Connecting the world of work to our schools: Students need more help in charting their futures
The writer of this editorial in The Tribune-Democrat must have heard one of my presentations, because he’s right on target with my way of thinking.
A few quotes from the article:
“(The high school graduate’s) dream, in most instances, has been shaped by the advice of a parent or a school counselor that college is not an option – it’s imperative if one is to be a success in life.”
“A majority of the class of 2008, nearly 65 percent, will join their classmates this fall at a college or university because many simply don’t know what else to do with their lives.”
“Sadly, many still will not know what they want to do when they complete their studies. More often than not, this dilemma will be somewhat resolved by enrolling in graduate school. Their rationale is that an advanced degree will make them more competitive in the marketplace.”
“Ultimately, teens have to ask themselves where they want to go in terms of a career, and then ask themselves if college is the best vehicle to take them there, as opposed to a technical school and apprenticeship program, or even the military.”
“By eighth grade, all students should have taken part in curricular or extracurricular activities that help them pinpoint several tentative career interests that they can pursue after high school. Having organized a successful career day, I can attest to the value of inviting professionals to speak to our ninth and 10th graders who came away with a better understanding of the “world of work.”"
Chris’ Thoughts:
This is what I’ve been saying for years. The general public needs to wake up and realize that a four-year college degree is more about parental bragging rights than it is about preparing students for a career.
We need to be preparing the future workforce for the jobs that will actually exist rather then the old-fashioned way of “What looks like a fun college major?”
I started my college education in Electrical Engineering because I was good at math and liked building electronic kits from Radio Shack. I had never met an electrical engineer, and really had no idea what they did on a daily basis, but there I was, along with lots of other geeky freshman, spending lots of money to get a degree in electrical engineering. Finally I wised up, followed my passion and got into education, where the real money is!
We are in a position to help prepare our future workforce. Kids need to explore all of the careers, not just the ones around them. Kids need to take career interest and skills inventories so they can start investigating careers that they may not have even considered, but might be well suited for.
And most importantly, the kids need to get out into the workforce through job shadowing, internships, apprenticeships, etc, and talk to adults about careers. Kids need to know about the world of work before they can plan their postsecondary education.
We need more people like this author, David A. Knepper, getting our message out to the public.
The decision to go to college should be because it supports your career goal, not because it’s the next thing to do after high school.
Well, that’s the way that I see it. Let me know what you are thinking, and stop by again soon for more of my ramblings.
| Chris Droessler President of ACTE School-to-Work/Careers Section School-to-Career Coordinator Wake County Public School System North Carolina, USA www.wcpss.net/school_to_career |
