Tag Archives: careers

careers, college majors

Is Your Student Interested in a Digital Career?

 

digital career

 

Let’s face it; the world is changing at a rapid rate. One of the things this has a big impact on is jobs and the labour market. If you choose the wrong career, it could all go horribly wrong if new technologies make your redundant in a decade or so. That’s clearly not something anyone wants to go through. So, you should start looking for a digital career that has legs. That way, you won’t be left behind by the tides of change.

Security Analysts

These days, every company out there is in need of people who understand security matters. It’s a huge issue, and it’s one that is not going to go away anytime soon. When companies have money and information, they are immediately targets for hackers and cybercriminals. This is something that all companies are worried about and thinking about. As a result, security companies are more successful than ever, and security analysts are the one that are most in demand. So, this career path definitely has legs.

Data Management Specialists

Data is a big deal right now, and that’s only going to increase in the years ahead. People who can read and interpret data and make it useful to companies and organisations are increasingly in demand. And that makes data management and data analysis great things to get into if you’re looking for a career path that offers something that is a little different. Access training for Microsoft might be a good place to start if you want to understand more about data and databases. See if it’s something that interests you at all.

Product Designers

This is one career that is not going anywhere. It requires very strong digital skills, and it’s something that companies require as they look for ways to get their products notice in a competitive market. And the great thing about creative careers like this one is that they are not going to be taken away by computers or robots in the future. That’s something that is simply not going to happen, so you won’t need to worry about it at all. Product design might be the ideal future-proof job for you.

Nanotechnology Specialists

The name might sound cool, but this career path has much more going for it than that. Many people believe it to be the future of everything from engineering to medicine. It’s a very complex field with lots of different strands. It’s thought that nanotechnology will make our lives safer, and could even be used to detect early signs of serious illnesses in the future. So, it’s a great time to start learning more about this and making it your career path of choice. Read more about it and learn what it all means before you decide whether or not it’s something you should consider getting involved with.

As you can see, there are plenty of options out there if you want a modern and digital job that is going to be in demand for a long time to come.

careers, gap year, graduation

Exploring the Options After Graduation

 

graduation

As exciting as college is for high school graduates, it’s terrifying for parents – especially when your child is the one who wants to dash across the country to another school.

For some, college is a chance to spread their wings as far and as wide as they can go. The chance to live in another state and meet entirely new people is exciting and can be life-changing, especially if you’re already from a small town. But, what if your teen isn’t sure what they want to do post-high school graduation? What if they have no idea the options available to them? What if going away to college is too daunting, too much to handle? This is the job for parents. You need to all sit down together and talk about the options ahead of them after high school and how those options can affect their choices in later life. College is an important stepping stone into an ideal career and if you harness their creativity and passion when they’re young, they’ll thank you for it later. So, what options are on the table for your teenager?

College.

Okay, so obviously the first option out of high school is going to be college. Whether that’s studying in college thousands of miles away, or doing an online MBA program at home instead, college is the first and most preferable option. Finding work without a degree can be difficult and if your teenager has specific ideas of what they want from their future, it makes sense to walk them through college application time. They don’t have to go to the opposite end of the country when there are local community colleges and the option to study online at home.

Work.

Working right out of high school is an option that some take over going directly into college with their friends. This option may be a temporary one, but they could also secure a position at the bottom of a company doing an internship with the promise of progression through the ranks. It’s not a bad option to think about, especially if your teen needs a break from studying to earn money toward tuition.

Travel.

A gap year between high school and college that is filled with places to see and things to do is a popular option among students. Some kids work their way through high school, saving every penny they make so that they can have an adventure around the world and gain some cultural experiences before they settle into their studies.

Whichever way your high-school graduate chooses to go, as a parent you must support their exploration of all the options and while you can help and guide, the decision cannot be yours. College is a time for growth, and not just for the kids.

careers

How to Help Your Student Pursue a Teaching Career

 

teaching career

The desire to be a teacher is something that a lot of people carry with them from a very young age. It’s right up there with astronaut and fireman when you’re asking children about what they want to be when they grow up. As a young person matures, however, that desire might stay with them and very well become the path they want to take. Perhaps they’re good with children or they’re passionate about education. As a parent, there’s a lot you can do for a child who really wants to become a teacher and will make every effort to see that dream become a reality.

