A parent’s to selecting a .
Find the rig From attending a two- or four-year college or university to joining the military, starting a business, learning a trade (apprenticeship), joining the Peace Corps, taking a gap year (a break between high school graduation and additional education) or beginning a full-time job, high school graduates have many options. Supportive parents who resist overly influencing their children will likely experience less tension during this big life transition. It comes as no surprise that children who make their own decisions feel more confident, focused and tend to achieve more.1
Want to take the WTCS Career Interest Questionnaire? Visit: wistechcolleges.org/explore-careers/ career-interest-questionnaire
Section 1
.
This must-read guide is designed to help foster a thoughtful, honest discussion between you and your student; a discussion that will increase the chances for success. This guide was designed for parents
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and students to read together to help you both understand: Why it’s important to consider your child’s individual abilities and interests in order to ensure their success and happiness. How changes in the workplace and ever-evolving economy require a new approach to higher education. Why conventional wisdom may be an obstacle to your child’s educational and professional successes.
T a b l e o f c o n te n ts : Find the right path The changing employment landscape Don’t just default
right W I S C O N S I N T E C H NFind I C A L the COLL E G E Spath YSTEM
ght
2-7 8-13 14-21
Making financial sense
22-25
Resources/works cited
26-27
Helping your child discover who they are. Fo r m a ny p a r e n ts , th e r e i s o n ly o n e p ath fo r th e i r c h i l d to f i n d s u c c e s s : a fo u r -ye a r c o l l e g e. Students can take the traditional, four-year college route, or they can begin school at a two-year college with a smaller investment and transfer to a four-year university after learning more about themselves and the path they’re aiming for. Or, they can get into a fastgrowing career or begin an apprenticeship. In any case, there are a number of paths to success.
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Section 1
right W I S C O N S I N T E C H NFind I C A L the COLL E G E Spath YSTEM | 5
Un c ove r ing a l l you r chi l d’s educ ational optio n s m ay ope n u p more c areer options th a n yo u exp e ct. Ask your child these questions to help determine whether a two-year or four-year college is the right choice for them: Do you know what you want to study? If so, what education options are available? Do you desire large or small classes? Why? Are you drawn more to learning through books and lectures, or through hands-on, practical experience? Have you had the opportunity to visit both two- and four-year colleges to see what they’re like? Will your financial resources allow you to avoid heavy student debt?
Parents are a resource. Parents will want to provide assistance and encouragement to their students, but keep some distance from the situation, according to scholarly research by Lopez and Andrews. This allows students to be more active in the career selection process and make independent decisions about their own futures.2
Want to learn more? Visit our website for more resources: wistechcolleges.org
WISCONSIN TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM
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Coach, recommends following these steps to avoid the conflict that results when parents become too influential in choices: 3
own dreams they should be allowed to pursue.
Accept that your child may not have a clear reason for their decision. It may not appear to be a logical choice, but
parents should be ready for their child to say, “It just feels right.”
Value > hype. Value is much more important than the bragging
rights and prestige associated with college choice. Huge debt has
longer lasting effects than short-lived pangs of prestige.
Discuss—don’t dictate. Set parameters on cost and provide
encouragement to research colleges, but don’t dictate or push for
a particular college or degree.
A ssume your children are capable of making this decision for themselves. Many parents struggle with their child becoming independent, but they need to understand the child is directly affected by their own decisions. Parents who do their best to stick with these guidelines provide their children more room to discover who they are on their own terms—increasing the likelihood for future career happiness and success.
7
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Let your children live their dreams. Children have their
Section 1
Suzanne Shaffer, creator of the website Parents Countdown to College
right W I S C O N S I N T E C H NFind I C A L the COLL E G E Spath YSTEM
Encouraging happiness and independence.
The workplace and education demands have changed. In today’s competitive global economy, most companies seek employees with specific skills and technical abilities. In fact, about two-thirds of new jobs require technical degrees. This means many students earning a bachelor’s degree with a liberal arts focus may be passed over for the most in-demand jobs of the day. Because of the considerable debt many recent university graduates are carrying, students struggle to get ahead, while employers struggle to remain competitive. There is another way, but it may require a flexible approach to education. Choosing a shorter, technically-focused education now may help land a highpaying, fulfilling job without assuming crippling debt. Your child will always have the ability to return for more education as needed, and technology changes may dictate that anyway.
