G.E.D. vs High school diploma

[EvilJester400EX]

Pros cons?

Is it really that bad to go through life with a G.E.D.?

If anyone's gotten their GED and gone on to higher education, speak up.

[tim colston]

Stay in school. GED's are for losers. High school is not hard. The only way a GED is acceptable is if you had a medical reason or something like. My opinion

[quadgod440ex]

I got a GED and i make 60,000+ as a mechanic for my township water dept/public works/ Police and i was working full time when normally i would have been in school so i started saving alittle early , i have no complaints. Its just something you have to decide on .

[30liveStar]

I dont think legally there is a difference... However, i would think that someone with their highschool diploma would ALWAYS have a 1 up on someone who didnt because it makes it SEEM like you dropped out (ie=you are unreliable)...

I would stay in school - the only way you should axe highschool is if you KNOW for a fact you can get accepted into a trades apprentice program (plumbing, electrical, ect...)

Good luck.

[EvilJester400EX]

Yeah. I know that having a diploma is a one up on a GED, it's just an idea I've been kicking around and wouldn't mind getting more opinions on from people that have gotten GED's and have successful careers.

[bradley300]

it is possible to get a decent job w/ a GED, but most people that hire are going to see a person with a GED as a half asser that cant commit to something or just doesnt want to do the work. i know alot of people that do the hiring/firing that will chit can a resume as soon as soon as they see GED instead of a high school diploma

a GED only means your education is equivilent, but it says loads more about your personality and work ethic

[tim colston]

Originally posted by bradley300
it is possible to get a decent job w/ a GED, but most people that hire are going to see a person with a GED as a half asser that cant commit to something or just doesnt want to do the work. i know alot of people that do the hiring/firing that will chit can a resume as soon as soon as they see GED instead of a high school diploma

a GED only means your education is equivilent, but it says loads more about your personality and work ethic

Well said.

[Guy400]

Originally posted by bradley300
it is possible to get a decent job w/ a GED, but most people that hire are going to see a person with a GED as a half asser that cant commit to something or just doesnt want to do the work. i know alot of people that do the hiring/firing that will chit can a resume as soon as soon as they see GED instead of a high school diploma

a GED only means your education is equivilent, but it says loads more about your personality and work ethic This is exactly right. I work for a large corporation and can tell you that a high school diploma has more merit than a GED. Typically a GED tells me that you couldn't hack school and you took the easy way out.

Of course there are success stories for those with GEDs but I will guarantee you that the average income for someone with a GED is less than that of someone with an actual diploma. You hear stories of homeless people winning the lotto, that doesn't mean we should all choose to be homeless and wait for that golden ticket.

get the ged...i'm a restaurant owner, and i always need dishwashers....:devil: :devil: ...i'm sure macdonalds needs another 30 yr. old at the drive thru too!!

[Guy400]

Originally posted by dlerch
get the ged...i'm a restaurant owner, and i always need dishwashers....:devil: :devil: ...i'm sure macdonalds needs another 30 yr. old at the drive thru too!! On an otherwise serious topic, that's funny **** right there :D

[killerofcrows48]

Originally posted by dlerch
get the ged...i'm a restaurant owner, and i always need dishwashers....:devil: :devil: ...i'm sure macdonalds needs another 30 yr. old at the drive thru too!!

ouch...I bet that one hurt

[Regular_Joe]

Many people have said it. Its not about the work or knowledge, its what it says about you. Most likely your a slacker or had some issue where you couldn't make highschool work .... and if you can't hack highschool ..... good luck int he real world.

On the flip side you can pull it off if you have good reason. If you pull off a GED at 16 and ace it so you can go to college earlier or something ..... then thats a whole nother ballgame .....

[bwamos]

The only time a GED vs. a High School Diploma won't have a negative impact in getting a job, is if you get the GED to go to college early and actually finish your college degree.

