GED

The GED — standing for General Educational Development — is a group of tests in various subjects that, if passed, is a legal equivalent to a high school diploma. If you want to go to college, getting a GED should not be your first choice; many colleges do not view the GED to be as impressive as a high school diploma, and for good reason. The GED only tests the most simple of high school skills in each subject. Some colleges don’t accept the GED as a high school diploma stand-in at all.

However, when it comes to jobs, whether you have a GED or a high school diploma probably won’t matter. Why is that? Because, in the job market, whether or not you have a college degree is what really matters.
How do you study for it?At the GED’s official web site, you can read about what the GED tests consist of and find study questions. There are also multiple study books on the market. SparkNotes has one I like here. You can also enroll in local GED study programs; contact your state’s Department of Education for details.
EligibilityBut before you dive into GED plans, you need to find out whether or not you’re even allowed to take it. Many states have age restrictions on who can take the GED in order to keep kids from dropping out of high school in order to just take the GED as an easy way out.

If your state has strict age requirements, I still encourage you to be persistent in contacting school administrators in your district, people at your state’s department of education, and so on. You never know what obscure loopholes you might find that could let you take the test. You may also be able to take the GED in another state if you can’t in your own.