Affording College, Part 2

Start With a Plan

What should I major in?  While some majors sound like a lot of fun... you seriously need to ask "What are the job opportunities in this field?  How am I going to make a living in this field?"  I firmly believe that if you are passionate about something, you will find a way to make a living in that field.  But, before you invest thousands of dollars in an education, you will need to sit down and come up with a plan.

Those who major in healthcare, computer science, education, and the STEM fields: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math will have a fairly easy time finding jobs upon graduation.

But what about those who major in the humanities?  Ah... this is where it begins to get tricky.  This is where high school and college internships become crucial.  The networking involved in these fields will be the determining factor in finding a full time job.

I'd like to give an example:  My sister majored in English.  Everyone told her she would never manage to find a job in her field.  She received her BS in English, and went to work for a temp agency in Washington, D.C.  She would temp within her field as much as possible.  She would go anywhere within the metropolitan Washington D.C. area.  Within six months of graduation, she had a job.  She decided to leave her job when her children were born, and then she went back to school for her Master's degree, also in English.  When she returned to the job market, she had a plan.  She went to work as a Technical Writer, and began pursuing ACE certification for exercise.  She was still doing her technical writing, but on the side, she was a personal trainer.  She began writing freelance articles about exercise, health, and nutrition.  Today, less than 10 years after she finished her Master's Degree, she owns her own freelance business.  She writes extensively about health, nutrition and fitness, teaches English classes at the Community College, and is as happy as can be.  I remember her mapping out her plan for how she was going to start her own business back when the kids were little.  She also made a list of how she would make ends meet if times got financially tight while pursuing her dream.  (Hence the time spent as a technical writer.)

You need a plan.  Ask your child what they want to do with their degree, and how they plan to get there.  Chances are, they have an idea of what they want to do at the end, but will need support in planning out how to get there.

We have helped our own kids map out their educational plans.  Not only has this included "where are you going to school, and what are you majoring in", it began with... "What do you want to do?  What do you love doing?"

We then found a list of schools that offered excellent programs in their fields AND offered the best internship programs.  Believe it or not, one of the schools we visited said "We don't offer that many internships because we are so far away from everything.  BUT, we are only half an hour from the beach!"  What parent doesn't want to hear that on a college tour?

We sat down with them and planned out where they were going to find their first jobs.  You can't expect much money from a first job, but the work experience is crucial.  We looked into jobs that would offer work experience, but wouldn't interfere with school work.

Oldest son will be searching for Grad. Schools this fall.  He is already searching for which schools will offer him the best opportunities for paid research within his field.  He found an internship as a research assistant on campus this past year, and they have hired him on to work with them as a result of the internship.  He's hoping he can use this job to find his next one.

Middle son is a lifeguard.  He is planning on working as a lifeguard on campus this next school year, and has already put in his application.  He is planning on returning to his current job next summer, but he will begin looking for internships his Sophomore year. 

Daughter is planning on going into art.  We are looking at how she will be able to support herself in a field that is highly competitive.  She will be a Junior in high school this year, and is already looking into the internship program for her Senior year.  She is hoping that an internship will give her a "foot in the door" for her to springboard off of through college.  She has been exploring fields within art, and has begun narrowing down her options to what intrigues her the most.

Work on the plan.  Look at their passions.  Keep the end goal in mind while you are looking at schools, and make certain that those schools can help your child achieve those goals.  Make certain they offer internships or co-op programs. Will they accept AP credits?  How many AP credits will they accept?  Will they accept credit from a Concurrent Enrollment Program at the Community College?  You would be surprised at what some schools will and won't accept.  Don't assume anything.  ASK!!  And, as my mother would say: "Get the answer in writing."

Look carefully at their teacher/student ratio.  Look carefully at their teaching staff.  Does the teaching staff have real world experience in the fields they are teaching?  ASK colleges about their retention rate, and their 4 year graduation rate.  Make certain they are accredited.  If your child is planning on going into Graduate School, ask about the rate of undergraduates who apply and are accepted into graduate programs, and ask which schools they are accepted to for graduate work.

We looked at one school, with a $40,000/year price tag that got angry when a parent asked "How many of your entering Freshman graduate?"  with a quick follow up of "What percentage of the entering Freshman finish AND graduate in 4 years?"  I remember my son looking at me as the admissions officer was yelling "I don't see how this is relevant in choosing a quality education!".  He whispered into my ear "Mark this one off the list.  If they can't see how this is relevant, they aren't the ones for me!"