[400EXTRA]

WHAT A WASTE WHY DROP OUT ONLY LAZY WORTHLESS PIECES OF ****S DROP OUT

looks like alot of people on here got brainwashed that droping out is bad...go ask your grandparents how many of their friends droped out....success in life dont matter how many degrees you have or if you even have a high school diploma, it is all about work ethic...i know PLENTY of people that droped out and they have millions more then my aunt, shes 46 and a doctor, still paying those student loans...


if u choose to go to college, or drop out, its all your choice, just work hard at whatever you do and youll succeed...i know kids that have 4.0, got a 35 on the ACT and literally got accepted to harvard and yale...i am doing better in life then them...and i cheated through high school

[bwamos]

Originally posted by Honda86
looks like alot of people on here got brainwashed that droping out is bad...go ask your grandparents how many of their friends droped out....success in life dont matter how many degrees you have or if you even have a high school diploma, it is all about work ethic...i know PLENTY of people that droped out and they have millions more then my aunt, shes 46 and a doctor, still paying those student loans...


if u choose to go to college, or drop out, its all your choice, just work hard at whatever you do and youll succeed...i know kids that have 4.0, got a 35 on the ACT and literally got accepted to harvard and yale...i am doing better in life then them...and i cheated through high school

If they don't have the work ethic to finish another couple months of school, then how are they going to have the work ethic to suceed?

There are always exceptions to the rule.. but generally 99% of the people out there aren't a exception.. ;)

My grandfather dropped out, not because he was lazy, but to join the fight in WW2.

The OP is 18. He should be a senior with 3 months left of HS. Without a seriously good reason to drop out, it's just silly.

there is different types of worth ethics...like me i cannot sit a read 100 pages in a book, i just cant do it...but for me to do physical labor all day it isnt nearly as bad.....all of my grandparents droped out and every single great grandparents too...most of them dropped out around 7th or 8th grade and they are very knowledgable in many topics..my aunt was the first to go to college and graduate from college in my familly and she is not the most successful by any means....

i LOVE to talk to the older guys...guys that are in their late 70s, early 80s about different topics...there is a guy i know that is somewhere around the age of 75 and is funny to see their point of views on topics, especially college...most of them dont see the point in going...this old old man at about 75 or 80 owns a cement company and has millions to say the least, he told me to not buy into the whole college thing....he asked what do i like to do with my spare time? i said play hockey, work on quads, ride dirt bikes, snowmobiles, fishing etc....he asked why i was working at such a young age too (about 15 at the time) and i said well i have to be able to buy the things i want and he said thats so important....its VERY important for someone to know what they want and work for it...thats whats wrong with the whole college idea...if u havnt noticed college makes alot of people lazy, its all partys and no one really goes anywhere after that...but to the guy that can think OUTSIDE the box, get up early in the mourning and go to work day in and day out and be smart with his money and investments, hes the one that is going to succeed, not the guy that is told to get a 3.75 GPA or higher to get into such and such college....think for yourself and make your own choices....you can be very successful without college, i think its funyn when people say stuff like 400extra did


400EXTRA WHAT A WASTE WHY DROP OUT ONLY LAZY WORTHLESS PIECES OF ****S DROP OUT

like you said , ask the grandparents...different world when they dropped out of school...most of the competition also dropped out, now the competition has the diploma and a college degree...who do you think the employer likes better...some one who has the drive to finsh high scholl and college, or someone that couldn't finish one even high school?

the connotation of the ged says something about a person. becasue of that connotation, a good worker may not get a job over a lazy bum. look at the help wanted section...nearly everything in it has some type of training or experience needed.

I'll take that super sized please...

[katch26]

back in the day high school was more than enough, then jobs wanted at least 2 years of college, than 4 years now most companies see a undergraduate degree as the bare minimum.

Originally posted by Honda86
looks like alot of people on here got brainwashed that droping out is bad...go ask your grandparents how many of their friends droped out....success in life dont matter how many degrees you have or if you even have a high school diploma, it is all about work ethic...i know PLENTY of people that droped out and they have millions more then my aunt, shes 46 and a doctor, still paying those student loans...


if u choose to go to college, or drop out, its all your choice, just work hard at whatever you do and youll succeed...i know kids that have 4.0, got a 35 on the ACT and literally got accepted to harvard and yale...i am doing better in life then them...and i cheated through high school

i think that it's obvious that was a different time......and the prerequisites for jobs were a little less...

my earlier post was a little harsher than need be, but i was trying to make a point...most of the posts on here are close to my own feelings....a highschool diploma shows that you can make a commitment to finish what you start, that's important to an employer, and honestly i think it's obvious that when it's not an important issue the job usually isn't that high on the "totem pole" of social respectability, or payscale for that matter.....:ermm:

[y3llow400ex]

i have my ged. i think alot of emplyoers look at it as a good thing. u could have been that loser that never went and got ur ged but u made the effort on ur own time to go get it.

i dont see where the world has changed?? please explain what is so different about the world today...i see some jobs like doctors and lawyers that may need college and i agree but alot of jobs out there dont need it....it depends on what he wants to do with his life...i stayed in school and graduated, i look back now and i should have dropped out at 16 but oh well....not once has anyone asked if i graduated from HS or not...but sure some jobs is required...

