"All is not lost, all is not lost
Become who you are
It happens once in a lifetime"
- Needle and Haystack Life by Switchfoot
Become who you are
It happens once in a lifetime"
- Needle and Haystack Life by Switchfoot
Life After High School - What Are Your Options
Many people believe that ‘college’ means four more years; in reality college means any additional education or training after high school including:
Apprenticeship
A paid job that provides on-the-job training in a highly skilled career. Typically someone new to the field learns the skills needed through training by a master craftsman, who is an expert in their field. They share skills and knowledge to help the apprentice become an expert too.
Nine Month Certificate/One Year Diploma
Full-time programs designed to provide core skills and knowledge needed to work in a specific professional field or enhance a current profession.
Two Year Degree (Associate’s degree)
Generally earned at a community college, a two year degree can focus on liberal arts (general education) as a step towards transferring to a four year college OR a two year degree can focus on specific career training that leads directly into employment.
As someone who began his education at a community college, the success of the Tennessee Promise program is very exciting! I am glad to hear that students are taking advantage of this opportunity. Find out what your area has to offer and check it out!
Research from Georgetown University finds that there are still 30 million good jobs in the U.S. that pay with out a bachelor's degree. "Although the decline in the blue-collar economy has eliminated many good high school jobs, Good Jobs that Pay without a BA shows that these good jobs are growing overall, and are associated with a median annual earnings of $55,000. However, these good jobs are shifting from traditional blue-collar industries to skilled-services industries, such as financial services and health services. And, importantly, they increasingly require education beyond high school."
Watch this video then visit GoodJobsData.
Four Year Degree (Bachelor’s degree)
A combination of liberal arts (general education) courses and a specific course of study for a major area of interest.
Also know that the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation reported that graduation rates of community college transfer students meet or exceed those of students who enroll at selective institutions as first-time freshman and at higher rates than students who transfer from other four-year colleges.
Post Graduate Education (Master's or Doctorate degree)
Required for professions in medicine, law and higher levels of education, graduate level degrees are also attained in business administration and other specialty fields.
Military or Specialized Training
There are many options when considering military or specialized training in one of the seven branches of the U.S. military. The first step is to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) which helps identify the correct Military Occupational Specialty. Basic training follows. There are also military academies and preparatory schools that focus on both academics and military training. Graduates enter service as officers, ranking higher than enlisted military personnel.
SOURCES: Iowa College Access Network (ICAN), Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, The Condition of Education
- Apprenticeship
- Nine Month Certificate/One Year Diploma
- Two Year Degree (Associate’s degree)
- Four Year Degree (Bachelor’s degree)
- Post Graduate Education (Master's or Doctorate degree)
- Military or Specialized Training
Apprenticeship
A paid job that provides on-the-job training in a highly skilled career. Typically someone new to the field learns the skills needed through training by a master craftsman, who is an expert in their field. They share skills and knowledge to help the apprentice become an expert too.
Nine Month Certificate/One Year Diploma
Full-time programs designed to provide core skills and knowledge needed to work in a specific professional field or enhance a current profession.
Two Year Degree (Associate’s degree)
Generally earned at a community college, a two year degree can focus on liberal arts (general education) as a step towards transferring to a four year college OR a two year degree can focus on specific career training that leads directly into employment.
As someone who began his education at a community college, the success of the Tennessee Promise program is very exciting! I am glad to hear that students are taking advantage of this opportunity. Find out what your area has to offer and check it out!
Research from Georgetown University finds that there are still 30 million good jobs in the U.S. that pay with out a bachelor's degree. "Although the decline in the blue-collar economy has eliminated many good high school jobs, Good Jobs that Pay without a BA shows that these good jobs are growing overall, and are associated with a median annual earnings of $55,000. However, these good jobs are shifting from traditional blue-collar industries to skilled-services industries, such as financial services and health services. And, importantly, they increasingly require education beyond high school."
- In academic year 2017–18, postsecondary institutions conferred 1.0 million associate’s degrees. Over two-thirds (69 percent) of these degrees were concentrated in three fields of study:
- liberal arts and sciences, general studies, and humanities (39 percent, or 398,000 degrees),
- health professions and related programs (18 percent, or 181,000 degrees), and
- business (12 percent, or 118,000 degrees).
- In addition females (61 percent, or 613,000 degrees) outpaced males (39 percent, or 399,000 degrees) in all associate’s degrees conferred.
- Source: The 2020 Condition of Education, p.154-156
Watch this video then visit GoodJobsData.
Four Year Degree (Bachelor’s degree)
A combination of liberal arts (general education) courses and a specific course of study for a major area of interest.
Also know that the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation reported that graduation rates of community college transfer students meet or exceed those of students who enroll at selective institutions as first-time freshman and at higher rates than students who transfer from other four-year colleges.
- Of the 2.0 million bachelor’s degrees conferred in 2017–18, more than half were concentrated in five fields of study:
- business (19 percent, or 386,000 degrees),
- health professions and related programs (12 percent, or 245,000 degrees),
- social sciences and history (8 percent, or 160,000 degrees),
- engineering (6 percent, or 122,000 degrees), and
- biological and biomedical sciences (6 percent, or 119,000 degrees).
- In addition females (57 percent, or 1.1 million degrees) outpaced males (43 percent, or 845,000 degrees) in all bachelor’s degrees conferred.
- Source: The 2020 Condition of Education, p.157-159
Post Graduate Education (Master's or Doctorate degree)
Required for professions in medicine, law and higher levels of education, graduate level degrees are also attained in business administration and other specialty fields.
- In academic year 2017–18, postsecondary institutions conferred 805,000 master’s degrees. Over half of the master’s degrees conferred in 2017–18 were concentrated in three fields of study:
- business (23 percent, or 192,000 degrees),
- education (18 percent, or 146,000 degrees), and
- health professions and related programs (15 percent, or 119,000 degrees).
- In addition females (60 percent, or 493,000 degrees) outpaced males (40 percent, or 327,000 degrees) in all master’s degrees conferred.
- Source: The 2020 Condition of Education, p.160-162
Military or Specialized Training
There are many options when considering military or specialized training in one of the seven branches of the U.S. military. The first step is to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) which helps identify the correct Military Occupational Specialty. Basic training follows. There are also military academies and preparatory schools that focus on both academics and military training. Graduates enter service as officers, ranking higher than enlisted military personnel.
SOURCES: Iowa College Access Network (ICAN), Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, The Condition of Education