Posted on 03/31/2009 6:41:34 AM PDT by reaganaut1
...
Obama didn't come right out and say it, but the message is clear: College has become the new high school. Soon after my St. Louis trip I called Enterprise and learned that with a few exceptions for military it hires only college graduates for Lyndsay's position. The ability to multitask and communicate with customers, skills that years ago high schools supplied, are now found almost solely among those with two- or four-year degrees.
To hammer that reality home to high school students, states such as Kentucky and Michigan have moved to raise minimum dropout ages. If you don't make it through high school you've got no chance of acquiring the post-high school credentialing demanded by jobs of the future.
But, as a recent report by the Lumina Foundation summed up, "College attainment rates are rising in almost every industrialized or post-industrialized country in the world, except for the U.S." Lumina's point was the same as Obama's: Eventually, our flat education levels will hurt our international economic competitiveness.
That's true, but it doesn't quite capture the whole picture. Lyndsay renting me a car isn't helping our international competitiveness. Whether your bank teller has a high school degree or a Ph.D. says little about international competitiveness, but it says a lot about economic survival, which is what high school students should care about.
The college-as-high school phenomenon is picking up speed during the recession, with employers having their pick of better-educated workers. A recent Denver Post article captured that nicely: "If I had a light labor job, I'd have a Ph.D. do it," explained a Denver employment agency staffer who had just hired two people with B.A.s to pick up sticks from sidewalks.
(Excerpt) Read more at usnews.com ...
I plan on getting certified in
Phlebotomy,
Medical Terminology
Computer Office Specialist
HTML
By the time I go for my medical degree, I’ll be six steps ahead and taking Med Term will simply be going over the same thing. I’ll get the credit and the work will be child’s play.
I also plan on getting volunteer work in a hospital so I have in the end both the degree and experience.
“I’m very results oriented.”
As a ‘result’ (hehe) I do not doubt that you are successful.
Same here! I'm in the bridge (and other cooler stuff) building business, too. It's not fun some days. UGH!
Yeah the software business is quite as fun as in the old days. But there’s still some good companies. And really we still get treated like royalty compared to most jobs (free sodas and snacks still rule the industry, and “try not to be naked” is still the general dress code). Glad I’m married to somebody with a real job, when I start complaining about stuff like our new insurance no longer having the employee fully paid by the employer she gives me that “welcome to the real world” look.
I do OK. Used to be on a fast track then around 33 or 34 I realized the fast track was stressful and what I really wanted out of life was relaxation. I read a lot more now, still successful by my rules, but nobody is ever going to mistake me for a workaholic.
I meant of course that you have a fulfilling career of your own.
Congrats on finding your own pace.
Thin skin isn’t very becoming either.
SZ
That must be it.
At least they have an excuse......
College grad:
Scared of guns.
Military veteran:
Knows how to handle guns.
College is used as the barrier to entry for the middle class.
Put your time in and pay your money.
One guideline I've seen approximates three years of work experience to one year in college (at least in certain technical fields), e.g. someone with a dozen years of work experience is equivalent to someone with a BS degree. It is only a guideline. The SINGLE BIGGEST LIMITATIONS are those we place on ourselves. It sounds like you have zero issues with self-confidence and have the intellect to back that up, so you will do well.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2136635/posts
“Are you looking for a job?”
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