My annoying situation with my high school and internships

Last summer in 2023, I had to decide what to study. My options were limited since I live on a small island, but computer science was one of them. Red flags were already present for me, as the formal name for the class was "IT support person" (IT-stödperson), which isn't what I am. Nonetheless, it was still the one closest to what I want to do.

I already knew the education would be far too easy for me, but every time I brought up not attending high school to my parents, they became VERY upset. I posted a question on a Swedish subreddit about whether I should attend, even if I already know everything they will teach. I got downvoted like crazy, and when I mentioned I already had a job, they downvoted me even more.

Many said that it would be very unlikely to get a well-paid job in IT without a high school education. However, based on my own experience, I don't agree with that. Perhaps for some big corporations, but for modern companies, they will look at your actual experience; otherwise, it's a pretty shit company.

The reddit comments also said that you would be perceived as uneducated, and I guess that's the general view Swedes have on skipping high school.

But does it really matter if you are making money anyway? That's what I'm wondering.

What I am doing in school

Currently, I am unemployed and stuck in this shithole of a school. Okay, so listen. This education program might be good for people who have never touched computers or code in their whole life. I have been doing this for at least 5 years now, and even the teachers have said I know everything they teach.

At first, they were mad at me because I wasn't doing what I should have been. I didn't because it was way too easy. Then, when I told them about my experience, they were impressed and suggested finishing it in 2 years instead of 3. This all sounded good to me.

But then they explained it wasn't possible to do the theoretical subjects faster than 3 years. So here I am, and have to be in school until I'm 19 if I continue like this. I don't want that to fucking happen.

Until very recently, I thought getting paid during an internship would be possible, since I perform tasks that a regular employee could do. However, after I brought it up during my current internship, they told me that it wasn't possible at all. So now, I have been working a full-time job for a month without any pay. Why should I still be in high school, learning very little and being forced to do child labor, when I could instead work a well-paying job?

Then, in certain theoretical subjects, I have teachers literally targeting me. Whenever I do something they don't like, they get super mad. Once, I was studying some Chinese phrases in an English class after I had finished the assignment for that lesson. When the teacher saw it, she threw a hefty fit. But when I looked next to me, people were literally playing Roblox, and she didn't care.

A Reddit comment mentioned that high school is good for making contacts, which I don't directly want to deny. Yes, of course, I am making contacts here, but I could make better contacts by working with people who are better than me, people from whom I can learn. I think it's much more fun to socialize with people who share similar goals, not just individuals who get a degree, do the bare minimum, and end up in a 9-5 job for the rest of their lives.

I want to quit, but I can't?

I first need to say this. Holy fuck it's annoying being under 18 and regulated by everything and everyone.

Literally everybody in my class wonders what the hell I am doing there, including myself. They have all seen my experience and know I can easily create startups or get a job. But it makes it damn hard when I'm forced to attend this school. It also drains my energy and creativity, so I don't often have the motivation to code when I get home.

I want to quit high school since I honestly don't see a single reason why I need it. Is learning more about the earth in Geography, about what people named mushroom parts 100 years ago in Swedish in Biology, or about how to calculate something AI can do for you in Maths really necessary? No, right, unless it specifically interests you.

Okay, yes, it can be good to gain a more general understanding of subjects, but I rarely remember much information from this approach. I have to study for the test, memorize the material, and then promptly forget it because it doesn't hold my interest. And it doesn't help that some teachers are so boring and trash at explaining concepts that I end up having to search for how to do everything myself afterward.

But those are just the theoretical subjects; then there are the computer-related subjects. There, I already know everything they teach. I have finally made the teachers agree to let me take final "exams" directly on some subjects. But the damn unpaid internships are still there. And even though I do the final exams to pass the subjects faster, it takes forever and will not make me graduate earlier anyway.

In some of the computer-related subjects, we simply have a teacher enter the room, say hello, sit down, inform us about assignments in our school system, and say no more. These lessons usually last two hours, and the assignments are finished in less than 30 minutes. These lessons feel completely worthless and like a waste of time and energy.

I go to school for three years, learn near to nothing, do unpaid internships to get a "degree" so I can continue studying in uni. But I don't even want to go to uni. This seems like three wasted years to me.

