When parents of high school students are polled, they overwhelmingly want their children to graduate from a 4-year college. But, new careers are at 2-year colleges.
Upside Down World
Things are changing faster than we can comprehend. We all want what is best for our children; however, we are thinking of what was best 20 years ago.
Who would think that a degree from a 2-year college would be more progressive, cutting-edge and pay better than a degree from a 4-year college? In many cases this is true.
Four-Year Colleges
Established four-year institutions are based on liberal arts and classics. All students are expected to take two years of liberal arts classes and then two years of study in their major field. These disciplines do not change much over time. History is still history a generation later. Philosophy of Socrates does not change. Art and music remains basically the same. While four-year institutions do modernize on a regular basis, the basic structure remains constant.
Two-Year Colleges
Two-year colleges are a newer concept. These institutions are meant to fill in the gap between the four-year schools and the job market. When society shows a need for a profession, the junior colleges quickly begin putting a program together to meet the needs. Instead of training students to be "well-rounded" in all aspects of education, junior colleges turn out experts in a particular profession. If you want someone to program your computer or debug it, European History or Art Appreciation does not make them better at their job. You don't really care if they are well-rounded. You want your computer fixed.
Job Market
Where are the new jobs? Statistics show that the careers that are growing are not solely 4-year degrees. With an aging population, we need more medical personnel. With the growing population, teachers are in great need--especially those in math, science, and special education. However, many of the popular careers are waning in need. For example, becoming a lawyer is no longer an automatic lucrative career. It is for many, but there is a growing section of lawyers that are making a minimal salary. There are many mechanics earning more than attorneys. Supply and demand determines income. Nursing salaries are climbing higher because of need.
Hot Two-Year Degrees
Junior colleges are quicker to change and meet society's needs. Wind energy is becoming a popular energy source. Junior colleges quickly offered a two-year program to meet the needs of this technology. Bio-diesel technology is a renewable fuel source that is now becoming popular. Again, junior colleges are supplying the technicians to provide this alternative fuel source what it needs to operate effectively. Ethanol and bio-diesel plants are being build at record pace in the midwest to take the edge off our dependance on foreign fuels. Again, as you are filling your pick-up with diesel fuel made from soybeans, you do not care if the person that developed this fuel understood Shakespeare.
Is It A Liveable Wage?
Surprisingly, many two-year college careers surpass 4-year careers in salaries. Four-year degrees in psychology, social work, and teaching are much lower than many two-year college careers. An automotive technician that has graduated from a certified program, will probably earn 2-3 times that of a beginning teacher. A technician that repairs wind energy turbines will earn far more than a psychologist. An expert in bio-diesel will probably earn more than an accountant.
Paradigm Shift
What prevents many parents from embracing a two-year program for their children is the old thinking that more education equals better salaries. In careers such as medicine and nuclear physics, that is probably true. But, for students that do not want to be in college for 4-6 years, junior colleges are a great option. There is less money invested in the education, lower debt, and better wages after graduation than many other options. It is a matter of accepting the fact that things are changing. We either change with the new trends or we get left behind.
While many have the opinion that a four-year degree is always the best option, the two-year graduates will be laughing all the way to the bank.
Related articles: Left Brain Characteristics, Famous Right Brains, Left Brains and Right Brains, Right/Left Brain Background, Left Brain Characteristics, SAT and the Learning Disabled.
Read previous articles on Educational Issues. For great information about college, visit Naomi Rockler-Gladen at http://collegeuniversity.suite101.com/
Copyright article 2006 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
