Tag Archives: career colleges

career colleges, careers, college guidance, community service, parenting, volunteering

What To Do If College Won’t Do

college

This may seem like an odd topic to introduce on a parenting for college blog. But it must be said. Sometimes college just won’t do. If you are one of those parents whose child isn’t thrilled with the prospect of college, I’m here for you. Not every child should go to college—there, I said it.

No college doesn’t necessarily mean your child is stuck in a low-paying job for the rest of their life. They have options. These options can provide your child with a bright future and many who pursue these paths often outpace those who went to college.

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career colleges, careers, parenting

Supporting Your Teen’s Career Aspirations

career

Research shows that parents have a strong influence over their child’s college or career path. That influence may be subtle, and beyond the conscious awareness of the child, or often not so subtle. Parents have been known to push a child into a career path for numerous reasons, most have nothing to do with the child’s interests.

Parents are the number one influence in the career and college major choices made by their children.  

Growing up, my parents had some friends who insisted their children and even their son-in-laws follow the father’s career path as a doctor. They all attended college and medical school following in his footsteps. They all became doctors, but not all were happy in their careers. Most were miserable and floundered around until finally giving up and leaving the medical profession. Not only did they waste years on their education and a medical degree, but they have never recovered from what they perceived to be a failure.

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career colleges, careers

Is Your Student Interested in Pursuing a Skilled Trade?

 

skilled trade

Is your student looking for a hands-on career that pays well but isn’t on your traditional college major radar? With an estimated 31 million skilled trade vacancies by 2020 and a potential oversaturation of IT employees, the following jobs are smart choice for young adults.

HVAC technician. HVAC techs don’t just provide tune-ups to residential heating and cooling systems. Many HVAC professionals work on industrial refrigeration equipment, boilers, heat pumps, and air handling systems. The Advanced Technology Institute reports that HVAC jobs will grow by more than 20% through 2022 and claims the top professionals in the field earn more than $68,900 annually.

Machinist. Creative minds that lean toward problem solving might like a career as a machinist. A machinist repairs or creates large machines and often makes their own tools to get the job done. A high-school diploma and some manufacturing experience can help a budding industrial machinist take home $42,000 each year.

Electrician. Electricians are the men and women who work to ensure that buildings, vehicles, and ships are wired correctly and that that wiring is safe. Earning more than $25 per hour in the early years, an electrician can charge $75 per hour or more as an independent contractor or business owner in less than a decade.

Plumber. Plumbers are the people you call when your toilet, drains, or hot water heater fail to function. But they are also important in construction as these professionals are knowledgeable in everything from drainage to pipefitting and how a building’s design might affect its plumbing system. Plumbers help create blueprints and may work alone or with a team on large projects. With an expected $50,620 salary and 12% job growth through 2024, it’s a career that isn’t going down the drain any time soon.

Brick mason. A brick mason gets to build things with their hands, from mailboxes to courthouses to chimneys. It’s a job that requires heavy lifting, a keen eye for detail, and the ability to follow detailed instructions. There is little room for errors in this job, as a brick mason’s handiwork is literally set in stone.  Although many in the industry work as an apprentice instead of undergoing formal education, there are a number of college programs that offer certification in masonry. Brick masons that work for local governmental agencies can earn more than $93,000; the median salary in the private sector is $46,650.

Civil engineer. A civil engineer works on a large scale to create infrastructure plans in towns, at airports, seaports, and along the highways and byways. There are virtually no areas where civil engineers don’t touch. These construction and architectural experts are the ones responsible for keeping tragedy at bay and must understand natural disasters, such as flooding and tornadoes, in order to minimize their impact on the community. Civil engineers can earn up to $100,000 or more depending on location and expertise.

Industrial engineer. An industrial engineer works to increase operational efficiency. This job offers the best of both worlds: the ability to work on-site as well as time in the office. Industrial engineering jobs are expected to grow at a rate of 10% through 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And with a median salary of $84,310, it’s a high-paying career with growth opportunities.

Construction and manufacturing industry experts hope to fill these and other open positions with new workers in the coming years. And each of these industries is adding jobs quickly as Baby Boomers begin to age out of the employment pool. This is good news for young adults is that job growth has a positive impact on the economy today and builds the foundation for tomorrow’s homebuyer. More jobs leads to higher wages, which leads to more people buying homes, which ultimately leads to lower interest rates and more favorable loan terms across the board. Getting in the door to these fast-growing careers now is one sure way to pave the way for a bright financial future.