[nowukno]

I got my GED , im 22 years old and make $50,000 + a year. If i could go back i would have finished high school but the results would be the same IMO.:ermm:

for some numbers, 50 grand a year is above the average income in america..did you guys know that there is more millionaires that DIDNT go to college rather then did....does anyone know why?? its pretty simple...but i want to see what everyone says

[nowukno]

Originally posted by Honda86
for some numbers, 50 grand a year is above the average income in america..did you guys know that there is more millionaires that DIDNT go to college rather then did....does anyone know why?? its pretty simple...but i want to see what everyone says


Maybe NBA players? lol , I have no idea.

haha no....not looking for a group of people for the answer, its more then that....anyone else have a guess?

sounds like you ahd your mind made up before you even asked the question...

most millionaires that do not have college degrees have either been able to save and invest wisely, have inherited their money, won the lottery, or been able to invent, patent, and sell their inventions(we can include making money off of internet applications such as napster)

i agree that one can do well without a diploma...i work about 156 days a year and earn about 30 grand just from that job. and i only have a diploma. 30 grand is above average for my area. i could def. earn more somewhere else, but i choose to keep my daughter near her grandparents.

the world has changed a lot. like i said, look at the help wanted section...i see cleaning jobs that require 2 years experience and a highschool diploma...the only thing that don't require some type of degree or experience is customer service for the public.

the reason there are more millions that didnt go to college is because the average person that dont go to college can think on his own...in america it is stamped in our brain that u go to school, u listen to the people above you...etc...but the people that can think on their own and have new ideas on ways to do things that arnt lazy, those are the people that get success, and the majority of those people choose not to go to college because of how their brain thinks...some of the brightest man in history were "uneducated" if thats what you want to call it....they think for themselves....


bare with me on this but this is just a simple example...say there are 2 kis both have dirty quads, one is told by his dad to wash it a certain way....bring out the hose, turn on the water, wash it the way i tell you...then theres another kids, he might have a different idea on how to get the same thing done, only faster and more efficent, its just one listens and is basically a robot and the other makes his own choices, they might not be as good or they might be better, but after he does a few thigns that dont work , he will find somethng that does and thats what its all about...


when i was young sometimes i wanted to take my dirt bike or quad into the shop to have it worked on cuz thats what i thought people were supposed to do and my dad taught me how important it is to fix things on your own and he let me work on the quad all by myself and sometimes i ddi it wrong and sometimes i didnt but he taught me how important it was to experiement on my own and think on my own...i cant tell you how many times i put something together wrong but like my grandpa always said to me "its not a mistake if you learned from it" because think about tha word.. MIS -TAKE it means you mis, or did something wrong from take...liek you reget it...but its not a mistake if you learn from it...sure its not correct but its not a mistake...


now days all these kids are told exactly what to do....another example is somethign as simple as a bed time....you are TOLD what time to go to bed and i never had a bedtime... my parents told me to go to bed when im tired...i would stay up to 2 or 3 on school nights, but i learned real fast on my own that hey i feel better the next day if i go to bed around 9 or 10...think about it thats all i am saying...dont go to college because they SAY SO....go to college because you think it would be good for you, if you think u can do without it, dont go...make your own choice and be smart..use your brain

[WHITE SEAT]

Originally posted by Honda86
for some numbers, 50 grand a year is above the average income in america..did you guys know that there is more millionaires that DIDNT go to college rather then did....does anyone know why?? its pretty simple...but i want to see what everyone says

They didn't waste time in college, they just started working at a young age....

[WHITE SEAT]

Honda86 I couldn't of said it better
Great Post

[mephyst]

Go to school...

The MAJORITY of people make more money by going to school and getting a degree than those who don't. Don't listen to these guys...

I agree that there are exceptions, but I'm just saying... the majority of people make more money by finishing school...