It’s about WISCONSIN TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM
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8
Section 2
employment W I S C O N S I N T E C H NThe I C A Lchanging COLLEGE S YSTEM | 9
OCCUPATIONAL EMPLOYMENT
GROWTH PROJECTIONS
33.2
%
(growth in jobs requiring specific degrees for entry)
TECHNICAL/ COMMUNITY COLLEGE DEGREES/CERTIFICATES
UNIVERSITY Ph.D.s
12.1% UNIVERSITY BACHELOR’S
8.4% UNIVERSITY MASTER’S
7.9% HIGH SCHOOL
4 *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015
.
*U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
landscape
16.0%
All degrees provide knowledge and skills for employability. D i d yo u k n ow a l l c ol l ege deg re es have roughly the sa m e retu r n on i nvestme n t (R OI)? This ROI varies most between fields—NOT levels of degree. For example, engineering and math degrees offer up to a 21 percent return while liberal arts offers up to 12 percent.5 Consider what skills (versus what degree) might interest your child. A bachelor’s degree, also referred to as a four-year degree, actually requires five or six years for many students. A technical education is more focused on practical, hands-on skills development, so the degrees generally require two years of full-time enrollment or less. Technical degrees and diplomas are ideal for students who want to work in highly technical professions like health care or information technology, for example. Given how technology continues to change employers’ workforce needs, it makes sense for people to obtain their education in small stacks of credits over time instead of all at once.
WISCONSIN TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM
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Occupation-focused & employer approved. Entry-level credential for quick employment. Shorter series of courses between nine and 15 credits. Typically six months or less (full-time). Lower cost due to fewer credits taken.
( o n e - t o tw o - ye a r p r o g r a m s )
More advanced than a certificate. Usually 30 to 60 credits. Typically one to two years to complete (full-time). Created with employer input.
A s s o c i at e D e g r e e
( tw o - ye a r p r o g r a m s )
Academic degree with some general education. Typically takes two years to complete (full-time). Many other degrees and diplomas may transfer in. Provides soft and hard skills with employer input. Usually 1/4 to 1/2 the cost of a bachelor’s degree.
Bachelor ’s Degree
( b a c c a l a u r e at e )
Academic degree with general education focus. May take four years or more to complete (full-time). Per credit costs are typically at least twice that of an associate degree.
landscape
Te c h n i c a l D e g r e e o r D i p l o m a
Section 2
C e r t i f i c at e
employment W I S C O N S I N T E C H NThe I C A Lchanging COLLEGE S YSTEM | 11
H i gh s c h o o l stu d e n ts m ay g et a h e a d sta r t o n c o l l e g e by ta k i n g c o l l e g e - l evel c o u r s e s av a i l a b l e to th e m .
Know all your options. Are the career options you envision for your child wide open, or do you have a bias for specific careers? Many university graduates are struggling to land high-paying, high-growth jobs because they lack the skills to compete for them.6 They often have to settle for a low-skill job or no job at all. Meanwhile, goodpaying jobs and apprenticeships requiring a two-year degree and/or technical skills sit vacant. This changing job market has made four-year degrees—once a certain safe investment—less relevant and more risky. Parents who invest a bit of time and energy into researching all higher education options are likely to see their kids have more success and take on less debt.
A bachelor’s degree is not the sure thing it once was.
WISCONSIN TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM
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and education. Be an informed parent. Visit a technical college campus. Visit a university campus.
relative to see what they do for a day. Occasionally revisit the student’s interests. Encourage volunteer opportunities. Talk with current students or recent graduates. Remember to keep it about your child, not you.
Free job listing service
landscape
Have your child job shadow a friend or
Section 2
Take interest in your child’s hobbies
employment W I S C O N S I N T E C H NThe I C A Lchanging COLLEGE S YSTEM | 13
How can you be an engaged parent?
Don’t just Parents and kids who don’t actively discuss future goals and options are likely to settle into a decision versus actively choosing a path. Parents should be careful not to lead their child into a risky future decision based solely on outside influences, or commonly-held beliefs such as:
It’s expected of the student—it’s what everyone does. It’s more prestigious to take an expensive route, even if it means taking on large amounts of debt. Becoming a first generation university student —no one in the family has ever attended college. It’s the only way to get the true college experience . It was the right decision for the parent , so it must be right for their child too.
WISCONSIN TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM
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WAY TO GET A
GOOD JOB.
ALL MY FRIENDS
ARE GOING TO
I NEED TO GO TO ONE TOO.
Because my parents
SAID SO.
FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES!
I’d be the
FIRST IN MY FAMILY to go.
