Not according to a December 19, 2007 article published in US News and World Report, a publication read largely by college graduates. Surprised?

The post-WWII era was a very different place than the world today and a college degree was accepted by most Americans as the safety net to job-security and personal success.

“If you want to get any where in this world, you need a college education” insisted most parents who remembered living through the Great Depression. Understandably, they wanted their children to live lives better than their own. It became the accepted norm: college equaled prosperity, no college equaled a life of “barely getting by”.

In my opinion, although I’m the first to confess, I’m no history buff!, but I think this philosophy was true for that time and held true for at least several generations.

However, as Bob Dylan sang “just a few short years ago”, “the world it is a-changing”. I think this is more valid for today than it was when he published it. Not only is the world changing but it is a-changing at such a powerfully dramatic pace, it’s hard for most of us to keep up. And the transformation has had and is having a striking impact on the job landscape!

Many of these changes can be attributed to the ever shrinking world caused by the availability of the internet. Additionally, for cost (and other) reasons, many US jobs are being outsourced to foreign countries, meaning that fewer of these jobs are available to our college grads.

US News and World Report, has for years, published their annual “Best Careers” report. But, in the article Best Careers for a Changing Job Landscape (well worth reading) they report that for the first time, in their “Best Careers 2008”, they have made significant changes to their list of best careers.

Not only have they have added careers that don’t require a 4 year degree, but suggest that “even college grads might want to consider blue collar degrees”! What! Why? They state:

“More and more students are graduating from college at the same time that employers are offshoring more professional jobs. So, many holders of a bachelor’s degree are having trouble finding jobs that require college-graduate skills. Meanwhile, society has been telling high school students that college is the way, so there’s an accelerating shortage of skilled people in jobs that don’t require college. (Why else do you think you have to pay 100 dollars an hour for a plumber?)”

Hmmm….. Point worth considering, me thinks.

The four non-college careers US News and World Report added are:

• Biomedical equipment technician
• Firefighter
• Hairstylist/cosmetologist
• Locksmith/security system technician.

Other skilled blue-collar careers that scored well are:

• Machinist (manufacturers report a shortage)
• Nuclear plant technician (few people are entering the field, yet plans are on the books for building more plants)
• Electrician/electronics tech

Additionally, in their 31 Careers with Bright Futures report, they “dropped five of the 25 profiled careers and added 11 new ones”.

So, what’s a parent to do regarding their highschool student – college or no college? It’s a tough question! Just the other day I overheard a highschool student working in a local grocery store talking with one of his peers. He said, “I know whatever I choose, my parents will think it’s wrong, but they want me to go to college. I don’t think I want to go. I don’t have a clue what I want to do!”

US News offers the following advice:

• If a career’s profile appeals, research it.
• If the career still turns you on, visit a few people in the career to get a balanced view. Ask questions like:
  • “Would you walk me through your career from the moment you chose it up to today?
  • What’s good and bad about the career that might not appear in print
  • What ends up being key to being good at this career?
  • Why do people leave this career?”
• Browse textbooks used in training for this career.
• Would you be good at that stuff?
• Volunteer to work alongside someone in this career for at least a week. If you’re still excited, you’ve probably found a career in which you’ll be happy and successful.

To this I would add:

• Pray, pray, pray
• Consider your child’s bent. What do they enjoy? Is this interest something new or ongoing? Is this a career that requires college?
• Is your highschooler uncertain about what vocation they want to pursue? Perhaps a year or two just working, might reveal a direction that sparks interest.
• Consider the environment. It’s no secret that many of our higher-education institutions are known as “party schools”. What is the atmosphere on campus? You know your child best. Is there a strong student body presence that will reinforce the values you have worked so hard to instill through the years? Can your highschooler stand against the negative influences? Some kids can’t at this point in their young lives and there is no shame in that.
• Not to step on toes but…. is your highschool student planning on college because they want to go, or are they doing it to please you because you think they should go? Is your decision/desire to send your highschooler to college a reaction to pressure from others?
• How do you define success? How does your highschooler define success? Is college a necessary component to achieve it?

So….what do you think about college? Is it essential for a successful career for your homeschooled highschooler? I’d really love to hear your thoughts!

Sue

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