After attending Salesian High School, an all-boys Catholic school for his first year, Dirnt transferred to Pinole Valley High School, where Armstrong had also recently transferred from John Swett High School. Dirnt's family struggled with financial troubles; in an effort to help out, he worked as a chef at Nantucket, a seafood restaurant in Crockett. He eventually saved up enough money to purchase a used pickup truck that he and Armstrong often drove to Berkeley to attend shows at 924 Gilman Street, an influential DIY punk club. The pair got jobs at the club as security guards, despite their small physiques. Dirnt recalled, "We lived and died for that place. At that time, it meant everything."