15
ONLY
A FOUR-YEAR, SO
|
Going to a university is the
MY MOM WENT TO
Section 3
Yo u m ay h ave h e a r d ( o r s a i d) . . .
W I S C O N S I N T E C H NDon’t I C A L Cjust O L L Edefault GE SYSTEM
.
Other ways to . Pare n ts o f te n do n ot rea l i z e th e in f l u e n c e they w i el d on their ch i ld ’s f u tu re c a re e r, eve n s u b c onsciously. In the book Other Ways to Win, professors Kenneth Gray and Edwin Herr refer to the, “One way to win mentality.7” This mindset assumes the more time and money put into education, the better the odds of success. Over time, generations of parents have unknowingly and unintentionally contributed to the notion that fouryear degrees are, by default, the only option to earn a good living. WISCONSIN TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM
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Section 3
W I S C O N S I N T E C H NDon’t I C A L Cjust O L L Edefault GE SYSTEM | 17
T h i s h as c reate d a n i n ev i ta b l e supply and d em a n d im b al a n ce. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the number of overqualified and
underemployed
four-year
graduates
will
continue
to
increase as we head toward 2022.8 A growing number of economists,
employers
and
academics
agree
we’re
producing too many university graduates for the high-growth jobs of our economy. The flood of four-year grads increases the competition for all jobs, adding pressure to the alreadystressful job search. Meanwhile, employers in high-growth fields struggle to fill open positions with people who have the career-focused skills and training.
All paths are Bu i l d ing sk il l s, sta ck i ng d eg rees, su c ce e d ing o n a u n i q u e pathway. Those who view education as a life-long pathway to success are best prepared to adapt to an ever-changing workplace.
Hybrid Classes A blend of online and classroom learning
Which path is right for your child?
O FF T O C O LL E G E
TECHNIC
CERTIFIC
Apprenticeship
Certificate
$
AL D
AT E
A S S O C I AT
BACH
ES
New Student
$
4-Year College Not for You?
$
Move back in with parents
7/10
ENT ER THE WO RKF OR CE
UNIVERSITY GRA
Work Experience Get credit for your knowledge
WISCONSIN TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM
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TA K E O U T ST U DE N
S H O R T-T E R M P R O G R A M
Section 3
TECHNICAL DIPLOMA
C E R T I F I C AT E
TRA NSFE R TO 4-YE AR
Bachelor’s Degree
S H O R T-T E R M P R O G R A M
BACHELORS
Entrepreneurship
A S S O C I AT E S
Start your own business
$40,000+ TE
DIPLOMA CHNICAL
Half of associate degree graduates are making this or higher per year
2-Year Technical Diploma S H O R T-T
GRA ERM PRO
Associate Degree
M
W I S C O N S I N T E C H NDon’t I C A L Cjust O L L Edefault GE SYSTEM
.
BACHELORS
NTEED G U A R AE D IT CR FER TRANS A S S O C I AT E S
|
B
Fit classes around your schedule
ADDITIONAL SKILLS AHEAD
S ACHELOR
19
Night Classes
CAR EER CHA NG E AHE AD
Study Abroad See the world while you learn
Internship AMOLPID LACINHCET
Explore career options and gain experience
M A R G O R P M R E T-T R O H S
$
C E R T I F I C AT E
Online Classes
Employed But are you passionate about your work?
This format works best for you
$
Returning Student
TECHNICAL DIPLOMA
1-Year Technical Diploma
E TA C I F I T R E C
SROLEHCAB S E TA I C O S S A
S H O R T-T E R M P R O G R A M
Service Learning
EC ON OM IC RE CE SS ION
A S S O C I AT E S
$ Underemployed/ Unemployed You lost your job and need new skills
Combine meaningful community service B A C Hwith ELORS practical work experience
Short-term Program
GUARANTEED
TRANSFER Start at CREDIT a two-year, end with a bachelor’s or more. NICAL
BA CH EL O
BACHELORS
If your child’s goal is to earn a bachelor’s degree or higher,
TE CH N IC AL
they still have the option of beginning their education journey at a technical college. Transfer agreements allow students to earn credits and degrees on their way to a four-year university to continue their education, or transfer back to a technical college for another degree.
3
WAYS
TO
T R ANS FE R
TO
A
HUNDREDS OF TRANSFER AGREEMENTS
GUARANTEED BA CH EL OR ’S
TE CH N IC AL
CREDIT TRANSFER
For more information on transfer options, visit: wistechcolleges.org/preparingcollege/transfer-options
WISCONSIN TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM
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Technical colleges have hundreds of transfer agreements with four-year universities specific to a program or major area of study.
