At my wits end - ds (yr 12 nearly 18)

[chody47]

Honestly, he sounds a little like my DH. My DH was fine at school (I didn't know him then, but his grades tell the story), but as soon as he moved onto Uni he seemed to stop caring. Didn't turn up to classes, didn't do his work. He failed so many topics which is ridiculous cause he's super smart.He spent 4 years there and, if he was lucky, completed enough topics for half a degree. He swapped degrees once or twice in there too. Basically, he just wasn't interested in what he was doing.

In the end he just had to get out in the real world and get a job. He's ended up in banking and loves it and has moved well up the ranks (even without a qualification). Amazingly he just came to me last week and said he wants to study externally next year and work towards a banking degree.

I guess my point to the story is that maybe you should just let him leave school if that's what he wants and decide what interests him. It could be some other study or it could be an apprenticeship or a job. As he is smart he will probably find that that gets him a reasonable distance into his career and then he can possibly refine his skills a bit more in the future.

[~clover~]

I agree with the other posters. I know plenty of people who didn't complete year 12, yet have still been successful. My own brother didn't even finish year 10, then spent 3 years refusing to even work. But now he owns his own business & is in the process of buying his first home.

I suggest not letting him leave school without something else lined up. Find out what he's into & enrol him in a tafe course. Or send him out looking for an apprenticeship, or even just unpaid work experience, doing something he is interested in. He could do a 3 day tafe course & 2 days work experience. Maybe its mechanics, or panel beating? Graphics design? The things that interest him everyday are what he should try find something in. He may not make a career out of it, but it might keep him interested enough & get him at least in the door. Then if he decides to go further, he can get advise as to what to do next, as well as a reference from the employer.

My BIL will be 18 in January. He had all intentions of finishing year 12, but dropped out this year (11). He worked at Macca's for a few months last year, but he had no interest in that & hated every minute. He now has an apprenticeship at some metal work company I think. He's been there for a good few months & is very happy there