ST. PAUL, Minn. — What do you want to be when you grow up? This is a question that high school students have had for years. But these days, students have access to much more information than ever before about the specific jobs they can do after graduation.
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And it’s changing the way students think about whether and when they want to go to college.
This change in attitude was evidenced by the “Chance fair.More than 100 local businesses will have tables set up with company banners and flyers explaining what it’s like to work for them, and representatives will be available to answer questions.
Some of the jobs offered require a college degree. Others don’t. Some employers here said they have both career paths, including medical device companies looking for high school graduates to work on the factory floor and college graduates to join their design teams. There are also companies looking for talented students to take on entry-level jobs with the promise of later helping pay for college or further training if needed.
One junior said, “I don’t know if I’ll be able to go to college immediately after graduating from high school.” “But I think at some point in the future, when I want to get into a professional job, I’ll probably go to college before that. I don’t think there’s a need to rush into it. I don’t think I’ll get into college or anything like that.” I don’t want to become a problem.”
Liz Williams, senior program officer at Greater Twin Cities United Way, said people who help high school students make choices are hearing more of that story these days. Part of her job is to help high schools set up programs to show students career options.
“When I think about my own journey,” Williams said. “I have a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Portuguese, so it was really great to study. You have to travel, you have to learn the language. But it’s… It didn’t give me any direction as to what kind of career was possible, so I had to find it myself.”
Now, she says, students are “asking better questions.” “So I actually think there’s a lot of wisdom in the skepticism of, ‘I don’t know if college is right for me.’ I know I’m going to have to take on debt.” I have cousins and parents who have taken on that kind of debt, and I know what it’s like.” They also have adults who probably don’t have the debt but hate their jobs. I’m also watching. …And if you take a step back and seriously think about what you want to do, and it’s university, you tend to think more critically about “Why university?” and “What is university for?” I think there is. ”
This is the fourth episode of our podcast series “Doubting College,” which examines “What Happened to Public Beliefs About College?” And how does that shape the choices young people make about what they do after high school?
This time, we’ll focus on the opportunities available to young people these days, changes in the way high school counselors and school leaders present those options, and what these students think about their options. .
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Overcast. spotifylisten to the podcast on YouTube, or use the player on this page.