Be real with them

It’s easy to grow up with a romanticized idea of what it means to be a teacher. For our generation, watching the Dead Poets Society shaped that romantic idea for a lot of people. The new generation might be a bit more connected with the reality of being a teacher thanks to the internet but it’s important to make sure that an idealistic idea of what it means to be a teacher will thoroughly ruin their chances of enjoying their career. Talk to them about both the pros and the cons. Yes, they can shape young minds and if they feel the calling they should go for it. However, it might also involve dealing with troublesome students, belligerent parents, and a system that often doesn’t allow them as much flexibility to teach as effectively as they would like.

Know their requirements

Different states and different careers have a lot of different requirements. If your child wants to go into education, then majoring in it is usually required. They may then require further certification to teach children, as well as being subjected to background checks and be required to have up-to-date vaccines. If they want to teach in further education, then they’re likely going to need a Masters or a PhD in their field of choice. On top of that, they may need both experience in the industry they’re teaching and some academic publication credentials.

Know the career is changing

The skills that it takes to become a teacher nowadays aren’t necessarily the same skills their teachers had while they were growing up. Curriculums and teaching methods change all the time. But perhaps the most notable change is the trend in the inclusion of technology in the classroom. Besides training a teacher, it’s a good idea to help your child get more computer literate. There’s a good chance they’re already more computer literate than you, but many still grow up without truly mastering these skills and focusing on them can prepare them for the more practical side of a future teaching career.

Keep their options broad

Many people get into the classroom just to find out that it’s not for them. But that doesn’t mean that their enthusiasm for educating others and the skills they’ve build up to that point are useless. There are many ways they can branch out from a traditional career in education. They can specialize in teaching children with disabilities. They can go private and work as a tutor on a one-to-one basis. They can apply teaching skills to the world of business and become a corporate skills trainer. By going through online TESOL graduate programs, they can even be qualified to teach overseas. They can go from classroom to company meeting room to an entirely different country. Teaching has a lot more career mobility than many expect if they don’t look at their options. They’re never stuck if they find they’re not in the career they want.

Find their fit

It’s not just that your child might be able to teach in a different physical environment to a different demographic. They can take their passion for education into an entirely different space. For instance, more people are making careers from teaching online, whether it’s providing e-learning lectures or preparing and distributing materials for distance learning. Others are moving to work in behind the scenes of the education systems as consultants and advisors. Again, this gives your child a better knowledge of the different branches they can take from becoming a teacher. It’s a way to support that passion and calling while also keeping their thinking practical.

admissions, careers, college planning, parenting

Key Questions to Ask Your Student Before College

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key questions

As a loving parent, aiding your child’s educational development is a priority at all times. Helping them gain the strongest foothold in college is undoubtedly the greatest support you could ever provide. Rather than forcing them, though, it’s imperative that your child gains the motivation and traits needed to do it for themselves. Here are some key questions that will enable you to achieve that goal of pointing them in the right direction. Get this right, and they should gain a far better chance of reaching their potential.

Q: What careers interest you?

A lack of direction is perfectly normal throughout those school years. In truth, it’s probably a good thing that your son or daughter spent this time embracing various aspects of life. However, college is a time to focus on a profession. After all, following a career in the medical industry is far different to becoming a lawyer for example. In today’s climate, many graduates do change their mind upon completion of their degrees. As such, making this choice probably isn’t as crucial as it once was. Nevertheless, studying in the right field will give your child a far better chance of reaching the top. Careful consideration is key.

Q: How will you stand out on your college application?

The competition for college places is higher than ever. Naturally, a better institution results in a better education for your child. So if you want them to receive the best, it’s imperative that they go the extra mile to stand out from the crowd. Whether applying to an ivy league school or another college doesn’t matter. Grades alone won’t be enough, which is why hiring an education consultant could be one of the best steps you ever make. By taking applications to the next level, your son or daughter will be in a far stronger position. In the meantime, it should enable them to place greater focus on their exams and school work too.

Q: How will you supplement your academics?

Education is a great platform for any successful career. However, the volume of graduates means that even a first class degree won’t guarantee a grad role. Therefore, your son or daughter should think about part-time or voluntary roles that can be used to supplement their studies. Let’s face it; the skills gained from those roles will aid their development for the course too. The key is to find the right balance so that it doesn’t stop them from achieving their academic goals. Apart from anything else, this is a great chance for them to create useful connections. With a little bit of luck, this could open up a number of doors later on.

Q: Are you ready to live independently in college?

