Last year my older son dropped out of school in the middle of grade 12.  He's a very smart kid, without any addictions or life-threatening bad habits.  He was bored, and lazy, and school turned into a battle of wills between him and me and his mother and the school.

When he quit, I told him that as of that week he was paying me rent.  He responded that he wasn't working and couldn't be expected to pay.  I replied, in my best Tony Soprano imitation, that where he got the rent money wasn't my f***ing problem.

The next day he had a job as a helper on a construction site.  Three months after that he had passed a course as an apprentice (rebar) ironworker, and was in the union making 60% of a journeyman's wage.  Now he's moved further up the scale as he progresses to journeyman status, has taken welding courses and is working on his structural ironworker ticket.

He works all the hours God sends,  has several thousand in the bank, plans to finish his tickets, save enough money to go to acting school, which is his first love.

None of this was done with intention of looking "cool."  Dropping out isn't always a road to disaster.