And believe it or not, there are scholarships available to help you pay for this type of training:

2017 Technicians in Residential Plumbing, HVAC or Electrical Scholarship & 2017 Troops to Trades Training Grants and Scholarships

2017 Skilled Labor Shortage Scholarship

Women in Skilled Trades Scholarship Program

National Housing Endowment Student Scholarships

World Plumbing Council Scholarship Program

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating & Air-Conditioning Engineers Scholarships

career colleges, careers

Fascinating Career Paths to Discuss with your Student

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career paths

As a parent, you want your child to succeed in life. There is nothing strange or unusual about that. But how can you actually make it happen? For a start, it’s important to recognize that your child’s career is not something for you to decide on. You can support them and offer ideas during their education. But, ultimately, it’s something that they are going to have to work out for themselves. However, you should talk to them and be there to discuss options every step of the way.

They will need someone to share ideas with, so shouldn’t be completely out of the loop. As a parent with more experience of the world of work than your child, you could present some ideas. Make the career ideas you suggest appealing in some way. Show them things that could get them excited about their future career. You might not come up with anything that they end up doing. But you could inspire them or give them an idea that they pick up and run with. So, here are some ideas for career paths that are interesting. Discuss them with your son or daughter.

Stenographer

Stenography is a form of shorthand typing. It’s used to take down information rapidly when needed. It’s the kind of job, therefore, that requires a skilled individual. If your child gets the right training, this could be a good option for them in their career. It is used in a few different contexts. Court stenographers are used to take down everything that is said in the courtroom during a hearing. And they are also used to create live TV subtitles as well. It’s a job that’s a little unconventional, and that’s why it could appeal to your child. You can learn more about shorthand typing at http://shorthandshorthandshorthand.com/Speedbuilding.htm.

Dentistry

There are plenty of great career paths on offer in the world of medicine. But why limit yourself to the conventional options? Yes, being a doctor or a nurse or a surgeon might be prestigious.But dentistry can be just as interesting. As long as you don’t have a problem with poking around in people’s mouths all day, it could be the ideal job for your son or daughter. It’s very well paid, and dentists are always needed. It’s a legitimate medical field, but it’s one that many people don’t consider as a career option. If you ask me, that’s a mistake.

Film and Video Editing

These days, we are more reliant on films and videos than ever before. There is more of this kind of content around than in the past, and someone has to edit it together. Whenever you watch anything, there is an editing process behind it. Cutting together clips can be about telling a story or delivering information. But there is more behind that than you might think. It takes skills to deliver a narrative or a pile of information in a way that is interesting and captivating for the viewer. Many young people have a flair for it because they are used to working on computers.

International Diplomacy

Have you ever wanted to be the guy that strikes trade deals and does business with other countries? Those are just some of the things that international diplomats do. If you have an interest in world affairs and want to be a part of it, then you could do a course in international relations. You can find course details at sites like http://www.withmydegree.org/can-international-studies-degree/. It takes ambition and determination to get to the top in that world. And you have to start at the very bottom if you’re going to have any chance of making it all the way. However, it could be worth it in the end.

Land Surveying

Before civil engineering and building projects go ahead, the land has to be assessed. This is where the land surveyor comes in. These are professionals that are responsible for taking data and making a judgement. It requires a skillful understanding of numbers, as well as an ability to interpret complex data. On top of all that, land surveyors have to be able to negotiate and communicate with lots of other people. So, having people skills is important too. It can be an interesting and financially rewarding job, though.

Architect

We are not going to stop needing buildings anytime soon. And there are few jobs more rewarding them designing buildings that actually get built. This is exactly what architects do. They are the ones responsible for shaping the skyline and creating the buildings where we live and work. There will always be demand for people who are skilled in this sector. It requires a level of creativity, as well as a solid understanding engineering concepts. It’s certainly not easy to break into, but it is something worth introducing to your son or daughter.

Forensics

Anyone who has watched a cop show or a serial killer movie in the last decade or so will know a bit about forensics. You don’t have to understand it inside out to know that it’s very important when it comes to catching criminals. It’s work that has to be carried out by competent professionals, however. So, if your son or daughter enjoys science but doesn’t know which part of it to focus on, maybe forensics could be the best option. It allows them to put their skills to good use. Forensic scientists are always in demand, and the job pays well too.

