Should I go back to school or get my GED, if I go to college will it matter to an employer which one I have?

Question

Ok, everyone I don't know who reads these but in a last ditch effort to save my life before I screw it up, I want to get a second opinion from anyone who will read this. "Tiffanie you are EXEMPT I know how you feel". Ok I dropped out of school six months into my senior year and I can go back but I'm twenty-one years old and I am planning to go to college. I just don't know if i should finish my last six months of high school or get a GED. I am kinda bias in that i am thinking the diploma would be better, but some may say it's to late just take the GED test and start college. Does it even matter which one you have if you go to college and get a degree.

Answer 1

Just get a GED, go to a JC for two years and transfer to a University.

It is never too late to finish your education. 21 is still super young.

I promise you will never regret getting your degree, it will open up many doors to you. Don't be too proud to live with family or friends or whatever it takes to be able to do this.

I got my degree at 27 and have a six-figure job. I majored in something I enjoy (History) and yet work as a financial analyst.

Study what you enjoy because that will help you 1) Do well in school and 2) Keep going because you like it.

Worry about what kind of job you will get later.

Good luck to you!

Side note: my brother and sister did not finish school.... now at 37 and 42 they are both struggling to make ends meet and have no retirement fund. They really regret not taking the time to get degree..... (my bro has an AA--- still hard)

Addition: Employers will not care where or how you finished high school. They will look at your College Results.

Just focus on how to do this quickly and the GED is the way to go... Being 21 you are perfect age to start college. You will need to start at JC, but that saves $$$$ anyway.

Just be serious at the JC as you would at the University.

Answer 2

Go back to high school and get a diploma - you only have six months left. If you had dropped out in 9th grade or something, I'd say get the GED. But only six months - that will fly by. It will also give you a little more time to figure your life out and apply to college.

Now, I would agree with the other posters that a GED is just as good as a diploma. What you have to ask yourself is - does everybody think a GED is just as good as a diploma? In other words, your future college/grad school, your future employers? Plain and simple, not everybody out there sees a GED on the same level as a diploma. Sorry, but it's true. When I see a GED, I think, alright, cool, this person rose up from whatever situation caused them to drop out of high school - I see it as a nice badge of honor. But I know plenty of people who see a GED as inferior, and if your prospective employer had a bias against the GED, you'd be out of luck getting a job there.

Trust me, six months is nothing compared to the rest of your life. You haven't ruined your life, and whatever you choose your life won't be ruined. You can always start over, you can always begin a new day with the right attitude. It's never all lost.

And from what I can tell - you are probably wiser now than you would have been had your life not had some bumps, so just remember that.

Answer 3

Most schools will accept a GED, but if you only have a few months left to get a high school diploma, that would be the better route. There are WAY more private scholarships open to high school grads (assuming you have a decent GPA). You may be too old for a 'traditional' high school, but look around for local adult education, or alternative schools. My younger sister ended up going to an alternative school after her high school messed up and didn't have her take all the classes she needed to graduate. At the alternative school, she was able to take some of her classes as an independent (she didn't always have to go to the classes, just do the coursework) and graduated on time, even though she had an extra semester of classes.

Me, on the other hand, finished high school through homeschooling. By the time I decided I wanted to go to college (about 4 years later) I didn't have all the records and paperwork that I needed to prove that I'd finished through homeschooling, and taken the required classes (which is frustrating to me, because I went well beyond the req classes, and was studing college level math, english and science), so I went and got my GED. The school I originally wanted to go to, doesn't accept GED's for enrolling freshman, so I'm going to a community college for a couple years, and transfer for my Junior year.

So, obviously, my advice would be, since you only have a few classes to finish, go get your diploma. It opens up more opportunities as far as schools and scholarships, and generally makes things easier (once again, assuming you have a good GPA). Good luck to you, whichever way you decide to go.

Answer 4

It's the same thing, and in my experience is worth just as much as an actual diploma. I know of a few folks that just didn't care for the school environment, dropped out specifically to get their GED, and are doing great today. And if you're going to college -- all the better. I think employers will simply look at your college work and not care if it's a GED or diploma. Just get one of 'em! Good luck! :-)

Answer 5

It does not matter which one you have. you can still attend a good college. GED is equivilant to a high school diploma, meaning it is the same thing. If you are comfortable going back to high school, then I would try that. If not, then just take the GED test. But no, it does not matter, which one you hold. My friend recieved a GED a couple of years ago, and he attends Penn State.
As long as you show that you are dedicated now.
Good luck =)

Answer 6

Sometimes we just can't go back. Get your GED and keep going. At this rate maybe you can finish college by the time you are 30 yrs. old. Hopefully, you are paying for college and not your parents.

Answer 7

In order to get into to most colleges you have to had complete high school equivalency here in the US.