 The college life isn’t exclusively about education. Gaining the best degree possible should be your child’s priority at all times. But there’s no doubt that their standard of living throughout those college years will have a huge influence on their ability to succeed. So, teaching your child the fundamental skills of cooking, cleaning, and financial management will serve them very well. Without that life knowledge, those struggles will cause negative impacts on their studies. Besides, it’ll allow them to focus on the development of other key skills that are born from spending time at college.

careers

Preparing Your Student for a Medical Career

 

medical careers

Parents want to help their kids do everything they can to achieve their goals in life. And there is no goal more important than getting the career of their dreams. There are a few career paths that children show an interest in from a very early age, including writing, teaching, and veterinary sciences. But there is one job that seems to trump all of these options: becoming a doctor or a nurse. If you have kids, I bet that they will have played doctors and nurses at least once in their childhood! Want to keep that spark of interest alive, and help them on their way to a medical career in the health industry? Here are some ways you can help.

Hard Work Through School And College Pays Off

No matter whether your child is still in junior school or about to head off to college, they need to work hard if they are ever going to achieve their dream job in the healthcare industry. If they don’t make the grade, there is just no way they will get a job with such important responsibilities, such as a doctor or a surgeon. Even nurses need to be highly qualified these days. So, from the day your child starts school right through till they finish college, it is highly important for you to motivate and encourage them to perform to their best abilities.

Choose Medical-Focused Colleges

There are various colleges out there, all of which offer something different. Some of them will be best-suited to those who want to study for a career in health. In fact, there are now many that offer specialist courses online, such as Ultimate Medical Academy – Health and Human Services Degree Online. These are especially useful for students who want to study from the comfort of their own home and don’t have to waste money on expensive accommodation. As well as looking for a college that offers the right kind of courses, you also need to find one that has a good reputation. Looking for work in the health industry is highly competitive, and those with good qualifications from a reputable college will usually do well in their job hunt.

Look For A Work Experience Program

Lots of schools now offer formal work experience programs for their students. It’s a good idea to find out if your child’s school offers one so that you can encourage your child to join. This will give him or her a great chance to get some valuable experience of being in a professional work environment. Once you child is all signed up, they should opt for a position in a hospital or doctor’s surgery so that they can experience the day-to-day life of a health care professional. Your child will find that having some medical or health-related work experience on their resume will be a big benefit later in life!

Ensuring your child sets down good, solid foundations for their future is key indeed, especially when it comes to the competitive healthcare industry. Hopefully, the tips in this blog post will help you do just that!

careers

Exploring Alternate Career Paths

 

alternate career paths

Going to college then following it up with a university degree is perhaps the most common way of pursuing a career. However, there are times when your child just doesn’t want to go to college, or perhaps they dislike the lessons they are receiving and want to have something more hands-on. For instance, perhaps they love art and drawing but the school they attend has horrible teachers that don’t give your child the respect and knowledge they deserve.

If your child wants to avoid college, then it’s not the end of the world and there are alternate career paths that could either convince your child to return to study, or to simply take an alternate path in life for them to reach their desired career target.

Going the freelance route

Freelancing doesn’t have a specific age. A freelancer could be as young as 14 or as old as 80. As long as you have the skills to fill your client’s needs, you can make a living and forge a career path. Of course, if they’re fairly young then you may need to supervise them and handle their finances, but it’s a career path that children take if they want to avoid college or take a more direct approach to reaching their goals. Just don’t tunnel your child town a specific path and don’t force them to do something they don’t want to. Freelancers typically don’t need qualifications to get started. Instead, what they need is a shining portfolio with plenty of examples, and this can easily be done through lots of practice. The first few clients that your child works for might request lower prices due to their inexperience, but this is fine because it all leads to a better portfolio.

Learning on the internet

Internet learning has exploded in popularity due to how accessible and cheap internet connections now are. Many teachers all over the world have turned to internet teaching because it’s far more convenient for them to work in the comfort of their own home, and the same applies to students. Most colleges offer a limited selection of courses, and if your child has a specific interest that can’t be met at your local schools, then the only option is to either move home or use an internet service like Find Your Context to look for their desired online course. Studying online is much cheaper than studying at a physical location, it’s more convenient and your child can study in their own time. It’s also a great avenue to advance your career as there are plenty of options to choose from when studying online, you can take up an Online Masters in Learning and Teaching and be able to tailor your learning experience the way you want it to.

