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A GUIDE TO LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL
what’s
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
next after
high school?
One Size Doesn’t Fit All... For Today’s High School Graduates, Options Abound First grade through twelfth? Simple. Someone directs you to the correct school, tells you what time to show up each morning, points you to your assigned classroom, and for the most part determines the subjects you’ll study. Once you graduate from high school, the choices are all yours – and there are more today than ever before. Even the path to college is no longer a straightforward one. When Elissa Sanford graduated from Chesapeake’s Hickory High School with a laudable 4.5 GPA, she weighed several opportunities, including the obvious – attending a prestigious four-year university.
Her final decision? Enrolling at Tidewater Community College. “I chose TCC mostly because it was a financially sound option,” explains Sanford. “Most high school students don’t have a fully developed career plan. I knew I liked science classes, but I didn’t have a career goal set yet. I thought it would be more cost effective to go to TCC while I was trying to figure it out.” Sanford graduated from TCC, transitioned seamlessly to Old Dominion University and earned her bachelor’s degree in biology with a pre-med concentration. She’ll start medical school or law school next fall. “Either way, I’m well
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prepared,” she says. Every fall, Mike Summers, interim vice president for student affairs and provost at TCC’s Virginia Beach Campus, welcomes a large number of students like Sanford who opt to use community college as a stepping stone to a four-year university. “Of late, with rising tuition costs, it’s become an affordable choice for parents,” Summers notes. “We’re fortunate in Virginia that we have guaranteed transfer agreements will all our public institutions. If a student knows where they want to end up and what they want to study, we can match the courses and transfer them to that institution as a junior. Those options didn’t used to exist.” For students who maintain targeted GPAs, it’s a great way to land an automatic admission to the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, William and Mary, ODU or another public university in the state – and save money in the process. Community colleges are also graduating students who head directly into successful careers backed by an associate’s degree or certification, says Summers. Physical therapist assistants earn a median $54,410, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while web developers earn a median $64,970 and electronics technicians earn a median $61,130 – all with two-year degrees. Students in certification programs are able to enter the workforce even more quickly. “We get new high school graduates who are looking for a skillset or credential that will enable them to gain employment, so we have programs in everything from welding to cybersecurity that will qualify them for immediate entrance
into the workforce,” says Corey McCray, vice president for TCC’s Center for Workplace Solutions. If students want to continue their education, the credentials they earn are stackable. “So they’re no longer in a position where they have to choose between work or college,” says McCray. “They can earn that
thought I’d go to college,” he says. “In high school I took classes in everything from computer programming to small engines to how to bake a cake, so I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do.” When he visited TCC to look over available programs, mechatronics sounded like a good fit. His decision has already paid off – Chattin was
“My advice for parents is to start early and start broad,” says Mary-Linda Cruey, a guidance director at Nansemond River High School. “You want to get your kids involved in things they find fun and interesting.” entry-level certification, start working, then earn additional credentials that stack into an associate’s degree program.” Those additional courses are often paid for by employers. “We see it all the time,” says McCray. “Students earn their initial certification, begin a job, then return to us to work toward their associate’s degree with tuition assistance.” “If the student wants to go on from there, then that associate’s degree would stack to a bachelor’s degree,” adds Summers. “They get that first credential, and from there, they just take off,” says McCray. Bo Chattin, a TCC mechatronics student, is just a few courses away from completing his associate’s degree. “I never
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hired by the Target Distribution Center in Suffolk; he fits his remaining classes around his work schedule. “Our courses are based on labor market data and input from industry, so we make certain that these are real career opportunities,” says McCray. “There are no limits; we’ve moved away from this ‘either you’re going to college or you’re going to work.’” Another option for high schoolers to consider is a registered apprenticeship. Apprentices are full-time employees, with benefits, who learn an occupation through a combination of classwork and hands-on training – all of it paid for. “Apprentices earn an hourly rate and they get a guaranteed increase once a year, unless the
employer decides to pay them more than the graduated scale,” says Rick Brooks, with the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry. “Programs vary from a minimum of one year to up to four years.” Starting pay after completing the apprenticeship? “Depending on the occupation, it averages anywhere from $40,000 to $50,000,” says Brooks. And many apprentices continue their education, earning associate’s or bachelor’s degrees. “In most cases, their employer has paid for their education at the college or tech school or will reimburse them upon completion, so they come out debt free.” There are hundreds of registered apprenticeships out there, from shipyard trades to computer support specialists. “We have chemical operators, airplane inspectors, crime scene technicians, chaplain service support, opticians, dental assistants, electronics technicians, cybersecurity – that’s just to name a few,” lists Brooks. “When employers choose an apprentice, they’re choosing future leaders,” Brooks says, “whether in the service trades or the shipyards,” including managers, senior leadership and even company owners. Visit www.doli.virginia.gov and click on the Search Apprenticeship tab to learn more. To successfully navigate this sea of opportunities, savvy high schoolers and their parents should begin sorting through their options long before that diploma is handed out. “My advice for parents is to start early and start broad,” says Mary-Linda Cruey, a guidance director at Nansemond River High School in Suffolk. “You want to get your kids involved
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