Most people think you need a high school diploma or a college degree to be successful. It’s true that those with a lack of education or a poor academic record find themselves at a bit of a disadvantage, but there are, however, plenty of people who have proven that a lack of a formal education is by no means a limit to success.
For years, failure to graduate or to obtain a high school degree has become much more stigmatizing in the eyes of society. As high school students, much of our lives consist of maintaining an acceptable GPA, keeping parents satisfied, and living up to a level of "expected achievements" so to speak. I cannot even begin to count how many times I’ve heard the questions, "Oh, why did you join math team?" or "How come you’re getting a job?" and for most people, it’s always the same response, "Well, it looks good on college apps." If your only incentive to join an extracurricular or to take up a new hobby is for the academic benefits, then it’s really time to reconsider just how "absolutely necessary" any of this school stuff truly is.
Take, for example, famous Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, a leading figure in the 20th Century theater and a recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature. He held an outright animosity toward schooling and believed little in its benefits. In fact, he was once quoted stating that "schools and schoolmasters, as we have them today, are not popular as places of education and teachers, but rather prisons and turnkeys in which children are kept to prevent them disturbing and chaperoning their parent."
At the age of 15, Shaw dropped out of the Dublin English Scientific and Commercial Day School and continued with his personal interests in literature and art, compiling a list of masterpieces including "Pygmalion," "Man and Superman," and "My Fair Lady."
Don’t get me wrong, I understand that some of the greatest advancements of the modern world have been made solely through hard work and education, and that’s great—for those disciplined individuals who are willing to sit through four years of high school, four years of college, three years of graduate school, and a possible eight years of specialty training. Sure, without the doctors, physicists, and engineers of history and modern existence, our comfortable lives that we so often take for granted would regress. But what about those people who defied all odds, who ignored the constant battering of teachers and parents, and who are now credited for some of the greatest and influential works of art, literature, and innovation? I’m not saying it’s probable, I’m just saying it’s possible.
I know what you’re thinking: "Okay fine, it’s not impossible. But something like that could never happen in Libertyville; there’s just no way." Well, you’re wrong.
In the fall of his second senior year, famous actor Marlon Brando Jr. was expelled from LHS after a dramatic display of riding his motorcycle through the halls. Brando did not receive his high school diploma nor did he obtain any record of achievement at Libertyville, academic achievement that is. At the notice of his expulsion, he was immediately enrolled in Shattuck Military Academy, and, not surprisingly, Brando was expelled once again in his final year when he snuck into town after being put on probation.
Regardless of common opinions and teachers’ expectations, Brando pursued his interest in acting and proved first-hand that success without schooling is achievable. He went on to star in productions such as On the Waterfront, The Score, and most famously, The Godfather, where he played Don Corleone, a hard-headed, crime-driven father. Some other incredibly successful high school non-graduates include Andrew Carnegie, H.G. Wells, Richard Branson, Katy Perry, Tom Anderson, Leonardo Dicaprio, Walt Disney, and Jay-Z.
So many students find themselves bored in school and often living in a world inside their heads, a feeling that all high school students experience at one time or another. What people don’t realize is that the kids who are constantly exploring the world of unconventional imagination aren’t "distracted" because of their lack of ability or intellectual capacity; it’s that the desire to memorize formulas and process equations just isn’t there. Not only are these students often able to come up with original ideas, but, more importantly, they are the ones willing to risk the security of a degree in order to make their dreams a reality. And, unfortunately, the idea that personal confidence in one’s interests and aspirations can be more powerful than a 4.0 GPA, is often overlooked.
In fact, Albert Einstein, the father of modern physics himself, found school boring and tedious and often received bad marks.
From a young age, the typical American parents promise their kids that high school is essential to achieving any level of financial success or stability. Of course, this may be true to some extent, but it’s certainly not an unbreakable rule. Sure, the preliminaries of high school can provide a student with lasting skills valuable for later in life, but education is not the only path to success, nor is success one-dimensional.