Starting a business (or following in your footsteps)

If you have a family business, then perhaps it’s time to introduce your child to it so they can take over the reins when they are old enough. If you don’t, then turning to entrepreneurship is never a bad idea. If your child is showing signs of a creative mind, an undying passion towards something and an analytical mind, then they might just have what it takes to become a success business owner in the future. Start off young, teach them what you know, and help them forge a path to greatness.

careers

Learning New Skills to Improve Your Job Prospects After College

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job prospects

Walking to hell and back seems like a simpler task then landing on a smoking hot new job position that just has been opened. Too many applicants and too few vacancies are the struggle we have to deal with on a day-to-day basis right now.

Applying for a new job demonstrates how survival of the fittest law still works in our modern lives. The person with the best resume, more skills and a better overall appearance gets a bigger paycheck. Sad, but true.

But do you know you can be that person? It’s pretty easy and doesn’t even take too much effort. All of the skills you need are easily gained at home.

That’s right, you’ve heard me. You can master new arts and skills without even leaving your living room. How?

Learn a new language!

The more you know the merrier. This skill is pivotal if you are applying for a position in an international company with offices all over the world. Dozens of services allow you to hire an English teacher online or get access to a tutor in French, German, Spanish or whatever other language.

Get your personal tutor via Preply!

Preply service is getting popular day by day with people striving to hire a professional to learn a foreign language. By allowing the customer to choose a specific person whose methods and working schedule correspond to their own needs, Preply provides the unprecedented level of commodity combined with professionals’ willing to make sure you can speak any language fluently in no times. This can be easily achieved via Skype. A personal tutor will be there for you whenever you need one. Ask all the questions you want, as much of them as you feel like and get answers – clear, precise answers. The two of you will have all the time on the world after all. Access to a native speaker is also a huge plus as you will listen to appropriate pronunciation, vocabulary and what not. In other words – you will learn a totally new language in a heartbeat – is that not an exceptional opportunity to juice up your resume?

Master new, relevant skills

Let’s say you are a programmer. As you graduate from the university you will have certain knowledge of particular languages like Java or PHP. You start looking for a job and all people in your region want coders with skills in Ruby on Rails, Python or Golang. Bummer!

Luckily sites like Udemy are here for you, these are the cites where you will not only master new skills briefly or through a series of more complex exercises, but you will also get a certification to prove your worth. It’s like getting a degree in machine learning within a week or two. How awesome is that?

These kinds of sites don’t work for programmers alone as they offer various courses starting from sales to marketing or even carpeting. You choose the industry and there will be lessons with certifications for it online!

Enjoy TED talks

TED talks are usually streamed on YouTube and are the events where leading professionals of any given industry highlight some of the most important, up-to-date niche-specific issues paired with provocative, throughout solutions.

Being not just a common educational institution TED talks allow professionals to stay on their toes in the ever-changing digital world of the 21st century.

Google for relevant info

The last but not least, this way is probably the best one at nailing a job interview before even being invited for it. Google up reviews, testimonials as well as stuff on the corporate blog about the company you are interested in. Befriend its workers on Facebook in advance. Ask about how their team works? How do they function?  

After getting the answers you will know who to talk to and what they expect from a candidate. You will also know whether a company is a fitting choice for you as well as your newly buffed stack of skills.

In Conclusion

Now you know it all. You know how to make your job seeking attempts convert better. You know how to master new skills and stay on your toes in an ever-changing digital world. Congratulations!

Now, that all that is done think – do you need that job in the first place or perhaps it is finally time to venture on into the realm of entrepreneurship? You can do that with all your hot new skills.

careers

Medicine Could Be the Cure for Your Student’s Career Confusion

 

If you’re still in high school trying to decide what you should study at college, the answer might be simpler than you think. Instead, of looking at random and weird choices, perhaps you should consider one of the most popular industries in the world: medicine. We think there’s a pretty basic reason why some people are put off studying medicine. They think it means that they either have to become a doctor or a nurse and that’s just not true. There are lots of other job positions in this field. You may all go through the same training, but once you reach the stage of having your full license, your career can take off in any direction that you want. So, you don’t have to keep working with patients if that’s your biggest fear.

Actually, contrary to popular belief doctors don’t even spend that much time with the patients they are treating. You can find out more about that on http://www.forbes.com/sites. On average, doctors will spend roughly ninety seconds with each patient they see on the hospital floor per day. So, if you’re not really a people person, you don’t have to be to become a doctor. You just have to be fascinated by the workings of the human body and have an unquenchable thirst for learning. As a nurse, on the other hand, you may have to work with patients, but you don’t need to know all there is about treatment plans and diagnosis. These are just two of the basic positions you can fill in medicine. There are many others so let’s look at why this could be the perfect career choice for you.