Whoever said they are making 50k and 60k a year, well you may be satisfied with that, but chances are you won't ever really have an opportunity to make more than that. Once I finish school at age....... 22, I will be making that my first year... easily.

[2004-400ex]

Originally posted by 400EXTRA
WHAT A WASTE WHY DROP OUT ONLY LAZY WORTHLESS PIECES OF ****S DROP OUT
my cousain dropped out of school because he had to work to help his mom pay for their house
now tell me how he is a worthless peice of **** or lazy

[250R-Dee]

Bad Work Ethic is a bad choice of words because I know many GED holders who took the test so they could skip high school and go on to college. I personally know TWO Phd holders who have GED's but they also scored in the 1500's on the SAT:D

I know another person who chose to take the GED instead of going to high school for an extra semester so he could attend college. He was a military brat who went to 4 high schools in three different states. Eventhough he had more than enough credits completed for to graduate in two of the states many of his credits didn't carryover from to last state because of the wording of the class descriptions. He also scored 1200+ on the SAT and was accepted to several colleges. Instead of wasting a semester retaking classes that had been passed he chose to ACE the GED and skip on to college. He made $105k+ (AFTER TAXES) last year and has a fat bank account, a nice car that is paid off, a nice house on the east coast, and a nice chunk of stock in the company that hired him :D

You have to look at the situation surrounding the taking of a GED. Hell, I know some junior high school drops who are millionaires!

yup my grandpa droped out in 6th grade, he was a millionaire...bottomline is college does help but you can do fine without it

[Pappy]

man this is going to go all kinds of ways, but it is a great topic and hopefully will stay a decent thread.....


when i was in high school, back in the mid 80's, quite honestly college was not an option for many of us. rural farm kids mixed with city kids who were quickly filling up the suburbs of farm country. i dont think i was ever asked what college i wanted to attend, i never even had thought of college. life was pretty simple, graduate, get a job, live life. times have changed somewhat, or have they?

it seems to me that everyone spouts college as the answer to your life, and that just is not so. a lazy person who doesnt want to work wont be making it wether he muddles through college or not. a hard working person can make a decent living+ simply because good work attitudes and hard work usually pay off.

i couldnt sit in a office 8 hours a day and punch a keyboard, or even stay in an office enviorment. i enjoy the outdoors,freedom and the joy of working with my hands. i can see where schooling would help someone who wanted to work in landscaping (small business management, accounting class or two, botaney etc) but in no way would a 4 year degree, a $500,000 college loan and a piece of paper ever make someone a good business man or employee. i know many people that have that paper on the wall and after the fact decided they couldnt hack what they went to school for. i know many many more that started with nothing and have fullfilled their dreams by working hard and smart, without a college degree.

college isnt for everyone, do not think that it is.....but the high school diploma/ged is and every effort should be made to get it and then decide what life style you want and work towards it. take it from someone who knows first hand, you will regret dropping out. stick it out, you will thank yourself down the road.

[Pappy]

here are a few reasons i have developed mixed views on a high school diploma versus a ged....


friend of mine failed 12th grade, he received his diploma by mistake 2 weeks after graduation. no one to this day has ever questioned it.


brother in law has a high school diploma, but couldnt do multiplication, division and not much past simple addition and subtraction, or spell anything beyond the basic words any 5th grader could spell. to this day (he is 33) he can not fill out a check or make his own bank deposit, but he has that paper on the wall:ermm:

i have 2 employees that both graduated 3 years ago, neither can write legiably or do simple math, one can hardly read, but they are high school graduates. why did i hire them? they work hard, are strong and speak ENGLISH

you guys are speaking of exceptions...not the rule! understand? i personally think college is a little overated, but in IMO graduating highschool is your first real challenge in life, and to fail at it is just a bad way to start...JMO...i've clep'ed out of a couple of college classes, so i comprehend what taking "shortcuts" in school is all about. and sometimes it is a means to an end. but to me this just flat out sounds like quitting....and at the risk of sounding condescending, you start life out a quitter, you'll find it harder not to be a quitter later on.....;)

[Hondadudeehhhh]

Originally posted by Honda86
yup my grandpa droped out in 6th grade, he was a millionaire...bottomline is college does help but you can do fine without it

