I wouldn’t say ‘most jobs’, but a lot of jobs don’t actually care about diplomas.

• The customer service jobs I’ve had typically only had a short ‘can you do basic math?’ type quiz beforehand just to see if I could operate a cash register.

• My warehouse jobs just had simple safety training and subsequent quizzes.

• Restaurant work only requires a food-handler’s card.

In my experience, entry-level jobs care more about you having a reliable form of transportation + flexible schedule than if you passed high school.

I’m looking for a printer operator, and not requiring a degree. It’s a techy job, requires a high level of attention to detail, and a high degree of work ethic. The job is collaborative and needs someone who likes to create, but has an understanding that it’s a business, not a maker hobby.

The jobs exist.

There’s plenty of trucking companies who offer to pay for your drivers license if you come work for them. (if you don’t have a big rig licens yet. In the US that’s a class A or B commercial license.) That’s what I did, but I live in europe, maybe it’s different here.

It’d be an uphill battle but if someone got into programming via free online courses they could build a resume via collaborating with projects on github. It’d be a way to prove skill without the diploma.

Advice goes the same for anything where you can build a portfolio to demonstrate competency, most people in industries just care about results. This could be photography, graphic design, a physical labor like wood working etc.

Sucks because you’d have to outlay time upfront before maybe getting payed though. Ymmv

You should look into your state’s Department of Labor. They may offer adult education courses to help you get your GED.