Respect And Authority

A medical degree is easily one of the most respected qualifications you can earn. It’s not a throwaway major like Geography can be or philosophy. This will lead you towards multiple career options and perhaps more importantly, a great deal of respect on the job market. You don’t even have to work in medicine with a medical degree. The skills you learn on a medical course are transferable to other positions. So, you can certainly think about extending your branches, and when you do, you’ll be at the top of the list for employers.

Hate Hospitals?

There’s no need to work in one. As a fully trained health professional, you could run your own practice if you’re willing to invest the time and the money. It won’t be easy, but once you set out a plan and have some capital behind you it can be accomplished. You can then choose the type of care you provide, the payment you want and the staff you hire. Working as a doctor doesn’t have to mean long hours, heavy responsibilities and more when you’re in charge of the programme.

That’s not the only option either. You can also think about working without borders at all. That’s right, as a doctor or nurse you don’t have to be stuck in a building all day. It is possible to join doctors without borders and travel the world helping people. As such a career in medicine can still be just as exciting as a travel blogger and far more rewarding. Have a look at http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/.

Or, how about working in private medicine. If you work hard in school and college, you can get the best grades. You will then be able to move forwards applying for jobs in private practices. Private hospitals aren’t anything like your typical health corporation. Instead, the hours are great, the pay is fantastic, and the facilities are excellent.

Don’t Want To Deal With Death?

You don’t have to, there are plenty of specialties that mean you aren’t working with living patients at all. Instead, you can train to be a pathologist. Here, it’s your responsibility to find out why a patient died. But you can never be responsible for missing something that killed a patient. The tragic fact about medicine is that human error still exists. Eventually, a doctor or nurse will make a mistake that could result in the death of an individual patient. If you want to completely avoid this possibility working in a morgue could be the perfect choice for you.

Hate Blood?

Another almost stereotypical reason why people don’t go into medicine is that they have a fear of blood and guts. But again, a medical career doesn’t have to involve gruesome procedures and cutting open human bodies. Instead, you can work in research. Here, you’re more likely to be handling reports rather than performing surgeries. You might also on occasion run clinical trials, but that still won’t involve medical procedures. Most likely it will be things like testing new drugs and possible physical treatments. But, you can decide what type of clinical trial you are interested in.

Or, you could enter the mental sector of health looking at psychiatric conditions. To do this, you will still need a medical degree, but at some point, during your studies, you will branch off and focus on the mind rather than the body. You can have a look at jobs at https://www.staffnurse.com/jrp-mental-health-nurse or a similar site to find more information about this possibility.

Too Hard

There is the idea that because medicine is one of the most reputable courses, it’s also one of the hardest. This isn’t quite true and will medicine can be tricky it’s more because you’re running a marathon. You have to pace yourself to make sure that you don’t get overwhelmed. This is the true issue people have with the study of health. It’s so vast and there’s so much to learn it can seem impossible. You just have to remember that a lot of people have come before you and a lot will come after you. It’s not an impossible task, it never has been and while it’s true dropout numbers are high, a lot of people do succeed. You shouldn’t just assume it’s not for you because the challenge is too great. All you need is a little determination and a lot of hard work. Then, you will succeed in the medical field. Have a look at http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2012/07/ for more info on what it’s like to be a doctor.

careers

What Can Your Student Do With an Accounting Degree?

 

accounting degree

As a parent, it is natural to want the best for your child now and into adulthood.  You might be wondering which career path might suit him or her based on their strengths in school and life right now.  Some parents can tell from an early age whether or not their child would be successful in science, arts, or humanities.  There are others, still, who excel in mathematics and have not yet found a career choice.  If your child is older, you may find that he or she already has developed some skills in managing money.  

Perhaps he helps with the family budget or she already detailed out her moving expenses for the move to college.  This student can find success in a number of careers with this talent, and one of the most rewarding comes in the form of accounting. A degree in accounting ensures that your child is on the path to becoming financially successful in life. Despite having a seemingly narrow career path, there are actually a wide variety of jobs that this degree can apply to.  Here are just a few paths your child can take with an accounting degree:

Accounting

This is the most obvious choice, but certainly not to be overlooked.  An accountant is someone who prepares and analyzes financial records.  If your child has exceptional organizational skills, then he or she will be excellent at maintaining account books and keeping them up to date.  As an accountant, he or she can look forward to a high chance of job stability because accountants are always in demand.  In fact, he or she can look forward to gaining entry at every level of education from associate’s, master’s, and beyond!  Regardless, your child will have to gain a certificate called a CPA.  To earn his CPA, he will likely have to dedicate hundreds of hours to study, as it is a very difficult exam to pass.  However, with the help of CPA study materials, this is still achievable and well worth the effort. Achieving this distinction could see your child earning six figures very early on in their accounting career, so it’s definitely something to encourage.