Art Restoration

If your son or daughter has a flair for art, they could use this to their advantage when they are trying to find a career path. Art restoration is one of the most important activities out there at the moment. You can’t underestimate how key it is. If we want our art heritage to be around forever, it needs to be restored and maintained. To be involved in art in an active way doesn’t have to be about creating your own works of art. Bringing old works of art back to their former glory is just as important. So, this could be something to suggest to your art-obsessed child.

career colleges, careers, Wednesdays parent

Wednesday’s Parent: Consider a Career Focused College

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planning for a career
Penn College students preparing for careers

With all the news about students graduating without job prospects, parents and students are researching alternatives to traditional higher education. One alternative is a career college. What would that look like? It would be a college that focuses on the career along with the degree–a career focused college.

One such college is Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. This college marries a liberal arts education with preparing students for a career after graduation by providing hands on career experience while attending. Students learn to weld, work on airplanes, construct houses, work on automobiles, and much more. Each career path offers a balance between education and career preparation. For more information on Penn College, check out my series: Degrees That Work on my blog.

Another college would be Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Northeastern offers a Co-op program: an educational program in which you alternate semesters of academic study with semesters of full-time employment in positions related to your academic and/or career interests in the U.S. or globally. Northeastern explains, “We do this through our experiential learning model which is, simply put, learning by doing. While experiential learning can and does happen in classroom, lab and studio situations, it is much more powerful and robust when students have opportunities to use their knowledge and practice their skills in authentic, real-world situations”.

When searching for colleges, consider a career focused college that focus on preparing students for careers after graduation.

Read Wendy’s post: College and Career Game Plan

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Wednesday’s child may be full of woe but Wednesday’s Parent can substitute action for anxiety. Each Wednesday Wendy and I will provide parent tips to get and keep your student on the college track. It’s never too late or too early to start!

The bonus is on the fourth Wednesday of each month when Wendy and I will host Twitter chat #CampusChat at 9pm ET/6pm PT. We will feature an expert on a topic of interest for parents of the college-bound.

Wednesday’s Parent will give twice the info and double the blog posts on critical parenting issues by clicking on the link at the end of the article from parentingforcollege to pocsmom.com and vice versa.

career colleges, college guidance, college planning

Career oriented college–is it a good fit for your student?

images-2Every parent wants their child to do well at college and to enjoy their time studying at a higher education level. With the job market getting ever tighter, however, it’s also important to consider the longer term – what will a child do after graduation?

Towards the end of high school a student may have already identified what sort of career they might like to pursue, and this is a big help in choosing a career oriented college course. Even if a child hasn’t made any definite decision, they may feel a strong affinity for a particular field – arts, business or medicine perhaps? It’s very rare that a child has no clue at all about their preferred subjects, but if this should be the case there are a few things to consider to help them decide which career oriented college is right for them.

Play to their strengths

Just as a coach will select players for a team based on their ability to fulfill the requirements of playing in a particular position – quarterback or goaltender for example – so a child’s school record can provide a useful indication of how strong they are in particular academic disciplines or how adept they are at practical skills, or both. Career oriented colleges offer programs to train students for careers in everything from computer repairs to health care, so checking high school grades against college course contents is a good way to judge whether a particular program is a good match with a child’s previous achievements.

Finding the right course

It’s best to encourage prospective college students to take courses in areas that appeal to them rather than just choosing one their friends are taking. Get them to think about which subjects truly motivate them and suggest they consider classes in which they’re going to be confident, but which at the same time will challenge them. When selecting courses with them, scan the testimonials from current and former students – many colleges publish a selection of these on their website. If students have been impressed by the level of personal interaction with tutors, and by the techniques, resources and materials they have access to, these are good signs that the college is meeting their needs. The initial interview is an important opportunity to ask any questions, for example about course contents, tutoring or proficiency testing procedures.

Career oriented programs 

There are a variety of colleges offering technical, business and medical programs. For instance, medical assistant schools in Miami offer diplomas to students that qualify them for a wide variety of careers, including Phlebotomist Technician, EKG Technician and Medical Assistant; and what’s more medical assistant schools in Miami also prepare students to work in a variety of settings, including medical offices, health clinics, hospitals, laboratories and medical houses.

So contrary to what might be expected when a specific field or discipline is chosen, the benefits of a career-oriented program give your student the opportunity to choose from a wide variety of jobs and workplaces.