Posted on 03/13/2023 7:47:46 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
I suggest overall career planning with no bias for or against college before first picking a career and researching from the people already in that career how much they make, what the job is like in real life, and what kind of training is good for that career. If they say a college (or grad) degree in particular majors from particular schools, fine -- research the costs at those schools. Don't ask the schools if they're good -- let the people who'll one day hire you tell you what school training they're looking for. I suggest the same with blue collar work -- let the workers or managers of workers already in that field tell you which trade schools are good.
Only after you've done your homework on where you want to wind up and what it'll take to get there, then go to school. That's what I did when I was in 11th grade. I asked programmers and their managers what it's like being them and what it'd take to get me where they are. Almost all of them told me to get a BS in computer science from a handful of different colleges they respected, with most of them suggesting a local university. I got the degree and before I walked the stage I accepted my starting programmer position making what today would be about $60K, in a low cost of living area.
Perfect!
it would be wonderful if these sanctimonious college professors with their huge salaries and benefits would loose their jobs and have to work like an average person.....
Good points!
The problem is most HS age kids & parents don’t know how to do or how to even start. It’s a service that should be provided by the HS guidance counselors. (As taxpayers we pay for it!) I seriously doubt that it is. It certainly wasn’t back when I was a HS senior. Mine were dear old ladies but essentially useless in career guidance. Luckly, I sort of knew what I wanted to do in general terms. I & my parents could have used some help on developing the details, but it turned out ok. That was 50 years ago!
BTTT
I wish more students would do that. But, in all fairness, few 18 year olds know what they’d like to do for the rest of their lives as far as a career - problem is they’re told they HAVE to go to college in order to succeed and this is simply untrue.
Speaking as a retired teacher of 11th and 12th graders for 33 years.
I respectfully disagree. You're asking the career government workers in the academic industry (the guidance counselors) to have an understanding outside of their industry. The steps I figured out on my own in 11th grade before Al Gore invented the internet should be common sense and should be encouraged by parents.
Therein lies the problem. The gotta-go-to-college mantra is a distraction from the real problem solving of picking a career. I'd argue that the college mantra is a way to kick the can down the road. Don't worry about career planning now -- you can decide that later after you're in college.
Proverb 29:18a -- Where there is no vision the people perish.
**Going away to College has largely become going away from home to a new high school where you can drink beer.**
It was that way 49 yrs ago when I was a part-time student taking agriculture classes at Western IL U. (idiot Carville’s wife, Rino Mary Matalin’s alma mater). Even then the party atmosphere was shocking. Booze, drugs, sex without commitment was rampant. Hearing of someone leaving school because of drug or alcohol issues; the occasional girl that went home because of a pregnancy.
I can imagine it’s worse now though.
Certainly the numbers have dropped at WIU. They have demolished two dorms and have closed at least three others, reducing on campus housing by over half.
That’s why my husband (college counselor for 40 years) said the #1 major going in is “undecided.”
Except in the government and education - saw lots of them there..
I didn’t say they did it, I didn’t say they did it right, or well, I said we paid them to do it. In fact, I gave an ancient personal example of where it wasn’t done well for me. Maybe they did ok for others of my generation. I know they meant well. One was a sweet old lady from my church back then. My main point was that parents & 18 year olds are poorly prepared to do it.
I guess I’m okay with guidance counselors at the school giving advice as long as it’s to the tune of: “Hey, kid. It’s time to give serious thought to what career you want to do and contact people already in that career...”. As long as in the end the advice comes from people already successfully in the career.
Depends on the STEM...
A degree from my college today in Comp Sci, would set you back about 80-100k
You’ll walk into the same job the guy who did a 14 week certificate from Tech Elevator’s 14 week program which cost him about 16k if he paid full price.
By the time you have your 4 year degree, they’ll be 3+ years into their career, and you’ll just be starting with 100k in debt, and be 3 years behind them in salary and experience
I mostly paid out of pocket for my BS although I did take out a very small loan, paid back in full. I worked part time during my BS. The company I was working for paid for my MS in CS. YMMV...
FYI & SHARING (B4 IT'S ILLEGAL!)
The WHO (SOCIALIST FDR) and HOW we wound up with Marxists now running DAMN NEAR ALL of the GOVERNMENTS (not of the “PEOPLE”) and nearly ALL of the “WOKE” businesses. We SLEPT on our “God given” RIGHTS & will LOSE THEM!
No argument from me. The system in which I trained bears little resemblance to what currently passes for “education”.
They did run career day, which in my blue-collar town was almost always blue-collar guys coming in. Most in my HS went to work at the local chemical plants. This was 50 years ago I have no idea what they do now.
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