a thousand times. As a parent I can tell you that wouldn't make me any less willing to invest in my children or judge them at all and I would hope your parents are just as supportive of you.

My advice is simple but practical.

Write down what you want your day to day life to look like. Think of questions like these...

Do you want to live in a city or rural area? This is important... if you live rural it is easier to find work if you have a trade or are a nurse, teacher, dentist etc. 

Do you thrive being outdoors or prefer being indoors? We spend a lot of time at work so you need to enjoy your work environment.

Do you like to work with your hands and do physical work or not so much? Pick a field that suits your level of activity.

Does working with other people exhaust you or energise you? I don't use my degree and instead clean at a school because I like working alone and enjoy the early shifts and quiet.

The more questions you can think of the better. Try and find a career that suits what you need in life to be happy. 

Lastly, I would try and find employment or at least study while you explore content creation. It is also worth researching the field to find out what the average income is and look into the systems and structure successful creators have in place. Give yourself the best chance of success.

But no matter what try not to get discouraged. If it doesnt work out just try again or change direction. 

I'm also a huge fan of volunteer work when you are starting out. How are you supposed to know what a career is like without giving it a go? Volunteering lets you try a lot of fields and also form connections in your community.

Good luck to you!

[Doors24]

Dear BananaPeel,

I will make my reply short and sweet.

There is no harm repeating a school year behind your friends. They will still be there for another year and you can also make new friends doing Year 11 again.

I wanted to drop out of school after Year 10, but my parents flat out refused. I am glad they did. Having graduated from high school opened more doors for me than if I didn’t.

Plus, it may give you two more years to really think and research on what you can do after you leave. And maybe save up some money on a part time job to pay for a course to help you in what field you chose. 2 years is a long time for things to happen and change. And for you to explore and change your mind.

Doors24

[Guest_10090]

You need to stop.

Finish year 12 at least.

Today you're 18. Tomorrow you're 36. 

You can't peak in middle school and work at the Kmart at Eastland.

@jliu2101 much?