high school diploma or ged?

[jay_merrill]

Re: high school diploma or ged?

I quit HS in the first couple of weeks of 11th grade. I went into the USCG and took my GED via a local program, at one of my duty stations. I scored in the top percentage on the Naval Battery Test, so I had my pick of schools in the Guard. That led me to aviation. I also scored in the top of GED recipients on a nationwide basis, and became focused on college. I started while in the Guard and completed it afterwards. I ended up with two degrees in related, but separate fields of study.

Since then, I have been everything from a truck driver to a corporate Vice President. I've had periods when I have made more money than most people do and I've had periods of much less income.

I think the "moral to the story," is both that you can do alot of things if you put your mind to it, and that life is uncertain. You do the best that you can do in life and when you do, things tend to work out.

One thing I would say about your original concern, is that you have to get at what is driving your son's view of the world. Just considering the issue of whether or not he should quit school is not enough. Whatever he chooses, now is the time for you to be a dad in a major way - you have to figure out a way to get inside of his head, if you can. Only then, will you be able to advise him well. That advice may be such that he stays in school and it may be otherwise.

Like I said, life is uncertain.

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: high school diploma or ged?

Its time to have him tested to see where his skills and interest are . There are many things that can put a young man or woman in this situation from drugs to ADD/ADHD. Some people are "late bloomers" The other post have given great advice .When I was floundering away and flunking college a career advisor directed me to take some vocational aptitude test which helped me a great deal. Your son like everyone else has abilities and skills he doesnt even know he has. Help him discover them. Good luck ,I feel your pain.

 

[shoestring]

Re: high school diploma or ged?

never filled out a job ap. that asked. question is do you have a hs diploma or ged? yes or no? i dropped out, got my ged while in army basic training. used gi bill money for trade school (plumbing). i work steady, make 80k plus a year. with the experience i have now i would say get the diploma, easier to gain higher education with it than with a ged. Don't let the kid make bad life changing decisions today that will hold him down later. with a hs diploma, at least his options are a bit more open. i wish i would have listened to my Dad more, but at the time i knew it all......i thought

 

[Boss Hawg]

Re: high school diploma or ged?

Quite HS in 1967 (just finished 11th grade) to join the Marine Corps-
They paid for my GED test (yes I passed it) before i went to Boot Camp -
No big success story but no regreats

 

[_chris_]

Re: high school diploma or ged?

Here my quick little story. I dropped out of high school in my 10th grade year to work full time, I am now 30 and make right around a hundred grand a year as a project manager for a pipeline company. Also am a General Engineering Contractor myself and in the process of starting my own company. Never once in my life have I been asked to show a high school diploma. I think it all has to do with what type of work you want to do.

 

[burp]

Re: high school diploma or ged?

I graduated from high school and a trade school before I decided that I wanted to go back to school. In high school I didn't academically apply myself and did just enough to get by. I joined the Marine Corps, which was by far the best decision that I could have made. Self descipline, respect and learning from your own mistakes as well as the mistakes of others were some of the things that the Marines hammered into my hard 19 year old head. The 9 years that I spent in the military was worth every minute.

It's been 25 years since I left the military but the technical trade (electronics) and other life experiences I learned while I was there, I still use every day. The majority of my work is done around a couple of universities and numerous hospitals, where I interact with MD's, PhD's and research personnel. Each year when the new graduate students arrive, they often ask which college I graduated from and what was my major. To which I answer, "The University of Hard Knocks".

My son graduated high school this past spring and will be heading off to college in a couple of weeks. He graduated 28th in a class of 259. My 3 daughters had graduated 4th, 9th and 11th in their respective high school graduating class. All 3 have since graduated from 4 year universities. The family was all together when my son asked me where I ranked in my high school graduating class. I replied truthfully and he immediate started bantering me about graduating 99th in a class of 166.

I explained to him that academics were not important to me when I was in high school. What was important is that I finished something that I had started. Of greater significance was what was done with the education afterwards. I told him, I didn't care what profession he enters. Just whatever he chose, make sure it is something that he enjoys, pays the bills and buys a few "toys" along the way. Regardless of the job, do it to the best of your ability and correct the first time. (A few of these things my Dad told me. He passed away when I was 13. They have served me well.)

Whatever your son decides, be supportive, but let him know that laziness is NOT an option and will not be tolerated. Hopefully he will know or soon learn about the importance of learning from his own mistakes as well as from the mistakes of others.