Surprising Ways the GED Affects Your Job Opportunities

Read time: 4 minutes

For millions of people, the GED has been a way to recover what was lost — a high school education. There have been many changes in education over the decades, but the GED program is one that has remained. Why? It’s because with a dropout rate of 5.1%, we need the GED program. People drop out each year and rely on the GED program to attain a high school equivalency.

The GED certification can be a great thing for students who dropped out, are faithful to complete the program, and then move on to higher education. However, the U.S. Census Bureau has found that those with a GED earn less over a lifetime than high school graduates. Why is that?

It’s About Perception

Objectively, we know that the level of knowledge acquired by GED holders is the same as the knowledge acquired by high school graduates. Despite this fact, there are some negative perceptions when it comes to the GED. GED holders are perceived differently than high school graduates because employers know why they got a GED — they dropped out. Whether or not it was their fault, when someone drops out of high school, most people assume they gave up because it was too hard. 

While GED holders can enlist in the U.S. military, they are often classified differently than traditional high school graduates and may face stricter enlistment requirements. In many branches, GED holders are required to achieve higher ASVAB scores and compete for a limited number of enlistment slots available to non-diploma applicants.

Perceived Character Traits

A reality of being a GED certificate holder is the need to overcome the perceived characteristics of a drop out. Some of the commonly held beliefs about high school dropouts are that they lack discipline, they lack determination, and/or they can’t commit to a goal. These traits are not true of all GED holders but people make these assumptions.  

How to Overcome Perception

There are two options when it comes to overcoming the perception barriers of the GED. One is to move on to higher education and get a degree. This tells employers that a person had challenges with schoolwork in the past, but they overcame their obstacles and got through it. They returned to school, worked to get a GED, and went on to college. 

Getting a degree, of any kind, will help employers see there was a struggle with school in the past but they went back and made up for it. It also shows a person’s ability to set a goal and reach a goal, that they can accomplish things that may be hard. This is an indicator of how they will perform in a job. 

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The truth is, a GED won’t destroy anyone’s chances of getting a job,
but it can limit their options.

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The other way to overcome the negative assumptions of a GED is to get a diploma. Some states, like Arizona, offer a dropout recovery program. Dropout recovery programs help students get back on track with high school by providing them with services beyond that of a regular high school. 

Smart Schools is an accredited high school diploma program helping adults gain a high school education at any age from any location. The Smart Schools team works with students to meet their individual needs.

The truth is, a GED won’t destroy anyone’s chances of getting a job, but it can limit their options. When competing against others who have their high school diploma, it can be difficult to get ahead. However, it’s not too late. If you’ve dropped out of high school, you can still recover what was lost — a high school education.

Sources

Unlocking AFQT scores: Key insights for military recruits

GED Recipients Have Lower Earnings, are Less Likely to Enter College

GED vs. High School Diploma: What’s the Difference?

High School Diploma vs. GED