Was graduating high school seen as an accomplishment for you?

Question

It's graduation season and my husband and I were talking about our high school graduations and how everyone seems to be making a big deal about their young family members graduating high school, but for us, it wasn't seen as an accomplishment, but more as an expectation/a given.

Cynicaldreamer · Accepted Answer

Not really, if anything it was expected- at least for me. I made all As and Bs in school and graduated top of my class, so my parents weren't shocked by it. I know for most kids that's a big deal, and yeah, good for them! But I would think finishing high school and graduating should be a norm; not something you celebrate.

Now when I graduated college? That was a HUGE accomplishment! Unlike high school, college isn't really necessity unless you're pursuing a specific career or profession... and even then some college degrees are overrated in my opinion.
With that being said, attaining a degree in something to better yourself, do better in life, or get ahead in the job market? That is an accomplishment!

nopedydoo · Accepted Answer

I'm graduating in a month and honestly I don't see it as an accomplishment.
the only reason I'm going is because my friends begged me to.
otherwise it just seems like a waste of time to me. idc about seeing 800 other kids, most of whom I don't know or idc about, get their diplomas, nor do I want to listen to 50 different speeches.
in a hs with a nearly 100% graduation rate, it's not an accomplishment, it's judt the norm.
i assume I'd feel different if I was a first generation hs graduate or if my school had a very low graduation rate

jgokgotit · Accepted Answer

My family and I had different thoughts on this. To me graduating high school was no big deal. I did not want to attend my graduation because the school I graduated from was not the one I spent most of high school at. I was there for literally 4 months when my mom retired from the Army and I knew nobody there. I did not want to go because the friends I knew and expected to graduate with were at my old school. However, my family insisted I walk the stage and saw it as a great accomplishment. Maybe to them it was because I was the first in my family to graduate high school.

sensible27 · Accepted Answer

I think it's seen as an event primarily because of the "decision" that lie around that same time frame, you've to choose the subjects and for some people the next few years might dictate what a good percentage of your/their life might look like. I don't think I ever took high school "seriously", i remember I wouldn't study and at the end a day before exam I would panic and just study all night. I don't really remember if I even ever saw the results but I think I had an over-all decent grade, just bad in my home language (a b or something.., might even have been a c).

MTC29 · Answer

No big deal. In the United States, gradating high school was more or less automatic during the 1970's. You had to really screw up bad just to be held back a year, much less not graduate with your class. Even so, graduating high school was my first step in adult life.

BeMuse · Answer

It was no big deal. I remember going for some grub and getting really drunk to endure the painstaking boredom of graduation pageantry when I graduated High School… After that I just told them to send my college degrees in the mail and skipped the fuss.

Apple1996 · Answer

Definitely was a accomplishment for me. I was pregnant in high school and could have so easily given up but I chose to work my hardest and even managed to finish school 6 months early. I remember showing up to the graduation ceremony and my classmates couldn't believe I was there cause they thought I had dropped out. If I didn't have extra struggles I wouldn't have thought of it as a accomplishment so I'm sure others that had to go more struggles then the average kid feels that way to.

Smashingdoozy · Answer

I got my GED when I was 16 and left school graduation was always weird to me. Like you don't exactly choose to go to high school. You're looked at disappointedly if you want to leave yet you can be successful without the high school cap and gown photos.

Inexpensivefurniture · Answer

Given that both my brother or sister dropped out and never graduated, and that I was dealing with a hugely debilitating, painful illness that made me miss 40% or more of my classes for grade 11 and 12, yes graduating was a big accomplishment for me. Especially because I finished the language program I had been in for 13 years and earned my biligual certificate as well

TheBigGuy9 · Answer

That’s why I laugh at people who think the government giving away 2 years of community college for free is a joke. Community college is for people who were too dumb to get into a 4 year college and you have to be really dumb to not be able to do that. I had a 2.8 High school average because I never much cared. In college, I had a 3.9.

RawIronhide · Answer

It was like nothing happened, no one cared. Not my perents or friends or teachers. The only thing that changed was that I'm no longer allowed on school premises anymore, honestly it's a joke.

DizzyDesii · Answer

It was just an expectation at first. But then i ended up graduating top 2 so i had to give a salutatorian speech and crap 🙈 then it became more of an accomplishment

Static_In_The_Attic · Answer

Some would call it an accomplishment I called it making parole. As for me I made the National Honors Society & more & with all honesty I couldn’t wait to get out.

AlexanderAnttila · Answer

The graduation was ceremonious and jubilant of course, more so because it marked my entrance to adulthood. But of course it was expected.

lolman95 · Answer

It's expected. But just because it's expected, doesn't mean it can't be celebrated. I mean we celebrate the day we're born...

GoodGuyBreakingBad · Answer

Graduating was expecting, I'm the Class 86 and we have our 35 reunion coming up and none of them fools will remember oh though I am on Class-mates. com

Sevenpointfive · Answer

it was kind of both. i don't think anyone doubted we wouldn't finish, but it was a big deal when we did. i didn't get it at all

exitseven · Answer

I expected to graduate from high school. College graduation was a big deal for me because it took me three tries.

Leavesbound · Answer

Yes it was a struggle at times so it was a proud moment for me.

Sonorous · Answer

I um... *smacks lips* dropped out of highschool 👄 so iono

Avicenna · Answer

It’s because it’s a rite of passage from childhood to adulthood

worldscolide · Answer

Graduating was expected. On that same token, i graduated nearly 3 years early.

llcanon · Answer

Whenever one starts something and successfully complete a challenge it is an accomplishment whether it is something you expect.

OnTheLevel · Answer

It was expected in my family. The whole graduation thing is getting out of hand. My kids had "graduations" from Jr High lol

JamieLoves · Answer

College was expected too! No one I knew didn’t go to college or had parents that didn’t expect us to ,

COMMODOREII · Answer

Yeah it was more expected. What would be an accomplishment would be graduating college.

msc545 · Answer

Nope. Did not graduate high school. Went directly to college, thank God.

MOUNTAINTOPD2 · Answer

I WISH I WOULD HAVE DROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL it's all a lie

Susjsm · Answer

Not every high school is as easy as the one in the us...

BCRanger10 · Answer

No. It was more an expectation.

Dontaaa · Answer

It feels more of an expectation to me.

Becky316 · Answer

For me, it was a bit of both

Rina_colada · Answer

Personally, I had a good GPA and did all my work.

Iamcoming · Answer

No already this is a normal thing

CowboyAceTre · Answer

I never graduated high school.

midnightmoon05 · Answer

Nope

jimmy2 · Answer

Its really good in this pandemic

Asianguy123 · Answer

for me it was gaining freedom.

EaterPeter · Answer

Neither?

ItsMeItsMe1989 · Answer

yeah

Was graduating high school seen as an accomplishment for you?

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