zapatos

Agreed. And I'm not sure if we are just not focusing on the same point, but the owner seems to have made this specifically about a competitor (" Mainly that I can't use that degree to work at another company in the related field"), and thus my question about exactly what their company does. If the owner is more concerned about who Raider may work for in the future and not simply that he pay back if he leaves, then that could be to Raider's benefit if the owner has few competitors.

Also think about how likely it is that you'll ever work for a competitor. If they manufacture high-end electro-acoustic transducers and you are doing general software development then it may be a non-issue.

Clear as mother's milk.

Don't speak in riddles.

I doubt he knows more about his options than the collective knowledge of the Science Forums membership. His query regarding an alternative school being our first clue.

The easy path is to simply supply you with a platitude in lieu of a name.

Something a little more practical. Like a name...

I believe that is true in most cases but not all. I don't think you can void a contract for "necessities" such as food and shelter. However, I'm no lawyer.

It is not uncommon for companies to attach stipulations to tuition reimbursement, such as requiring a certain grade to receive full reimbursement, only paying for certain types of classes, or asking for repayment if you leave the company with 'x' number of years after receiving payment. In my experience, IF payback is a stipulation (it is certainly not universal) it is required if you leave within 3 years or so. That being said, if they do have stipulations they can not add them retrospectively; that is, you will be told prior to using that benefit. If the tuition reimbursement is not a "policy" and simply something the boss has offered you, I wouldn't bring up anything about 'payback' periods. No point in giving them something to think about.

Life is not without risk, and a high school diploma guarantees you next to nothing in the job market, other than that you are qualified as a cashier. His job may not be safe throughout his degree, but I took a much larger risk. I bought a house and had children with no guarantee my job would be safe. If he does not finish his degree for some reason, then he may have to take out the trash rather than work the cash register.

Which he later acknowledged was not equivalent. I'm not that familiar with online colleges/degrees. Do you anticipate he will have difficulty being accepted because he has a GED? Let's say he stays in high school and gets his diploma. As far as I can tell his plan remains the same; work full time and take courses online toward a degree. Do you foresee that working full time and taking courses online is significantly more likely to happen if he has a diploma than if he has a GED? I guess the point I am having the most difficulty with is accepting that a high school diploma has much value to someone working on a degree. He already has a job and I think the likelihood of him being accepted to an online college is a foregone conclusion.

Who has that misconception? I am having a hard time picturing what kind of job provides what you are suggesting. We're talking about a high school aged student who will be working his way through college. Hell, I'm starting to think about retirement and I've yet to have a job that provided clear written agreements wrt clear roles and advancement opportunities in the near future. I would have killed for a code monkey position when I was working my way through college instead of driving a truck, catering on weekends, etc.

The frequency of what?

LOL! My wife never lets me forget I'm older than she is. Even though it is only by 2 months. I always remind her that she is catching up (when she was two months old I was twice as old as her) to which she responds that I'll always be older.

Characterizing Raider's plans as "dropping out of high school" seems unfair. Raider didn't say he was considering just "dropping out of high school", he said he was considering a plan that included determining whether or not he can pass the GED, and if he can, quitting school early and immediately getting his GED, followed by a full time job that he is already promised, and beginning college. If Raider was not planning on college I would agree that staying in high school till graduation is clearly a better choice. Raider has a good plan. It may not work out as he hopes, but staying in high school to graduation may not work out either. I don't pretend to know which option is the better, but I cannot see how the "stay in high school" plan could be considered clearly better than the "GED" plan.

What I was getting at was that if someone has a college degree, do you have any idea whether they have a high school diploma or a GED? I've never seen a high school listed on a resume that included a college degree. And if you don't know if they have a diploma or a GED, then why does it matter?

I assume you looking at resumes for people who do not have a college degree. When I was in college my jobs were what I considered low end. None of the jobs I had were based on the quality of my resume. Come to think of it, I'm not sure I had a resume. My point being that if your plan is a college degree, having a resume that shows your quality high school achievements is not worth much. Once you have a college degree, no one cares about high school. It is the quality of your resume starting with college that matters.

I think the reason the thought of Raider dropping out of high school doesn't seem like a big deal to me is because of his situation. He is not dropping out per se; he is accelerating his education. He does not seem like someone who needs to depend on a high school diploma for getting a job. He is going into this with his eyes wide open and is discussing his options. His achievements and maturity put him ahead of most of his classmates already. Finally, he has a job lined up and if I'm reading this correctly, he can't count on a lot of financial support from family. There are certainly benefits to staying in high school, but in this case, high school doesn't seen necessary to me.

Are you leaning one way or the other at this point?

A GED does not look as good as a diploma. However, once you earn a college degree no one will even know about your history in high school. In the short run I believe you are taking a risk, but there is also potential benefit in earnings and completing college ahead of schedule. I suspect the downside of making a bad decision either way is relatively small in the grand scheme of things. I'd suggest you make an informed decision and move forward with vigor. It's your life and I don't feel you are risking a great deal either way.

I didn't see any mention of college. Can I ask your plans in that regard?

Based on my time here, I am guessing that a compelling case has not yet been made to add a history section.

The majority of the books I read are historical in nature. I'd certainly participate.

Does this mean that someone who is "brain dead" and on life support is not at risk of getting athlete's foot?

I hope never to be paralyzed and in your care. Kind of funny coming from you.