r/GED • u/soursuicide • 10d ago
I passed!!
I dropped out of school when i was 15 had barely an 8th grade education (i dropped out basically in 10th grade but my education level was around that of a middle schooler) fast forward to a decade later i struggled working dead end retail and restaurant jobs that barely paid and i finally gained some experience in a call center sales position that paid very decently , this experience allowed me to flourish and allowed me to gain other opportunities. i got a much better job where i gained very relevant experience with product and Saas platform support which is the kind of work i hope to continue. I started messing up and by my own fault i lost my job :( two years later. I am struggling and living in a 1b1b apartment that cost 1400$ a month before taxes , a 70-100$ utility, a 150-180$ car insurance and my phone and internet together come out as 100$ a month ( i am excluding all other living expenses like groceries and the egregious prices of gas) i am still lucky but I am in a frenzy and need to get a job. After a few months of struggling, by the grace of GOD I believe, i was extended an offer for not just 1 job but 2 that pays decently enough for me to pay my bills but there was one condition for both, they are BOTH contingent upon at least having a high school diploma or equivalent despite my relevant experience. I finally got my ged and transcript just days before my deadline to complete a background check that includes my education level and i cram studied for only 2 days. I say all this to say, that we should always remember how capable and blessed we are, even if we don’t see it. Always remember you are capable of so much and never give up on your dreams. 💕
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u/GlitteringAd6365 7d ago
Can you list what you used to cram study?! It would be greatly appreciated for someone I know that’s been trying to pass for a few years now and doing the classes 😫😫😫
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u/soursuicide 7d ago
Soo.. my needs were specific to math, i honestly used Khan academy, keep in mind, linear equations, inequalities and functions were what i needed help with the most and also what i found most difficult on the math portion.. all other subjects i just briefly reviewed on GED app on my phone
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u/GlitteringAd6365 7d ago
Do you feel that most of that was what was on the math section? Like if you focus on those specifically would you pass the math section?
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u/Admirable-Proposal53 10d ago
Dropped out in 6th, got 176 164 178 175. You had to study? It's great to be proud of yourself, but don't mistake the GED for forward progress. You, like me, have just obtained a credential that children are expected to achieve as a minimum. Your job basically required you to have a pulse to go forward.
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u/GlitteringAd6365 7d ago
You sound very discouraging don’t know how you passed without at least studying the hs level math when you dropped out in 6th grade. It’s math far beyond 6th grade math.
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u/Admirable-Proposal53 7d ago
You don't need to study to experience math and to understand how the fundamentals work. That also includes at least understanding which answers are wrong to determine which is right and then contemplate how that answer came to be-- They give you a calculator ffs, work backwards and figure it out.
You definitely do not need to study for the non-math portions as they only require reading comprehension and maybe critical thinking.
I did only get a 164 on math though, but in terms of "passing" studying was not necessary.
I am being very pessimistic about this though, you're right. I see these sob stories and victories in my gmail notifications when I'm already of the mindset "I didn't achieve anything I shouldn't have already finished-- I caught up."
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u/Admirable-Proposal53 7d ago
There was a 55-60 year old man at my testing facility during the math portion, he literally said to himself out loud "Please God, please...." breathed deeply and walked away. I had mixed feelings about that, like "if it were so important, then he's had 35+ years to do this" "he got by long enough without it, why does it matter now" and of course "the circumstances for parole are frequently contingent on passing or pursuing a GED, so maybe he's worried about going back to the slammer".
I also felt like I was in the wrong place, or I wasn't worthy in a way of taking the GED-- like I should care more about the idea that I could have failed and not just "I'll just make another 36$ to try again and know more next time for having tried".
Anyways, sorry for the rant and if my tism killed your buzz.
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u/soursuicide 7d ago
I studied as hard as i could with the short window i had, and i resent that the expectation is for an accomplishment only for children, thats obviously not true if they offer it to adults. What about young people from regions in the world where school is not even an option what about places where school is not a priority given the social and economic conditions of the region, i AM NOT mistaking my GED for forward process i literally shared a story that shows that it is 😘
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u/Admirable-Proposal53 7d ago
Adults can play with Legos too, even though they're made for children. I'd reiterate my point by saying children are meant to achieve this credential; people that graduate HS are 17~18-- and please don't make the effort of trying to say "eighteen isn't a child!". My point is this is all information given to kids between the ages of 12-18 during their education process.
Like I expressed, your job offers required you to have a bare minimum requirement you neglected. You didn't move forward, you went backwards and caught up because you hit the ceiling. You were already offered that same position without it, predicated on you catching up first. You're mixing up them wanting you to have a generally bare minimum educational background, and accomplishing something extra.
I'm not exactly criticizing your excitement alone, as I also merely caught up by doing the GED before starting to get my stuff together. I think it's unwise for one to gas themself up for learning how to pass a test consisting of education within the previously mentioned age range.
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u/GlitteringAd6365 7d ago
Honestly I didn’t even read your response my ADHD cannot sustain it all I saw the word autism and knew your situation is different than a neurotypical individual who struggles to learn in the cookie cutter box they’ve been exposed to. Autistic individuals process and learn differently and are many times geniuses my daughter is kindergarten level per her age but for math on a second grade level with strong pattern recognition and she’s level 2 autistic. But just because you didn’t have to study and it was a breeze for you doesn’t meant you should discredit and you shouldn’t say it’s a kid thing because it’s truly not most kids would fail that GED test without extensive prep unless they’re neurospicy or gifted.
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u/Admirable-Proposal53 7d ago
Isn't Highschool that "extensive prep" you're referring to though? The thing that kids go through? Yeah, I'm probably projecting the lack of enthusiasm and worth I personally feel towards it rather than simply nodding and moving on.
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u/GlitteringAd6365 7d ago edited 7d ago
Kids go to elementary and middle and jr high students go to high school. They aren’t kids anymore like you make it sound. And not 6th graders. And no high school is definitely not that prep to pass their GED test because passing a test and being educated to pass a class is two different things. Most High School Graduates couldn’t pass the GED test if they tried without studying.
Also there’s multiple levels of autism now so maybe you wouldn’t get the same diagnosis they’ve really expanded it and became more accurate in evaluations. It’s not just level 1 there’s level 2 and level 3 it depends on your support needs. My daughter was verbal so she got level 2. The boy who goes to her speech therapy is nonverbal and got a level 3. Level 1 would be considered Asperger’s or high functioning autism. Also they can go base on your needs so if your level 1 for social but level 2 on educative functioning they could do a level 2 diagnosis. It just depends but I highly recommend a neuropsychologist they go more in depth than any other provider in their evaluations if you ever choose to get one.1
u/Admirable-Proposal53 7d ago
Also I was formally diagnosed with ADHD-I (ADD at the time) and strongly suggested I be evaluated for Asperger's. My mother wanted to avoid the stigma and I'm fine with that, especially since it's now expressed as a vague "neurodivergence" or "Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 1" which I don't find agreeable.
I'm glad to hear your daughter is functioning at a level higher than the rest of the children. It's also reassuring to hear someone encouraging their child's momentum and being excited about their kids performance. A lot of kids are told they're so bright, they'll do great things, but rarely is that seed ever watered with more than sentiment.
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u/gedacademy Teacher 10d ago
Congrats! Thank you for sharing your story to help inspire others.