Stay in high in high school. It will help you in life, especially the jump start for a job. Your grandpa also would have graduated around 1940ish? In those days it wasn't much of a choice to stay in school or not, you had to help the family. My grandpa dropped out in 8th grade and he made 100,000+ a year managing a hospital in Chicago. He worked for the company for 20 years until ownership changed. Guess who he lost his job to? A college grad who posessed a high school diploma. He wasn't mad though, time ARE changing. Jobs require more advanced tech training and schooling. Unless you want to be working construction until you're 64 finish high school or get the GED right away and enroll in a tech school or community college. If you think in these days you can be an actual millionare (not just win the lotto or inherit) without some sort of degree, you live a very sheltered life. From what i have seen the people who say "I'm going to get my GED" never actually do because they are either too lazy or too afraid to take the test. I see them either working for my dad (who owns a masonry company) or McDonald's; sounds like fun to me. If high school or a 4 year university isn't for you thats cool but for your own sake get set on some type of education. If you want to be a mechanic don't settle for flipping tires, get a tech diploma or join the military. Two years of community college will get you much farther than some redneck who thinks he knows a thing or two about a thing or two

[Pappy]

Originally posted by bradley300


a GED only means your education is equivilent, but it says loads more about your personality and work ethic

what does it say about a 16 year old that had to drop out because his dad was run over by a car and he had to run the family business by himself for 16 months, doing school work, books, work load, employees and manage the farm!? quite frankly, I didnt have time for school and the life i was handed, does that make me somewhat lessor of a man? does it say anything negative about my work ethic?

lets see, get up at 5am, do the cows, pigs, chickens and horses (22 horses boarded for income) leave before 7 am, get to school at 7:20 or so, get my homework, drive 40 minutes to the shop, work all day, get off at 5, drive home, do the animals again, try and do school work. you can add in doing the bank runs, payroll, ordering supplies for the farm and shop and the list goes on. after a year i couldnt do it all, and school wasnt paying the bills.

i am not ashamed I do not have an actual high school diploma, and i am damn proud i am considered a working man

[A A R O N]

Originally posted by Pappy
they work hard, are strong and speak ENGLISH


EXACTLY!

I hope to be a business owner one day; if that day comes I can assure you that when I add employees they will be able to work hard and REASON, not just be book smart.

[Pappy]

Originally posted by A A R O N
EXACTLY!

I hope to be a business owner one day; if that day comes I can assure you that when I add employees they will be able to work hard and REASON, not just be book smart.

College cant teach common sense;)

[A A R O N]

Originally posted by Pappy
College cant teach common sense;)


....and you can't fix stupid:p






.....unless you have a seriously big paddle...

[Pappy]

kind of off topic, but an example of what "college head" can do to you...


for the past 5 or 6 years, I've had to deal with a wanna bee who is affiliated with the company i work for. he wastes no time spouting he is college educated and this is the reason we should respect his words and run our businesses based on his financial advice.

i got sick of it, did a bit of research and found that his college education hit its peak with him being a phys ed teacher. this man is trying to get people that have worked themselves up from nothing and now own and run business that exceed 10 million in sales to take his advice based on his college background:ermm: i finally confronted him at a meeting with this info, he has decided its best if he sits quietly through our meetings now. (it helped that i also knew he worked for his dad and they drove the business to bankruptcy, of which i informed him in private and that he should zip his lip and listen to those that are successful...lol)

[Guy400]

I don't think anyone is saying that if you get a GED you're destined to make poverty level income the rest of your life. However, go to the U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics website and there are endless reports that show that, A.) The higher your level of education the higher the average income is, and B.) Your level of education has a direct statistical coorelation to unemployment status. Of course there are the Dave Thomas' of the world that drop out of high school and start Wendy's but that's certainly not the rule, that's by far an exception. If you take all the high school drop outs and record their income levels you'll find that far and away there are more on the lower end than on the higher.

Also, the argument of your grandparents and great-grandparents dropping out of school hardly equates to today's world. Fifty or sixty years ago the world was driven by the steel, railroad and automobile industry. Relatively few of these jobs required higher education. You didn't need a diploma to drive railroad spikes, pour molten iron or bolt a fender onto a car. Nowadays those jobs are nearly gone and have been replaced by CPA's, management level positions and those in the computer sciences.

If you drop out of school and you know you're going to work for the rest of your life on the family farm or construction business than I can understand your choice. However, if you drop out and have any intentions on applying in the corporate world than you're just setting yourself up for failure. I see it everyday, we get resumes that say "GED" and almost instantly your mind rules them out. Typically you don't even get an interview to explain the situation that forced you to get a GED.

