<prompt> Human: I am 24 and currently make 23.50 an hour as a IT systems analyst. I have a G.E.D... Im not the type that would manage school very well with a full work week. Im afraid of failing the classes. I have my g.i. bill available to me and want to use it for a computer science degree. I would take fewer classes to manage while working but that would take away using the full potential of the g.i. bill. I think it will be difficult finding a job paying more without having a degree. I already dont get interviews for the simple fact of having a g.e.d. I feel like Im stuck where Im at in life. My wife lost her job and we already have enough going to bills where we cant afford a loss in income from me as well. Im posting this from work on my phone, so it might take me a bit to reply. I appreciate any advice that can be offered.EditThank you all for your advice. After looking through your comments, it seems I should go the degree route. I noticed someone said 23.50 isnt too shabby. I do have 7 years experience in networking and Microsoft server. So the pay Im getting is actually pretty low conisdering. Im going to look into starting spring classes. I just hate that feeling of being stuck. I will just start with a few classes and see how things go, and re-evaluate my options after I finish my first semester. Thank you all for your advice!  <response>: Im in your field. I started in tech without a degree or certs. I now have a degree and many certs, so Ive seen it from both sides. Here is my advice: - Get a degree. You can do well without one, but your earning potential skyrockets when you get one. I went from making what you are making to more than double within two years of graduation. Thats not only because of the degree, but it unlocked the door. Degree or not you still have to hustle. - Get certifications, maybe. Most employers dont care about them. Partners are an exception to this. I work for a Microsoft partner and for us to maintain our gold and silver competencies, we need to staff a certain number of engineers with specific certifications. I greatly prefer to hire engineers with the certs already in place. If you want to work for a partner, this is a real bargaining chip. - You dont need to get there tomorrow. If you think its best to only do a few classes per semester rather than a full workload, then do it. Just make sure you finish what you start. If you get a degree, you dont need to list your GED on a resume. If you dont finish and I see some college and GED on your resume, Ill assume you cant finish what you start. Stick to it. It was painful when I was going through it, but totally worth it in hindsight. Good luck! 