Gloucestercitynews.net (December 30, 2019)–In the United States,
90% of the population
has a high school diploma or higher.
Do you need a high school diploma? To answer that question, let’s break down what exactly a high school diploma does for you. How it can help you and whether or not a high school diploma is truly necessary.
Starting off, we can look at tangibles that can be measured by statistics. Then, we will explore the social impacts of not having a degree.
Work Options
If you don’t have a high school diploma, you’ll have fewer options for work. Many employers require that employees have at least passed high school before they are eligible to be hired.
You can
get a GED
to make up for a lack of a high school diploma. This will open a lot of doors, but without either, you’re going to have trouble finding a job.
Construction jobs and jobs with specific apprenticeships are among the few choices. In general, you will have to elect for a more physical job.
Earning Potential
As a general rule, the higher an education you have the more you make. Those who have at least a high school diploma earn more than those who don’t.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the
average weekly earnings
of someone
without
a high school diploma is $493. If you have a diploma, then your weekly earning potential is bumped up to $678.
The more education you receive, the more you are likely to make. The less you receive, the less money you will be paid. Time and experience can turn those tables a bit in your favor.
Social Status
Many people who do not receive a high school diploma feel awkward about it. Over time it can even become something that you will feel embarrassed about.
Most of this reaction comes from how people treat those who do not have high school diplomas. They can be viewed as less intelligent or lazy even if that is not true.
In some cases, it can even affect your ability to get a spouse or significant other. Working low-level jobs that require a lot of physical exertion will keep you from meeting a lot of people.
If you work hard enough and promote high enough at your job, you can escape this stigma. It will require that you put in years gaining experience and the trust of your employer. Hard work can pay off.
Making It Harder on Yourself
Without a high school diploma, you are
making life harder on yourself
. Very few people have viable options to begin their adult lives without having a high school diploma.
You’ll have to work twice as hard as someone with a high school diploma to obtain the same things in life. Education doesn’t mean intelligence, but it does make things easier.
Having the diploma is like having proof that you are a smart, creative and interesting person. If you don’t have one, you will have to prove all of those things to everyone you work for.
Other Options to High School
The question “Do you need a high school diploma?” can be answered another way. It is possible to get a GED which will function exactly the same as a high school diploma.
The difficulty in receiving your GED is that you won’t have anyone keeping you on task. You will have to motivate yourself and work at your own pace to succeed.
Studying is also something that makes the GED more difficult. If you don’t like studying or think you will have difficulty being motivated to study, you might have difficulty getting your GED.
If you are studying for your GED and want to have a diploma, you might consider a realistic diploma. You should
find out more
about realistic diplomas if you feel that might be a good temporary solution.
Do You Need a High School Diploma?
The short answer is not necessarily. There are options such as the GED and manual labor careers that don’t require a high school diploma.
The main thing that having your diploma will do is give you options. If you don’t want to work in a career field that requires heavy manual labor or equipment operation, you will need a high school diploma.
Not everyone will judge you for not having a high school diploma. You can simply not mention it to your friends and colleagues. Eventually, someone might find out, but perhaps by then, it won’t matter.
If you don’t have a diploma, you will make less throughout your life. While you can earn your way up, you will start at a lower pay scale. This will make it more difficult for you to retire at a reasonable age.
Millions of people graduate every year with high school diplomas. Diplomas have lost some value because so many people have them. The problem is this creates a large majority pool.
The size of this population pool means that employers don’t have to lower standards. They don’t have to give a chance to someone that doesn’t have a diploma. They have plenty of people to choose from as-is.
Without a high school diploma, you could potentially still have a good life. Most of what applies to
not
having a high school diploma also applies to having a high school diploma when compared to higher degrees.
In the end, degrees aren’t the end-all of life, but they help tremendously.
You Need a Diploma
Life is difficult as everyone already knows. Challenges and difficulties will continue to confront you throughout your life. As we choose our paths in life, things can be more or less challenging.
Do you need a high school diploma? Yes. If you want to make things easier for yourself and make it further in life, you will. Having a high school diploma, or even a higher diploma, can open doors that otherwise will have to be forced open by long, hard work.
We hope you found this article helpful. If so, please take a moment to browse our site and find other great reads to inform and entertain you.
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