Trying to Make Ends Meet

What motivated you to get your GED degree? I am divorced, have 2 teen boys, and I barely make ends meet with the money I make being a hairstylist. I’ve gone out looking for a job where I can make more than minimum wage, but it requires a degree or a high school diploma. I decided that if I am going to make it, I have to get my GED.

How have your friends and family helped you? Both my friends and family support me 100%. My brother is always telling me not to talk about it, just go out and do it.

What problems have you faced? I am 42 years old and not getting any younger. With the change in our economy, it has definitely made an impact on my finances. I need a change of career, but without a GED I can’t get the education or job I want.

What do you hope to gain from getting your GED degree? I hope to gain financial stability. I want to get into the medical field. My dreams are to one day be able to work in a doctor’s office or hospice, or to be able to help someone who is dying. We will always need doctors and nurses. I don’t know where this road will take me, but one day I will look back and say I did it.

Do you have more to your story? I got married the summer before the last year of high school. In order to make it easier for my relationship with my husband, I quit and went to night school. I didn’t finish it, though . After my first child was born, I decided to go to college. It was a chance to get my GED and a degree in Accounting . This too failed because I became pregnant with my second child. I decided that, if I was going to be a stay home at mom, I was going to work from home. I went to beauty school where I got my cosmetology license.