GED Stories

Name: John
Age: 45
City and State: Gloucester City, NJ

What motivated you to get your GED? What motivated me to get my GED is myself! 45 years old, was laid off. I left school in the beginning of 11th, I only went to 11th grade for 2 days.

How have your friends and family helped you? Yes, my family has motivated me, but it’s not about them, it’s for me.

What problems have you faced? I never had to face any problems that have changed my life due to not finishing school until now. I was laid off, worked for over 29 years. Things were different then.

What do you hope to gain from getting your GED? My goals are to pass the test. I would like to work with my head rather than with my body. 29 years as a laborer have taken their toll on me. I love U.S. history and would love to teach it. When I went to class, the teacher asked about the Civil War and I knew the answer. What I am just saying is that I want to hang my GED on the wall and know that I did it.

John,

Thanks so much for writing and sharing your story, because a lot of people are in the same situation. You’re right. The world was a lot different when you dropped out of school, and education wasn’t as important for getting a job as it is now. While you had your job you were fine… but no job is secure forever, and now you’re faced with a different world. Well, congratulations. You’re on the right path, and you’ll end up someplace better than you were before. Change can be good!

Your interest in U.S. history is something great you’ve got going for you. You’ll have a good head start on the social studies exam. Try reading up on the history you’re interested in… and it’ll help you prepare for reading and writing. You can even find links to science and math by reading about medicine and science in U.S. history… Edison, the moon landing, the atomic bomb. If you put the GED in the context of things you’re interested in, you’ll learn more, faster.

It’s great that you got through 10th grade, so you have a good foundation for the GED. We know it’s been a long time, but brushing up will be easier for you, since you had a couple of years of high school.

You can pass your GED, and you’ll have a great future in store!

The GED Academy