[Coda]

As for high school... High school is a much different scenario.

One, it's publicly-funded, so you're not sinking money into it. It's a FREE way to improve your life.

Two, at least in the US, if you're under 18 you're not going to be able to enter into contracts on your own ANYWAY, so you're out of luck on getting a meaningful job.

Three, with the exception of high-end honors classes, the stuff taught in high school actually DOES make a difference in day-to-day life in the real world. (Honors classes are more useful for college prep, or to keep people who are naturally inquisitive from getting too painfully bored with high school.) And even those exceptions can prove useful sometimes.

Four, the teenage years are especially important in social development. Going through high school USUALLY results in people who are more capable of dealing with social situations, more capable of handling pressure, and in general more mature. Yes, there are exceptions, but if your worst problem is feeling like it's a waste of time you probably aren't one of those.

The irony of the situation is that teenagers don't yet have the life experience to put the high school experience into perspective. I've heard plenty of people regret college, but it's rare that I hear someone over 25 wish that they had dropped out of high school.