In February, Smith got laid off from his job as a welder at OPW, an industry near the Johnston County Airport. But without a high school diploma, he has been able to find nothing but part-time work waiting tables, hardly enough to provide for his wife and daughter.

To improve his job chances, Smith has enrolled in the General Educational Development program at Johnston Community College. He hopes to earn his GED this summer.

“I am tired of starting at the bottom,” the Smithfield resident said. “I want to build myself up. If I wanted to, I could go out here and get a $7 or $8 an hour job tomorrow. But to live comfortably and have a peace of mind and all, I just think the education has got to be there.”

Many other Johnstonians have the same as idea at Smith. In a typical year, the GED program at JCC enrolls 130 students. But since January, some 550 people have taken the place test.

“We have a lot of young people who have dropped out of high school and are realizing that without an education or high school diploma, their options are almost nonexistent,” said Pam Earp, director of basic skills at JCC. “They are finding that even local jobs in retail or fast food are not available to them.”

The program draws a lot of young people who quit high school, but older adults are enrolling in increasing numbers, Earp said. “In some cases, you have both adults in the family, both parents, out of work,” she said. “The GED is the beginning of new opportunities for new positions and for going on for further education, workforce training or college.”

For Lucille Williams of Four Oaks, losing her job was a blessing in disguise. Four months ago, she was let go from her job at TT Electronics in Smithfield. Williams had been laid off from jobs before but always found something else quickly. The recession has made rebounding harder, she said.

“Everywhere I go I ask for an application, and normally, the application you have to do online,” said Williams, 57. “I’m not skilled enough now. I don’t do too well with computers, because I don’t have the knowledge. And filling the application out online ... I’m not a good reader.”

Williams said she dropped out of school in eighth grade to care for her siblings after their parents died. It was a heavy burden to bear at such a young age, she said.

“I lost my self-esteem,” Williams said. “I felt like I didn’t have the proper clothes to wear and I didn’t have the nice things like other people had. I felt really discouraged.”

Losing her job at TT Electronics gave Williams the resolve she needed to improve her lot in life. She is taking classes to prepare for the GED program.

“I’ve got so many people rooting for me to get my GED,” Williams said. “My church family, they are saying, ‘Lucille, you can do it.’ I don’t want to let them down. I am going to get my GED.”

To learn more about the GED program, call Earp at 209-2065. The program is free, except for a $7.50 charge to take the GED diploma test.