[byrdman37876]

Originally posted by Guy400
we get resumes that say "GED" and almost instantly your mind rules them out. Typically you don't even get an interview to explain the situation that forced you to get a GED.


kinda like judging the book by it's cover ain't it. :rolleyes:

[Guy400]

Originally posted by byrdman37876
kinda like judging the book by it's cover ain't it. :rolleyes: You might say that it is but when you've been handed a stack of over 100 resumes for 1 job position you're hiring for you cannot interview every single applicant to find out each person's life story. You've got to use some criteria to eliminate a portion of those applications. Mind you, I'm hiring for management positions, not manual labor so for me a GED tells me more often than not than the person did not have the patience to deal with high school than how are they going to deal with the stresses of a VP of one of our customers? I don't look strictly for GED but if it's there I take note. I also look at previous work experience, time spent at previous jobs, etc.

Plus, let's be honest. We all initially judge people based on appearence, speech and other attributes.

[byrdman37876]

so everone that does'nt wear a suit and tie are idiots i suppose.

some people might have had a good reason to get a ged and get out of school sooner.
i got mine when i was 17 and worked construction to help my mom pay the bill's but that does'nt mean i am a complete idiot.
i also have a degree in auto body. just saying next time u pass up someone with a ged that person might have had a good work ethic and a strong will, just had some bad luck along the road of life.

[A A R O N]

Originally posted by byrdman37876
kinda like judging the book by it's cover ain't it. :rolleyes:

It's very simple.....I don't, and never will, have time to read every book, so judgements based on the cover will have to be made.

I think that's what guy is getting at.

And plus, If a book is titled something like "Rocks and Their Scientific Structure" (just a bogus example), I will obviously have zero interest and write it off right away.

The author of a book will title it based on the contents and what they think represents the contents. It's the same with a person. If you want to represent yourself well and be looked at with serious intent, title yourself well....

[A A R O N]

...and I'm sure there are exceptions (i.e. good books that look bad at first glance), but the general idea associated with a G.E.D. will cause what -guy- is talking about. Business is about time and money and if it will save him time without sacrificing any other factors (assuming a "more qualified" person can do the job just as well or better as a person with a G.E.D.) then he will surely take that as an opportunity to save that time.

[byrdman37876]

sure i am aware of that. but they might turn out to be just as good or better than someone with college.

[Pappy]

Originally posted by byrdman37876
sure i am aware of that. but they might turn out to be just as good or better than someone with college.

"might" is the key word. in better companies, you usually go with "will" to better your chances of hiring more qualified people. the bad part with the GED is that far to many people have them that are barely educated enough to pass the test, not that alot of HS graduates are much better from what I have seen. That is where college comes into play. If that is your thing then it matters ALOT.

[WHITE SEAT]

Why even bother getting High School diplomas and GED's we are all losting jobs because technology is taking over every job now a days....

Does it really matter if you have the highest education?
I know 4 people that finished High School and recieved their Diplomas and went to a state university and they are the most unsuccessful people I have every seen.
One guy is working construction nailing shingles on houses working for my dad and sleeping in my shed next to my quad...
Another guy went to a community college and the college got him so lazy he had yet to get a job and he is 37!!! He still lives in his parents house.

My Father on the other hand, he dropped out of Jr. High school in the 6th grade and he now owns a construction company making tons of money!

So what I'm saying is that IMO college just makes people lazy!
I'm not saying you should dropout of school and start your own business, just get your education and get a job and buy yourself something you can enjoy

[hawaiikfx400]

let me say i had to drop out of high school to support myself with a full time job i got my journey men in cutting meat at 19 and it pays decent 18.25hr and plan on going to a trade school once the wife is done with her rn degree.not being a dck but i would personally like to say fck everyone of you that calls any one a loser and lazy that you have no idea of their work ethic or reason ect.i like to see you tell me im a loser to my face not online id pound your a#$ out.people are really quick to judge.oh ya what about all the army men that have a ged and are fighting for your pu@#y asses i guess those guys are "losers" also.most of you that say losers are prolly under age and have never had a good @ss whoopin and if you act like this im sure its in your future.ive never had a problem getting a job and work dam hard for every check ive ever got in my life so once again fck you.yes some people tht drop out might be losers but then again i know allot of people that graduated that are losers also.im not trying to be a jerk but dont judge a book by its cover sorry if i offend.

