Field Trips are Fun

Last week I took a field trip. The first one in a very long time. So long that I forgot what it was like to ride on a school bus. I now understand the nursery rhyme “the wheels on the bus go round and round”. My poor back. But I digress.

We went to Athens Technical College. I was very impressed with the campus, the programs offered and the statistics they quoted on student success both during and after attending the school. If you haven’t gone, I highly recommend you visit the school especially if you are a career coach. Their presentation made an interesting point: In some fields, a student doesn’t need to go to a 4 year college. They can go to a technical school, graduate in two years, have no debt and a guaranteed job. Sounds like a plan to me. Then I read an article criticizing encouraging students to go to a technical school. The article stated that students need a 4 year college to get a well-rounded education.

I grew up during a time when 4-year colleges were the norm and everyone was pushed in that direction. So many of my friends ended up majoring in psychology or sociology with few job prospects. We did learn a lot about beer and frat parties and the like but that wasn’t something you put on a job application.

I think the technical college route is very wise and I am being very discerning about which of my students should be encouraged to go the 4 year route and which to the 2 year technical route. I hope other career coaches are doing the same and I hope parents are keeping an open mind. In the meantime, if you would like to know more about career coaching or would like to share your experience or thoughts on the above topic, comment below to this blog and let me know your story.

Until next time… you are never too old for a field trip!

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