After dropping out of high school, he found that many employers require a high school diploma. He returned to school and graduated. Thirty years ago, many workers could earn an adequate living without a diploma, but today's dropouts earn less. On almost a daily basis, Meg Becker of Remedy Intelligent Staffing, a Corpus Christi temp agency, sees high school dropouts looking for work. Thirty years ago, a high school diploma wasn't necessarily a prerequisite for a middle class life.
Jobs today are so much more automated and they require more skills.
Impact on city Click to enlarge High school dropouts don't only hamper their own earning power. Too many high school dropouts can cripple a community economically by scaring off companies considering relocating there. If you don't meet their minimum threshold, they won't look at you. Among area economic and workforce development officials, the Coastal Bend's dropout rate is a serious concern. The 1990 census revealed that about 30 percent of Nueces County's population age 25 and older did not have a high school diploma.