Dropping out of school. A choice or ... ?

If I had dropped out of school, I would consider myself fortunate because:

• I'm working for a job that gives me a living; some people found jobs without getting a degree. Why pursue a degree then?
• There are too many qualified people out there who have graduated and earned a masters degree and haven't got a job. I consider myself lucky to have not wasted half a decade of my life for nothing.
• I can learn everything they teach at school, at home. Online makes everything accessible. Why waste money when you can get it for free?!
• I've saved myself from all the headache that comes with schools. The bullying, the tension, the exams, the failures ... I have a better life at home

Yet, I still have the good sense to admit that though I may have seen some advantages; I'd be missing out on a whole bunch of stuff:

• You can't learn much learning at home. The whole point of a school is to engage into an actual discussion. Without that, you're only discovering what appears on your screen.
• You're narrowing your job opportunities. Even with the existence of educated people with no jobs, the chances of them getting a job is still higher than yours.
• Knowledge gives you self confidence and increases your self esteem.
• Finishing with at least a high school degree is not considered a waste of time. What you learn in school is what will help you succeed in whatever job you decide to apply to.

• Every year, over 1.2 million students drop out of high school in the United States alone.
• A high school dropout will earn $200,000 less than a high school graduate over his lifetime. And almost a million dollars less than a college graduate.
• Almost 2,000 high schools across the U.S. graduate less than 60% of their students.
• In the U.S., high school dropouts commit about 75% of crimes.
• About 25% of high school freshmen fail to graduate from high school on time.