Does the GED Open Doors to Postsecondary Education and Training?
The greatest benefit of obtaining a GED is the potential it offers for continuing education and training. “Many postsecondary education and training programs are denied to uncredentialed dropouts, but open to GED holders” (Tyler 1998, online, n.p.). Today, people without a high school diploma are relegated to low-wage jobs or unemployment. Even the earnings of high school graduates decrease each year in relation to those who have college degrees. The road out of poverty and to economic security is linked to continuing education. Avoiding poverty and the ramifications of unemployment may be the prime motivator for GED pursuit, as most GED recipients (60.5 percent) move on to some form of continuing education (Dean 1998). Technical programs, nondegree training programs, 2-year associate degree programs, and on-the-job training programs are some of the options these GED holders pursue. According to the American Council on Education, which administers the GED, two-thirds of GED candidates
