There is so much social and cultural pressure for young people to "get a job." The media is full of that kind of message -- that without your HS diploma, or college degree, or whatever, you'll never be able to "get a good job."
Getting a job is the economic option of last resort. It should never be a final goal, not for a bright, independent-minded person. (I suppose that, in some specialized fields, there is no such thing as self-employment or self-education, thanks to the monopoly of the State, but in general, for people who want their job to provide the best income, the way to go is entrepreneurship, not employment.)
I can certainly understand getting a survival job at Starbucks or Best Buy to make ends meet. One does what one must, and I have certainly done my share of it. But I can't think of a single time when an employer actually verified my education level. I don't recommend going around lying, of course, but isn't it possible to get an entry-level job without actually having a HS diploma? I would think that a person who can add, write, speak clearly and politely, maintain a clean, presentable appearance, show up regularly, stay awake and solve basic problems would be a valuable employee regardless of certification by a government school. Isn't it possible to get a job at places like Home Depot without one?
My point is that all of the outrageous and constant fear-mongering about how you'll never amount to anything in life without a government-certified (non-education) strikes me as phony -- a paper tiger, smoke and mirrors, an empty threat. Maybe someone with real-world experience at job-hunting can educate me on the realities of youth employment here in the post-Internet era.
“I do not ask that you place hands upon the tyrant to topple him over,
but simply that you support him no longer; then you will behold him,
like a great Colossus whose pedestal has been pulled away, fall of his
own weight and break into pieces.”
-- Étienne de la Boétie