HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN HIGH-TECH CAREERS: TOP 5 TRAITS INDICATORS OF SUCCESSFUL TECHNICAL EDUCATION STUDENTS
The decision on if, when, and where to attend college is one of the most important decisions a person can make. It affects your future, your finances, and your happiness. And the factors that drive that decision are even more complex. Before enrolling — or even applying — to a college, students weigh everything from the campus environment to their career aspirations. Yet for all the factors that students take into consideration, they often overlook one important aspect — what type of student they are.
YOUR STYLE OF LEARNING IS OFTEN ONE OF THE BIGGEST DETERMINERS OF COLLEGE SUCCESS. As the pioneer in technical education, Dunwoody College of Technology, has identified five of the key traits often found in successful technical education students.
TRAIT#1
CURIOUS
People who are curious about how things work — and how to make them work better — are often some of the most successful technical education students. Curiosity is a powerful trait, especially in a world driven by information and technology. Curious people seek to understand how and why things work. They are willing to use tools and technologies in ways that are new or different. They have an open mind and are not ashamed to say, “I don’t know. Let’s try this instead and see what happens.”
TRAIT#2
HANDS-ON
What exactly is a hands-on learner? It’s someone who learns best by doing. It’s someone who prefers labs to lectures. It’s someone who wants to put their learning into action every chance they get. As a tactile learner, you remember things when some type of action or activity is involved. You prefer to touch, move, build, or design what you learning.
TRAIT#3
DETERMINED
Grit and perseverance are often keys to innovation. If you are someone who doesn’t give up, who is willing to take chances, and who works best with an end goal in mind, you can be successful in technical education. Trying — and failing — are part of the learning process, so people who can do that without becoming discouraged are ideal candidates for careers that involve a lot of trial and error.
TRAIT#4
CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVER
TRAIT#5
Creativity is often one of the more over-looked traits when it comes to technical education success. But the ability to find out-of-the box solutions to complex problems is a valuable asset in most technical fields. Technical colleges also specialize in a number of design-based fields, including Architecture and Graphic Design, which require both technical proficiency and creative thinking.
FOCUSED
Are you focused on a specific industry or career path? A technical degree is a good option if you’re ready to learn what you need to learn to earn your degree. If you aren’t interested in wasting time with unrelated classes and if don’t want to wait around until your junior year to learn the skills you came to college to learn, then a technical education might be the perfect fit.
SO WHAT IS TECHNICAL EDUCATION? Technical Education is a term used to describe schools and colleges that specialize in the skilled trades, applied sciences, modern technologies, and career preparation. Especially in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. It is also a college path that many students have either never considered, or don’t fully understand. And yet, we live in a technology-driven world, which is made possible through STEM careers. Many of the individuals who work in STEM-related fields receive a technical education before pursuing their career. Unlike liberal arts colleges, technical colleges use project-based, hands-on learning to help students prepare for their industry and career path. When attending a liberal arts college, students take theory or lecture-based classes on a wide variety of topics. They focus on big-picture skills, like critical thinking. At a technical college, students take courses focused on topics specific to their profession. These courses focus on problem-solving skills through project-based learning in labs, shops, and studios. They are also all about the cool tools, software, and great technology that helps you create, make, repair, and problem-solve. If you’re intrigued by specced-out laptops, or design software, or robots or tool boxes, technical college is where you’ll get to use the fun stuff. Both types of colleges offer two-year associate degrees and four-year bachelor degrees. Technical colleges also offer shorter-term certifications.
WHY CONSIDER TECHNICAL EDUCATION There are several reasons why students may choose a technical education over a liberal arts college. THEIR FIELD OF STUDY Certain degrees and programs are more suited to a technical environment. These include many of the skill-based fields, such as automation, computers, engineering, and construction. DIRECT PATH TO THE WORKFORCE Because technical education trains students for a specific profession, they have a more direct path to a career after graduation. And degree programs often include part-time positions or internships while still in school. LESS DEBT AND HIGH EARNING POTENTIAL Many technical education students not only graduate with less debt, they earn as much in their first year of employment as those who hold graduate and post-graduate degrees.
WHAT’S NEXT? Understanding what type of learner you are is a big step in deciding if technical education is the right fit for you. • Are you a hands-on learner? • Do you prefer labs to lectures? • Do you enjoy figuring out how things work ? • Do you like the challenge of solving problems ? • Do you know what you want to do for a career ? If you answered YES to any of these questions, then it’s time to consider a technical education.
LEARN MORE You can learn more about Dunwoody by visiting DUNWOODY.EDU, or speaking with an Admissions Counselor today. 612.374.5800 | info@dunwoody.edu
ABOUT DUNWOODY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY Founded in 1914, Dunwoody College of Technology is not only the pioneer in technical education, it is the only private, not-for-profit technical college in the Upper Midwest. Having provided hands-on, applied technical education to more than 250,000 men and women, Dunwoody is the college for experimenters and makers, a place where the curious and the confident learn by doing. Located in Minneapolis, Dunwoody offers a unique campus experience in dedicated labs, studios, and shops that treats students like future professionals from day one. With certificates, associate’s, and bachelor’s degrees in more than 45 majors — including engineering, robotics, design and other STEM-related fields — Dunwoody challenges students to come determined and graduate destined.
