After High School: What to Do? College vs. Trade School
Years ago, when I spent 6 years as a high school counselor, we encouraged our students to attend college. We helped them find a college who offered the major they wanted. We also looked for ways for them to be able to pay for it. Some received athletic scholarships, others received a variety of scholarships and grants depending on their circumstances. There was one thing that was troublesome to all of us: the rising cost of college to the point of ridiculousness.
This blog is intended to address some of the issues around attending college vs. trade school.
COLLEGE
1. If you know the career you would like to pursue, before you enroll in college, check on the availability of actual jobs in that career. Business Insider lists a group of jobs comparing the annual pay for 2022 and projected pay for 2032. This includes the education required for each job. They have a well-rounded selection of jobs ranging from a high school diploma to a master’s or doctorate degree, but most are a bachelor’s degree. Health care and computers are two of the most popular types of jobs, but some of the trades are also in the list that includes outstanding pay.
2. If the career you want does require a 4-year (or more) degree, shop for the college that would best meet your needs. If living on campus is necessary, make sure you are familiar with the dorm situation. When I took my daughter college shopping, we had tours of several colleges and universities that had the major she was interested in pursuing. We knew what we were looking for, however; we let the tour guide tell us about the college before asking questions. We were trying to get the truest picture of the campus and what they had to offer by not putting words into their mouths.
One college really stood out in our minds when we noticed only some of the dorms had air conditioning. This was an area where sweltering, humid air was common. We were told that what determined whether you had a room with air conditioning or not was the number of credits you had. Usually, Juniors and Seniors had air conditioning and the others could buy a fan. That college was scratched from the list. Living off-campus was not an option; there was no place close to rent.
Pre-college visits are very important to get an idea of what feels comfortable to the individual student. We visited several between her Junior and Senior year of High School.
Here are some take-aways from that trip.
1. Several of the schools were located in the eastern part of the United States. We were from the West. The culture of each area was totally different, not bad, just different. Consider the culture of the area when making a choice. The student’s personality needs to be considered. You want them to be comfortable wherever they attend college, and the culture of the general area does make a difference.
2. Have a list of questions that are important to you while viewing each college. This can be a mental list or written down. We had a check list which we used after each visit. We also wrote down anything else we wanted to remember so we could adequately compare the colleges.
3. If your student is planning to live on campus, make sure you see the dorms. The difference in the dorms from one college to the next was huge. Some were very nice with a bathroom located in each room. Others had one common bathroom at the end of each hall. Also, some rooms served 2 girls while others served 3 or 4 depending on the configuration and how much you wanted to pay.
4. Is the campus secure? Some seem to have no real security, while others are fenced and gated with armed security guards at each entrance.
5. Will it be possible to complete a 4-year program in 4 years? Some colleges make it difficult to get all the classes needed for a chosen major within the 4-year time frame. This leads to many additional expenses. Many colleges now have the option of taking some of the classes online and attending others at the same time so that they all fit into the schedule.
6. Each person will have other things that they need to consider, so give it some thought ahead of time.
TRADE SCHOOLS
What if you are not interested in attending college and want to learn a trade? I know many people who are very mechanically inclined, that might prefer to learn a specific trade. Anyone who owns a vehicle or a house knows and appreciates someone in the trade they need, when something needs to be repaired. Electricians and plumbers are always in demand and are well paid. There are probably trades that would be a good fit for just about anyone who is willing to learn them. If this is an area of interest, here are some things to consider.
1. Check with your high school counselor to see if there are any classes that will count toward certification in a trade and also give you high school credit at the same time. I know we had several available in our community when I was a high school counselor. One of our students took welding classes at night, and by the time he graduated from high school, he had already earned several certifications and was on his way to a good career.
2. Take the time to check out your community college. Most have many great trade options for a very reasonable cost compared to a college degree.
3. Choose something you enjoy doing, so you can look forward to your classes. This will also help you be successful in your career.
4. Don’t be afraid to test out a few trade classes to see what you really like and what comes natural to you.
Another Option: MILITARY SERVICE
Today’s military has many options, and although this is not the focus of this Blog, if you are interested in serving our country and have thought about the military as an option, check out all the branches of service. They all have unique opportunities that might interest you. After you have completed some of your own research, and have a general idea of what you are looking for, especially which branch of service, it might be time to contact a recruiter.
Important to Remember:
Whether you choose to attend college, trade school, or enlist in the military, you can be successful. Sometimes people multiple careers over the course of their lifetime. Be open-minded and purposeful in all you do, but don’t waste your time, because you can’t get it back.
Beginning Sight Words
I to he
can me look
for some many
have and with
his this where
from says done
the go is
of what good
goes any should
we you little
they help who
Mr. could again
see do she
said put come
your would was
a my does
want has Mrs.
as been there
like are how
hear play walk
Note to Parents:
Remember when teaching sight words to your child, it’s best to put them on 3”x 5” cards and start with 5 at a time. When your child is comfortable with the first 5, add in 2 or 3 more at a time.
I would probably look at the list with a reading book in hand. Start with the sight words that they will need to be able to read fluently in their reader. Since different readers have different sight words, this is the best way to get started.
You can start by having them just read the word. When they are proficient with remembering the word, you can also have them learn to spell it. That is the goal: reading and spelling each sight word correctly.
Important Kindergarten Skills to Practice During the Summer and Beyond
A lot of kindergarten work is oral. There are only a few things on this list that requires writing. Here are some ideas to help you get started:
1. High Frequency and Sight Words: (Put them on flash cards if you can)
a. List 1: I, am, see, a, can, we, the, in, and, go, to, like, said, you, is, it, here, come, up, look, at, me, on, this, my
b. List 2: she, was, he, went, by, out, big, little, yes, with, no, not, going, down, where, are, they, from, have, for, run, his, will, one, of
2. Practice identifying upper and lowercase letters and their sound, including the digraphs ch, ck, sh, th, wh.
3. Practice writing their name legibly.
4. If your child knows his/her sounds, they may practice sounding out CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) words. To do this say each sound and then put them together to say the word. Here is a list of sample words to start with: mat, bam, map, Sam, fat, tap, cab, pig, rim, ban, tag, gap, nag, bin, am, pin, rat, lip, at, hit, cat, rat, sat, fig, dog, jam, lid, dim, bog, dip, dig, kid, cob, cub, gum, us, wax, quit, wag, ox, cut, yum, path, neck, chin, rock, back, rush, chop
5. Work on Rhyming Words. Examples Set One: mat, bat, sat, cat, etc. Set Two: jump, bump, lump, etc. Set Three: sing, ring, bring, etc. Set Four: run, bun, fun, etc. (Rhyming words are strictly by ending sound and not the spelling such as fun and done.
6. Math Skills:
a. Practice counting from 1 to 100 by 1’s and practice counting by 10’s to 100.
b. Practice writing numbers from 1 to 20.
c. Practice adding numbers reaching 5, such as 1+2=3, 2+3=5, etc.
d. Practice recognizing flat shapes: triangle, square, rectangle, circle, hexagon.
e. Practice 3-D shapes: sphere, cone, cylinder, prism, cube.
7. Besides these academics, working on small motor skills is also critical for kindergarten children. Suggestions include:
a. Practice cutting with scissors – straight lines and curves
b. Coloring – Staying in the lines
c. Playdough – pinching and shaping
d. Any other activity that requires using fingers with small things
Spending 10 to 15 minutes each day practicing some of these things will really help your child excel.
