15-year-old's plan sounds solid

Q: Our 15-year-old son has just announced that he is quitting school when he turns 16 in April. His plan is to wait six months (the required waiting period), enroll in a GED program, and then join some branch of the military as soon as they'll take him. He thinks he can get the Army to send him to college, where he wants to learn computer programming. He's a very bright kid who made very good grades, without much effort. Since then, he's been a consistent underachiever, but not a troublemaker. We're very concerned and have even told him we won't allow it, but he says we can't stop him.

I think your son has a better grasp on his future than probably 90 percent of kids his age. Bully for him. First, he's realized that he can obtain a marketable diploma -- one that will admit him to the armed services and even to most colleges -- before his peers graduate from high school. Second, he has a coherent, rational plan for the next decade of his life. Not many kids his age have that same degree of foresight.

Mind you, if he was a certified slacker, I would affirm your disapproval. But your son has a realistic vision of his future and a strategy for getting there. Dropping out of high school is not a good idea, generally speaking. But research reports the norm, to which there are always individual exceptions, such as my friend Don. Don dropped out of high school and spent six years in the Army, earning his GED in the process. When he was honorably discharged, he went to college, then medical school. Today, he is one of the most sought-after pediatricians in his town. Support your son in his decision.

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