It's that time of year, words echoing from a parent's worst nightmare: "I don't like school. I hate it. They don't teach me anything. Who cares about history anyway? I don't fit in. I don't need school. I can do all right on my own ..."

Can you write? Can you spell? Can you fill out a job application? Can you express yourself, clearly, concisely, intelligently in an interview? If an employer can choose from a number of applicants, who gets chosen? High school degree or dropout? Maybe if you're lucky ...

Got connections? Know any bankers, business owners, sales people? Will they take a chance on someone who doesn't make it through high school? And your friends in not-so-high places, see what they'll do for you.

* Good timing: Good timing doesn't exist in front of the television, or sitting on a curb, or perched on a bar stool. Good timing is being at the right place at the right time ... and since no one ever knows when the right time is, the trick is to find "right places."

Getting a high school education is easy work; so if you can't do that, then how can you possibly perform the difficult stuff? Hard work is doing more than the next guy. Hard work is doing it better than the next guy. Hard work is learning skills that others don't have. Hard work means being a self-starter.

The dropout who finds work won't have enough take-home pay to save for the future. Minimum wage won't let you buy the things you really want. If you can't find a job, you can apply for welfare and receive Food Stamps -- not enough to live on. At age 62 you can collect Social Security -- not enough to live on.

This is cache, read story here