Why Do You Need A High School Diploma?
Without a high school diploma, you may be at a disadvantage when it comes to job and career options and salaries. Today the majority of entry-level jobs and career positions require candidates to have a high school diploma or the equivalent. Out of the 818 occupations listed in the Bureau of Labors Statistics Occupation Finder, only 13% are accessible without any formal educational credentials; 41% require a high school diploma or equivalent and 54% require at least some college or more.
Regarding salaries, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that professionals possessing a high school diploma usually make over $800 more each month than individuals who do not have a high school diploma. Additionally, high school professionals possessing a high school diploma have been proven to be 70% more likely to gain meaningful employment than professionals who do not have a high school diploma.
While education will not guarantee future career or financial success, earning a high school diploma or GED is valuable for anyone who is serious about their future job and career options and opportunities.
Choosing an Online High School Diploma Program
If you haven’t earned your high school diploma yet, there is still time and you have options. There are many schools that offer convenient online high school diploma programs that are flexible and easy to work around your work and personal responsibilities.
Online High School Diploma Programs
- Penn Foster Career School
- Ashworth College
- BYU Independent Study – Adult Diploma Program
- Liberty University Online High School Diploma Program
- Connections Academy
- James Madison High School – Online Diploma
- Excel High School
- Forest Trail Academy
Accredited Online High School Diploma Programs
It is very important that you check to ensure the online high school diploma program you are considering has appropriate and legitimate HS diploma accreditation. The following organizations are accrediting agencies.
- Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS)
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
- Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC)
- North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA-CASI)
- Southern Association of Colleges & Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI)
- Accrediting Commission for Schools Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC)
Highest Paying and Growth Jobs For Those With a High School Diploma
| Occupation | 2016 Median Pay | Number of New Jobs | Growth Rate | On-the-job Training |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical power-line installers and repairers | $55,000 to $74,999 | 10,000 to 49,999 | 10 to 19 percent | Long-term on-the-job training |
| First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers | $55,000 to $74,999 | 50,000 or more | 10 to 19 percent | None |
| Billing and posting clerks | $35,000 to $54,999 | 50,000 or more | 10 to 19 percent | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
| Brickmasons and blockmasons | $35,000 to $54,999 | 10,000 to 49,999 | 10 to 19 percent | Apprenticeship |
| Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists | $35,000 to $54,999 | 10,000 to 49,999 | 10 to 19 percent | Long-term on-the-job training |
| Community health workers | $35,000 to $54,999 | 5,000 to 9,999 | 10 to 19 percent | Short-term on-the-job training |
| Computer numerically controlled machine tool programmers, metal and plastic | $35,000 to $54,999 | 1,000 to 4,999 | 10 to 19 percent | Long-term on-the-job training |
| Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic | $35,000 to $54,999 | 10,000 to 49,999 | 10 to 19 percent | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
| Dental laboratory technicians | $35,000 to $54,999 | 1,000 to 4,999 | 10 to 19 percent | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
| Earth drillers, except oil and gas | $35,000 to $54,999 | 1,000 to 4,999 | 10 to 19 percent | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
| Electricians | $35,000 to $54,999 | 50,000 or more | 10 to 19 percent | Apprenticeship |
| First-line supervisors of personal service workers | $35,000 to $54,999 | 10,000 to 49,999 | 10 to 19 percent | None |
| Health technologists and technicians, all other | $35,000 to $54,999 | 10,000 to 49,999 | 20 to 29 percent | None |
| Healthcare support workers, all other | $35,000 to $54,999 | 10,000 to 49,999 | 10 to 19 percent | None |
| Hearing aid specialists | $35,000 to $54,999 | 1,000 to 4,999 | 20 to 29 percent | None |
| Helpers–extraction workers | $35,000 to $54,999 | 1,000 to 4,999 | 10 to 19 percent | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
| Industrial machinery mechanics | $35,000 to $54,999 | 50,000 or more | 10 to 19 percent | Long-term on-the-job training |
| Insulation workers, mechanical | $35,000 to $54,999 | 5,000 to 9,999 | 10 to 19 percent | Apprenticeship |
| Machinists | $35,000 to $54,999 | 10,000 to 49,999 | 10 to 19 percent | Long-term on-the-job training |
| Mechanical door repairers | $35,000 to $54,999 | 1,000 to 4,999 | 10 to 19 percent | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
| Media and communication workers, all other | $35,000 to $54,999 | 1,000 to 4,999 | 10 to 19 percent | Short-term on-the-job training |
| Medical appliance technicians | $35,000 to $54,999 | 1,000 to 4,999 | 10 to 19 percent | Long-term on-the-job training |
| Millwrights | $35,000 to $54,999 | 5,000 to 9,999 | 10 to 19 percent | Apprenticeship |
| Wellhead pumpers | $35,000 to $54,999 | 1,000 to 4,999 | 10 to 19 percent | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators | $35,000 to $54,999 | 10,000 to 49,999 | 10 to 19 percent | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
| Opticians, dispensing | $35,000 to $54,999 | 10,000 to 49,999 | 20 to 29 percent | Long-term on-the-job training |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters | $35,000 to $54,999 | 10,000 to 49,999 | 10 to 19 percent | Apprenticeship |
| Reinforcing iron and rebar workers | $35,000 to $54,999 | 1,000 to 4,999 | 20 to 29 percent | Apprenticeship |
| Sales and related workers, all other | $35,000 to $54,999 | 10,000 to 49,999 | 10 to 19 percent | None |
| Security and fire alarm systems installers | $35,000 to $54,999 | 5,000 to 9,999 | 10 to 19 percent | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
| Self-enrichment education teachers | $35,000 to $54,999 | 50,000 or more | 10 to 19 percent | None |
| Solar photovoltaic installers | $35,000 to $54,999 | 1,000 to 4,999 | 20 to 29 percent | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
| Stonemasons | $35,000 to $54,999 | 1,000 to 4,999 | 10 to 19 percent | Apprenticeship |
Earning A High School Diploma vs. a GED
A high school diploma and GED are not the same thing. A GED is an equivalency exam that covers five specific areas: science, writing, social studies, literature/reading comprehension, and mathematics. Passing the GED exam makes you a “GED holder”, however, it does not mean you have a high school diploma. The only way to become a “high school graduate” is to complete an accredited campus based, distance learning, or online high school diploma program – which entails you completing a variety of credit requirements.