| "You mean you never finished high school?" To the | | | | encouraging. That's why the fourth choice is so |
| high school dropout those words bring embarrassment, | | | | important: the General Educational Development tests, |
| dead-end jobs, and minimum wage income. Americans | | | | or GED. The GED is the official high-school |
| without a high school degree fall into the lowest | | | | equivalency exam, a test sanctioned by the |
| income bracket almost 50% less than a high school | | | | government to certify that you have the most |
| graduate. And there are 39 million Americans in the | | | | important high school skills. To get a GED, you simply |
| same boat. | | | | brush up on the high school skills that you might have |
| Without a high school education, you have three | | | | missed or forgotten, and take the test at an official |
| choices. Or, actually, four choices. The first choice is to | | | | testing center. |
| do nothing and remain at the lowest income level, | | | | The GED has a lot of advantages over other options. |
| where just buying food and putting clothes on your | | | | It can be fast and easy. The test is legitimate and |
| children's back is a struggle. A working parent may | | | | inexpensive, and the test-taker receives a credential |
| have two, three, or more jobs just to get by. Or, an | | | | from their state government. By passing the GED, you |
| adult can enroll in a legitimate online high school | | | | show a high level of mastery in mathematics, science, |
| program and earn a high school diploma by taking the | | | | social studies, reading, and writing. Perhaps even more |
| classes he or she missed in high school. Online high | | | | important, you show that you have the perseverance |
| schools can be expensive, costing two to three | | | | and commitment to prepare for and complete a |
| thousand dollars for a one or two year program. If | | | | challenging eight-hour battery of exams. And, although |
| testing is done online, there are pitfalls. Some | | | | the GED is challenging, it's also achievable. With |
| government agencies won't recognize any diploma | | | | focused study and personal dedication, the millions of |
| based on online testing. | | | | Americans who missed out on high school can get a |
| But there are worse pitfalls. The Internet provides | | | | second chance. Many GED study programs are |
| another option: fake high school diplomas. Online | | | | available to help. |
| "diploma mills" are advertised all over the Internet. | | | | Unfortunately, despite the benefits of the GED, adult |
| Instead of taking classes, these companies give an | | | | learners are often taken advantage of because of |
| unsupervised online test and "life experience credit." | | | | their desire to pass "high school." Many if not most |
| For a few hundred dollars, anyone can buy a "high | | | | online "high schools" aren't real schools, and they don't |
| school diploma," plus fake transcripts for a few extra | | | | offer real degrees. A customer may pay $200 to |
| dollars...or higher grades for a few more bucks. Many | | | | $1,000 to get a degree just by taking an online exam, |
| people think they're getting a real, legitimate diploma, | | | | but the degree turns out to be worthless. Informed |
| not realizing that the "accreditation" of these websites | | | | employers and colleges will reject it. |
| is as false as the schools themselves. Even the | | | | In dollars and cents, a GED means earning up to |
| best-intentioned person can face embarrassment and | | | | $350,000 more over your lifetime--and possibly much |
| risk losing their job by presenting a fake diploma to an | | | | more, if you go on to trade school, community college, |
| employer or college. | | | | or a university. In less tangible terms, earning a GED |
| That's three choices, and they don't sound very | | | | translates into greater respect and more possibilities. |