[A A R O N]

Please, keep the language to yourself.

I'd rather not read it and there are a lot of other people on here who also would appreciate if it was not typed.

I think there are a few of us that are not disrespecting those that have G.E.D's but rather, making significant contributions to the discussion of why they may be neglected by employers. I have nothing against anybody that has dropped out, in fact; I applaud them for being so courageous [and successful] if that's what has happened.

[idro]

The need for education is becoming higher and higher everyday...

Ever notice the new requirements for fast food and grocery stores? You need atleast a high school or GED for those places. I remember comming up you didnt need crap to work for them.

If you even try for a trade, to get a journeyman in a 'trade' you need a GED. And if you want to apply for a masters... if you ever get there... they force you into higher education.

I could be wrong, but except for army you need a HS education for the military. And i know for a fact by the time you reach E5 you have gone through enough courses to be REALLY close to an associates degree.

So if you want a decent CAREER they are going to force you into higher education, its not a matter of if its a matter of when.

Sorry for the rant. I'm a little lit and wanted to type. ;)

[scruff_mcruff]

Originally posted by mephyst


Whoever said they are making 50k and 60k a year, well you may be satisfied with that, but chances are you won't ever really have an opportunity to make more than that. Once I finish school at age....... 22, I will be making that my first year... easily. good luck with that. the job market is so flooded with people w/ degrees that none of them can get jobs in thier field of study. out of my 10 or so close friends 2 have jobs in the field they studied. 1 is a teacher so its not hard for them to find a job. i made enough w/ my GED to put my girlfriend thru college and i still make 2x what she makes. ive already been accepted to be my bosses replacement when he retires. so by the time im 35 ill be in the 200k a yr range, my house will be paid off, and ill have no school type loans, pretty crummy setup for someone who dropped out:rolleyes . work ethic and common sense are the 2 things they dont teach in college and they are the 2 most important things to have in life.

[mephyst]

Some of you need to stop getting so butthurt when others are saying to stay in school and get a damn degree.

It may have worked for you to drop out of high school or get a GED, and not go to college, but times have changed...

I understand, there are exceptions... but it doesn't work that way for the MAJORITY of people who drop out of high school or only get a ged/diploma vs. going to college.

I know far more people that wish they would have stayed in school/gone to college but feel that it is too late now because they are in their late 20's and older than people with college degrees that are less successful. I know you do too.

Some of you are saying "oh I know a couple people that have college degrees and they didn't make $hit!!" "Oh I know 4 people with degrees and they sucked it up in life..." Well how many people do you know that DON'T have ged's/college diploma's that have a crappy life too? PROBABLY A LOT MORE!!

Also, just because you go to college doesn't mean you have to wear a suit and tie...

hardship and already being lined up for a career are the only good reasons to quit high school. college is a different story, college is not for everyone.

i will say this, nothing can replace on the job training and book smarts aren't everything.

My cosuin was/is smart as hell...she quit school...and got her ged...i thinkher and her boyfriend may earn a combined total of 10 grand a year...food stamps add on another 5 or so...she amdde some bad choices...one of them was not finishing high school...she had a future had she stayed in school...

was she lazy? no, she began working oin her 16th birthday at a fast food joint. she would put in as many hours as she could, then she decided to quit school...it all went down hill from there...

[Regular_Joe]

You also have to look at the big picture of college.

It really isn't to teach you everything in a specific field. Far from it. All college does is teach you the basics of a field. After that college is about teaching YOU how to teach YOURSELF everything after that.

This is why you need a Bachelors Degree before you even start medical school. You have to prove your work ethic before they will even bother w/ you.

Plus college proves you:
- can stick to a task for 2-4 yrs
- manage time, workload, etc.
- read/write reasonably well
- etc ....