Controller

Controllers are in charge of the accounting department in various organizations. They work above accountants and must manage where the money is going and making doubly sure that the department and company is accurately complying with tax laws.  A controller is also called a Chief Accounting Officer.  If your child is naturally ambitious, a natural responsible leader, he or she could ultimately become a controller.

Financial Analyst

A financial analyst is someone who makes recommendations to their employer based on macroeconomic and microeconomic research.  These people are natural visionaries who have the forethought to find patterns in data and develop a strategy that they can advise to their employer.  If your son or daughter is particularly good at analyzing, strategizing, and asserting this prediction with confidence, this may be the perfect career for them.  As you can see, a financial analyst strategizing more based on the big picture—such as national or global economic systems—while accounting may be more specific. Financial analysts can often find work in securities firms or investment banks like W Partners.

Tax Attorney

If your child has expressed an interest in law or has a capacity for debate, he or she can use their accounting degree to become a tax attorney.  In order to pursue this course, she will likely go on to law school and become a specialist in tax policies and liability as it relates to all matters of property and transactions.  As opposed to the above careers, a tax attorney will often work in a law firm.  A common specialty is in IRS issues.  He or she may likely represent a client during an audit and organize settlements.  A tax attorney often works with a public accountant, so it is possible that—if your child becomes an accountant—that he or she may choose to work at a law firm as well.

Regardless of which path your child chooses, your son of daughter will have to prove to be disciplined and dedicated to go this route.  Even those with a natural aptitude for this form of thought will have to work hard.  However, if she is will to go through the trials and study for years, she can become successful in using her accounting degree.

careers, parenting

Should Every Child Go to College?

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college

I published this article about five years ago, but I feel it’s content is still true today. Too many parents push students to go to college when they are not prepared either academically, emotionally or financially. So many students go and fail because college is simply not for them.

_____________________

I read an article a few years ago in The Atlantic: “In the Basement of the Ivory Tower“, that gave me some food for thought. It’s been on my mind for quite awhile, especially since I have a close friend who is a financial aid counselor at one of those infamous “for profit” colleges.

She would answer my leading question with a loud and emphatic, “NO”, based on her experience dealing with those who are not prepared to attend college and don’t understand the consequences of borrowing money they can’t pay back. They have been convinced that without a college education, they can’t get a job or pursue a career. They’ve been told by someone that it doesn’t matter how much money you borrow as long as you get that degree. Once you get that degree you can earn enough money to pay back what you’ve borrowed. But we all know that’s not often the case.

In the above mentioned article, the English professor makes an interesting point:

America, ever-idealistic, seems wary of the vocational-education track. We are not comfortable limiting anyone’s options. Telling someone that college is not for him seems harsh and classist and British, as though we were sentencing him to a life in the coal mines. I sympathize with this stance; I subscribe to the American ideal.

Sending everyone under the sun to college is a noble initiative. Academia is all for it, naturally. Industry is all for it; some companies even help with tuition costs. Government is all for it; the truly needy have lots of opportunities for financial aid. The media applauds it—try to imagine someone speaking out against the idea. To oppose such a scheme of inclusion would be positively churlish.

I’ve come to realize that Americans truly are snobs. We brag about what we have and what we have obtained. Like it or not, we are a classist society. We snub our noses at those who haven’t been to college and brag heavily about our numerous degrees as if they are badges of honor. And while graduating from college is an accomplishment, so is learning a trade.

Often, we push our kids to attend college when we know it’s not for them. Why? Because we are a society that measures success by the number of degrees hanging on a wall or the dollar signs that can be found on our bank accounts. It is noble to dream big and education is always a noble goal. But so is being a plumber, a carpenter, a cosmetologist or a civil servant like a police officer or fireman.

What’s my point? My point is that you need to know your child. If they want to go to college and have the skills and knowledge they need to be successful there, then encourage them to go. But if they aren’t interested or motivated, save yourself some heartache, disappointment and money by letting them pursue a trade or career and even consider a college that offers both. There are so many fabulous careers out there that they can do without higher education. You will be happier, they will be happier and they will fill an important role in society. College really isn’t for child.