Not possible

Now you should understand why I feel like I do about the school.

I don't want to waste all these years where I'm healthy, have good motivation and good possibilities. I don't know what could happen in the future. Maybe I will have lost my left arm or my vision. Then, my chance to pursue my dreams would be over.

I don't know how the high school situation is in other countries. Here you start high school at 16 and it is not compulsory, therefore I can legally quit, but I know it required in some countries. Maybe then the education actually could teach something useful, and internships could get you paid?

Now, don't get me wrong here. I have tried to convince my parents about my school situation ever since I started high school. They still don't agree after all this time and still become mad whenever I bring it up.

My parents are saying that I need high school to get a job, to gain basic knowledge, to be able to apply for uni, and that "you are not quitting high school because it is something everybody needs to do." As stated before, I agree with some parts, but wasting three years isn't really worth it. I honestly think they mostly are scared of me ending up on the streets with no income, and that they will see it as a failure if their child dropped out of high school.

They say that if I quit, they will not allow me to live with them anymore, they will not sign anything bank or company related, and not allow me to move outside the country. And since I'm under 18, I can't do much because the legal system requires parental consent for literally EVERYTHING I want to do when I'm under 18. I will not be able to continue with my company at all until I'm 18 in that case. I guess they just are parents that care, but it's super annoying.

Ever since I was a kid, they have been trying to restrict me with everything, and a few years ago they were controlling my screen time so strictly. My classmates could use their computers every day, but I could only use mine for 1.5 hours every other day. Then they added Microsoft screentime, made the router block my MAC, and whatever. It made me so mad that I started learning how to bypass it. Eventually, they realized they couldn't continue with it since it didn't work and was super messed up. Why should I be restricted from using my computer when I'm learning stuff online?

And I have a friend who has it much worse. He has one parent who doesn't even allow him to get, for example, a bank account or passport. This is so annoying because why do you have to be so controlled by others under 18? I hate it, I hate being restricted from doing what I love and what I dream about.

What now?

I have one thing clear: I don't like this school. And the unpaid internships were the bottom line. As if being forced multiple one-month unpaid internships wasn't already frustrating enough, I've now discovered that I'll have to have an unpaid internship for five consecutive months next year

There are a few alternative choices I can do here and I will cover them each.

Drop out right now

This will make my life horrible if I don't get my parents to agree to it. This is because my parents still have the upper hand when it comes to the legal side (I'm not 18). Then my life for the next two years would be a mess.

Continue normally for three years

I don't know if I should include this as an alternative since I REALLY don't want it. I would have three years of boredom and wasted time where I could have earned income instead of working unpaid internships.

Go to school, but don't care

I could go to school, and only work on my own stuff. Though this is annoying since just being in the school building drains my motivation.

Negotiate for getting a degree as quick as possible

It could be possible to negotiate to get a degree as quick as possible, but since they said the two year thing couldn't work out, I'm not too sure.

Get a job, show parents that I can earn more money than them and they will let me drop out

One reason they won't let me quit is probably because I don't have a solid income. They keep telling me to get a summer job or some random thing, but I don't want to work as an ice cream man or whatever.

One possible plan could be to get a well-paying job that I can do while I go to school. This wouldn't be a long-term job, maybe only a few months, to save up as starting capital for when I move to Asia at 18.

This sounds like the most reasonable option, but I'm just scared of getting too comfortable in a regular job and forgetting about startups. I actually have one startup idea in mind right now, which I think could work, but I'm not sure whether I should wait until I'm 18 to pursue it. Because when I start some ideas now, I create them, then get fed up with legal issues since I'm under 18, then lose motivation.

Actually, now that I'm writing this, it seems like an actual good idea, and I will try to get something for a few months. I really need that starting capital for when I'm 18. Yes I would move if I could right now, but once again, I can't.

Maybe then I could perform the "internships" at the company I already work for and then get the degree while getting paid. But if they wouldn't allow this, I'm literally going to quit.

Conclusion

While quitting without parental consent is legal, it will be a fucking hell-hole for me (thanks parents ig?). I will try getting a job while I'm in school to at least contribute some to my starting capital to when I'm 18 and moving to Asia.