[bradley300]

Originally posted by Pappy
what does it say about a 16 year old that had to drop out because his dad was run over by a car and he had to run the family business by himself for 16 months, doing school work, books, work load, employees and manage the farm!? quite frankly, I didnt have time for school and the life i was handed, does that make me somewhat lessor of a man? does it say anything negative about my work ethic?

lets see, get up at 5am, do the cows, pigs, chickens and horses (22 horses boarded for income) leave before 7 am, get to school at 7:20 or so, get my homework, drive 40 minutes to the shop, work all day, get off at 5, drive home, do the animals again, try and do school work. you can add in doing the bank runs, payroll, ordering supplies for the farm and shop and the list goes on. after a year i couldnt do it all, and school wasnt paying the bills.

i am not ashamed I do not have an actual high school diploma, and i am damn proud i am considered a working man

pappy, i didnt mean to offend you in any way, and like has been said many times, there are exceptions to the rule such as your self.

there really is nothing else to say in this thread that hasnt been said on both sides. a diploma/ged is not a golden ticket to a great job, but whether you like it or not, your chances are FAR greater with a diploma over a GED, and even better with some college on top of that.work ethic above all helps but in MOST cases (read, not all cases) lack of a high school diploma shows little ethic. lets face it, high school is EASY, if you drop out just because you dont like it or cant hack it, your a dumb*****. there will always be extenuating circumstances such as yours pappy, its sad you had to make that choice. and like many others you are an eceoption, not the rule. just look at the stats. i for one do not want to risk my well being because "high school sucks". i did make it thru high, hated every minute of it and didnt go to college because i couldnt figure out whati wanted to go for. so i got a job while i thought about it. still havent figured it out, but in the meantime what happend? i grew up, and now i'm trapped and it will only get harder to go back. i'm married, bought a house, my job dosnt pay what i would like, and pays to much for me to drop it and go back to school. as much as i hated school, i deeply regret not going. i could EASILY do my bosses job, but i'll never get the chance because i dont have the peice of paper saying i can

[bwamos]

Originally posted by A A R O N
I think there are a few of us that are not disrespecting those that have G.E.D's but rather, making significant contributions to the discussion of why they may be neglected by employers.

Exactly,
Were not saying you can not be successful with a GED.. but with a GED it's going to take a LOT more work to overcome the GED tag in the professional world to be successful than that last 3 months of gliding through high school.

It all depends on your chosen profession though. You're going to have a MUCH harder time getting a job in the engineering industry for example. But, if you are wishing to be a laborer then it may not be much of a hinderance.

It will even be a hiderance for you to start your own business, since you will have to work for other people in order to build credit and a have a cash reserve. The bank's aren't going to give a business loan of $500,000 to someone making $15-20/hr w/ $5000 in the bank. It's just too risky.

Again, I'm not at all saying someone with a GED can't make more than $20/hr. What I am saying is it's a little easier to get that job for more than $20 an hour with a Diploma or 2-yr college degree.

The OP was asking if we thought it was a good choice. I'm saying, difinitivley, the better choice for your average person is to finish the last semester of school.

What do you want to be doing when you're 45-50 years old. Figure that out, then work up a plan of attack to accomplish that goal.. and figure out the best way to get to that goal.

Edit: I just wanted to add.. there are obviously exceptions to the rule. For example Pappy's situation, that was because he had a good work ethic, and supported his family. Those are the situations that the G.E.D. was meant for.

[TGW_400ex]

Its stupid to drop out. Highschool will be some of the best years of your life. Trust me its my first year out and I miss it.

[mephyst]

Originally posted by bradley300
just look at the stats. i for one do not want to risk my well being because "high school sucks". i did make it thru high, hated every minute of it and didnt go to college because i couldnt figure out whati wanted to go for. so i got a job while i thought about it. still havent figured it out, but in the meantime what happend? i grew up, and now i'm trapped and it will only get harder to go back. i'm married, bought a house, my job dosnt pay what i would like, and pays to much for me to drop it and go back to school. as much as i hated school, i deeply regret not going. i could EASILY do my bosses job, but i'll never get the chance because i dont have the peice of paper saying i can

Thank you. This is the perfect example I was looking for... and this is how the majority of people end up who don't graduate or don't go to college. You end up in a "stuck" position.

[Pappy]

Originally posted by bradley300
pappy, i didnt mean to offend you in any way, and like has been said many times, there are exceptions to the rule such as your self.



absolutley none taken Brad;)

bwamos...originally, the GED was set up for soldiers returning from WW2 so that they could get the equivilant of the high school diploma since so many served overseas and failed to complete high school due to the war. Like everything else, since then times have changed.

I would also suggest that the reason teh GED is cheapened is simply due to the fact that the majority in recent times obtain one simply due to a myriad of reasons that have already been stated in this thread.