Believe me kid, I'm in your same position in life. Unless you want to work retail or construction for crappy pay and little respect, stay in school. There are plenty of Home Depot's, Wal-Marts, K-Marts, Best Buys and gas stations out there willing to hire you for $6 an hour. I was looking this summer at my options without a diploma (well, I have a HS diploma, but thats nothing). The best job I could hope for in my field is working for Verizon's call center making 7.50 an hour. Not bad, but after paying for gas and parking (cause it's in a city), I'd be making substantially less. I said screw it and went on for my 4-yr.
Now, I'm being offered a job to install fiber-optic lines in the capital region of New York. $16 an hour over the summer, and when I'm done with school I'm sure I'll be qualified for a raise. Going to school is the smartest choice you can make. You're covered under your parents insurance while you're in school, the cops don't care what you do (as long as its not a felony), and you can make your own schedule. You'll have loans to pay back, but everyone does. Point is, once you start working you never stop, and you're chances of going back to school after that degrade rapidly over the months. Don't sell out your future just so you can start working 3-4 years early.
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Now, I'm being offered a job to install fiber-optic lines in the capital region of New York. $16 an hour over the summer, and when I'm done with school I'm sure I'll be qualified for a raise. Going to school is the smartest choice you can make. You're covered under your parents insurance while you're in school, the cops don't care what you do (as long as its not a felony), and you can make your own schedule. You'll have loans to pay back, but everyone does. Point is, once you start working you never stop, and you're chances of going back to school after that degrade rapidly over the months. Don't sell out your future just so you can start working 3-4 years early.