Contributed by Kate Stavick
Life is unpredictable. No matter how much you may plan, life will throw you a curveball. It could be an unexpected rainfall at your outdoor wedding, or the power going out during the big moment of the biggest game of the season, or the battery dying as you are about to capture an epic photo of a bear catching a salmon while an eagle soars above. Things just happen that we didn’t plan.
Did life throw you a curveball when you were in high school? Sometimes life throws a curveball and finishing high school was not possible. Maybe you needed to work to help provide for your family or raise a child. Maybe you thought you wouldn’t need a diploma to follow the path you wanted to pursue. There are many reasons people do not finish high school and earn their diploma.
If you are among the 39 million adults in the U.S. who never graduated from high school and thought it was too late to earn your high school equivalency diploma, fear not. It is quite possible to earn this life-changing credential. Having your GED can impact job opportunities, open doors for training and improve your sense of accomplishment and esteem.
Earning your GED is simpler than you may think. It is broken down in to four parts-Math, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies. The exams measure basic skills in these subjects, knowledge and your ability to apply them. Taking some time, a few hours a week, to brush up on skills you may have forgotten, or utilize knowledge you did not know you acquired through life skills, can go a long way to accomplishing your goal of a GED.
But why bother, you may ask? Earning your GED can help you earn and keep a job, move up in your current field, or perhaps move into something new altogether. It will also make you more valuable to your employers, which may open more doors for higher pay, advanced training, and promotions. Did you know that people with a high-school diploma can make up to $385,000 more in their lifetime than people who do not have a diploma?
Something else to consider about earning your GED is the positive impact it will have on your family. What you learn, you pass on to your children. Developing healthy learning habits will help you pass these habits to your children. The knowledge you gain in order to pass your GED test will be integral in your own child's future. Your family benefits because of increased financial security and employment. But more than that, research shows that once parents get their GEDs, they are more likely to encourage their children to seek out educational opportunities, complete educational milestones and maybe go further.
Finally, earning your GED will give you a sense of pride. It is an impressive accomplishment – one that only 60% of high school graduates can do. By earning your GED, you will feel a sense of pride as you have accomplished something that will better your life, and have proven to yourself that you can do anything you set your mind to.
In Alaska, there are a lot of alternative programs for finishing high school, whether finishing online, homeschool, or charter schools, there is something for everyone. Here in the Mat-Su Valley, Mat Su Adult Basic Education, Nine Star Education and Employment Services are committed to helping you through the process and supporting you! Passing the GED exam as an adult is an important career step and resume piece. For more information, please contact us at (907) 373-7833.
