Many people consider finishing high school to be the start of adult life and the pathroad to a successful future, but that leads to a negative stigma around the people who don’t receive their diploma. 

There are many paths that people can take after high school, with the most popular being college, the military, or immediately joining the workforce.  Most of these options require you to have your high school diploma or your GED. 

Although a majority of people have heard of the GED, not many know the process to receiving it. The GED, or the Graduate Equivalency Degree, is a document stating that a person has completed all of the courses required to graduate. To receive your GED, you must take and pass a test over math, language arts, science, and social studies. After receiving aGED, people are able to apply for college and jobs that require the minimum of a high school diploma. 

“Classes in high school are directed to continuing school afterwards” said Garret Fox, who got his GED in July of 2023. “They pack more advanced things down your throat at ridiculous speeds and expect everyone to get it.” Many trade professions do not utilize what students learn in normal classes, so receiving a GED can allow you to begin learning your trade and start working sooner. 

Many people who get their GED end up working in a trade job, and many of them are successful. Depending on what trade you work in, the average pay being $62,488, and top earners making $93,165. This is enough money to comfortably live, yet the stigma around those who get their GED is that they are unsuccessful and unable to earn a sustainable income. 

There are many different paths that people can take in their lives, and it is unfair to judge those who take a less traditional path. Success can be judged in many different ways, and people who receive a GED can still reach a high level of success.