I remember watching that Freakonomics documentary on Netflix a decade ago. One of the authors mentions "not getting a HS degree is an economic death sentence". I guess times have changed.
But let's be real, not having a HS diploma, for most people, means that they can't progress to the next level - no college, no military, and probably no skilled trades. So it is kind of an economic death sentence. The exceptions are if you are extremely smart and talented (and if you are, you can get a GED with almost no effort).
Football (soccer) players sometimes don't have their high school degrees, but they have training in a high paying profession.
Same goes with people who can code.