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I dropped out of high school because I didn't like that school... I wasn't learning anything whatsoever there, lousy teachers, etc. A lot of the kids actually threw away their homework they were given as they walked out the door after the bell rang, right in front of the teacher!
Anyway... I left there when I could. However, I'm noticing a lot of jobs saying they require a high school diploma or GED, while some don't. Now unless I check the high school diploma box even though I don't have one, I can't sign up for those jobs.
Should I take a GED test? It seems like a great option for me.
hmm vocational school
Hopefully you wont need a GED
Be an elevator repair man
Enjoy your 6 figure salary
GED and high school diploma are supposed to be the same thing or "equivalent." I took the GED test after moving to a new place because hs didn't accept me for my senior year due to my age. What a bummer! I should have graduated hs with 3.5GPA GED test is super easy, take it and get on with your life. Everywhere is require at least GED/hs diploma.
One more thing, definitely check out Vocational Schools. Learning a trade will not take as long, and most are great paying careers. There are many occupations that are in demand and that will continue to be.
I know a lot of kids who got their GED and went on from there to community college. They were not frowned upon, they all did super well or are doing great in college. I went all the way through, my parents wouldn't have ever let me drop out, and I am glad for that - but if school isn't your thing a GED is a good option. Colleges don't seem to care about all that once you're out of Community College with an Associates.
Thirty years after I dropped out of HS in Grade 11 in Canada I went and got a GED. It was very fortunate I did because virtually every job that I wanted required a HS diploma or GED. I can't imagine how anyone could get a decent job nowadays without one or the other. Key words there are "decent job". I had a business for a long time and sold it and was getting back into the job market.
A GED is in no way equivalent to HS diploma and I have noticed more and more companies are requiring a HS diploma. I guess many companies have realized that you don't really need much for brains to get a GED. I guess that I would say the most important thing to get a GED is to have pretty good reading skills because many of the questions are such that if you don't read them very carefully and understand them you will flunk.
To give you some idea how easy the tests are - In HS I had pretty lousy marks. On the GED I think every one of my marks was over 85 percentile and some were over 90. Of course one major key to this was when I was in school I didn't really care. When I went for the GED I did care and studied accordingly.
You can get a big book of questions that has the questions in it that have been on previous GED tests which is what I used to study. Of course the same questions aren't on the test necessarily but it is an excellent study guide for all the subjects and is not terribly expensive, atleast it wasn't when I bought it.
I just checked. These books are under $15.00 on Amazon.
Last edited by 13levine; 02-24-2013 at 11:11 AM..
Reason: info
The GED is a big red flag for SOME employers and/or schools that screams "This kid is a screw-up who couldn't sit still for four years and take direction like everyone else, so why do I want to deal with that?" That's especially true if you're young and have no job experience in lieu of an education.
If OP is young enough to get a regular diploma then go back and get it. If not, the GED is certainly better than being a dropout.
And as someone posted, a GED with an associates or bachelors is the way to open even more doors.
That said, get the diploma if you can but a GED is better than nothing.
But don't stop there, keep your education going, keep yourself relevant and valuable to current and potential employers.
Sure, you always hear stories about how someone with a GED went on to make 6 figures a year but I can safely say that those are exceptions and not rules.
Whether you go to community college or tech school, just go to school. Get that piece of paper and make your life easier.
I have a buddy who wondered why he was making less as a painter but doing more work than his chiropractor...
You can Google it all day long but on average, throughout the course of a life time, the college graduate makes more than the HS diploma.
And it's not just about money. If you had a choice between the same pay and more physical work or less physical work that saves your body, which one would you choose?
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GED test is super easy, take it and get on with your life. Everywhere is require at least GED/hs diploma.