FO R EX A M PL E
Electrical Engineering Technology (associate
degree) earned at Fox Valley Technical College or Northeast Wisconsin Technical
College
transfers
directly
into
Electrical
Engineering
Section 3
01 PROGRAM-TO-PROGRAM TRANSFER AGREEMENTS
W I S C O N S I N T E C H NDon’t I C A L Cjust O L L Edefault GE SYSTEM
U N I V ER S I T Y
Technology (bachelor’s degree) at UW-Green Bay with junior status.
|
Also, the Nursing Associate Degree earned at any of the 16 Technical
21
Colleges transfers into the bachelor’s of Nursing Degree with junior status at either UW-Milwaukee or UW-Oshkosh.
02 UNIVERSAL CREDIT TRANSFER AGREEMENT (UCTA) This transfer goal was established in 2015 to allow for a core set of courses taken at technical colleges to satisfy 36 credits or more of general education or elective degree requirements at four-year UW institutions. That’s well over two semesters worth of credits at a university.
FO R EX A M PL E
The Psychology course taken at a tech college
transfers into UW-Stevens Point as Psychology 110 or to UW-Eau Claire as Psychology 100; Algebra and Trigonometry from a technical college transfers to UW-Superior as Precalculus Math 115 or to UW-Platteville as Precalculus Math 2480.
03 LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE TRANSFER PROGRAM Five of the 16 technical colleges (Chippewa Valley, Milwaukee Area, Nicolet, Madison and Western) offer the first two years of liberal arts courses in the comfort of a technical college campus.
Making financial sense of college. T h e fa cts tel l the stor y: stu de nt debt is a g row ing p ro bl e m. Average student debt in the U.S. is $35,051 for 2015 graduates, according to Mark Kantrowitz of Edvisors.com.9 Using the U.S. Department of Education’s Repayment Estimator, the monthly payment on a direct subsidized loan for the average student debt would be $359 for a total repayment amount of $43,124.10 This amounts to $4,308 per year from your student’s earnings. Consider what else your child could do with that money (savings, transportation, rent, etc.). To avoid the big IOU, here are some financial items to consider when selecting a college: The borrowed amount doesn’t include the full cost associated with obtaining a degree, which often includes room and board, books, computers or tablets, food and transportation. One year of full-time student tuition at a Wisconsin Technical College is under $4,000. A student attending a local community or technical college can often live at home, saving thousands of dollars in room, board and travel. Technical college students have access to a wide range of scholarships and grants, just like students at other higher education institutions.
WISCONSIN TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM
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Section 4
W I S C O N S I N T E C H NMaking I C A L C O financial L L E G E S Y Ssense TEM |
T h e l evel o f ea r n i ng s does n’t always d ep e n d o n the l evel of the d eg ree received.
the Workforce, nearly 1/3 of all Americans with two-year associate degrees earn more money than Americans with four-year degrees.11
$
$
1 5 0 , 3 5 average
student debt
24163
e cost averag year for one y* iversit at a un e a M ie *Sall
12
mon thly loa pay men n t
$359
23
According to Georgetown University’s Center on Education and
nity
u *Comm
Stu d e n t l o a n d eb t i s at an a l l - tim e high! Many recent graduates are struggling
OF GRADUATES to find work that paysARE off debt and
$ TRAINING
provides the means to live a full life. A heart-to-heart chat with your child
WITH THEIR TECHNICAL
to determine the best path for them may result in tremendous savings on
ge R
Colle
414
, 201
enter
ch C esear
%
49
OF STUDENTS WHO
TRANSFER
TO FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES WITH AN ASSOCIATE DEGREE ARE MORE LIKELY TO COMPLETE A
BACHELOR’S DEGREE
IN FOUR YEARS
education and possibly a bigger return on your college investment, too. *Source: Graduate Outcomes Report
ACCORDING TO THE
NATIONAL CENTE EDUCATION STAT
6/10 7/1040
OF STUDENTS WHO AT
TECHNICAL OR COMMUNITY
$
0 DEBT
COLLEGE GRADS HAVE AT GRADUATION
*National Center for Education Statistics, 201313
COLLEGE D
UNIVERSITY GRADUATES TA K E O U T ST U DE N T LOA N S
, 201515 *The Institute for College Access & Success
40
Minimize yo ACCORDING TO THE
NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTIC
6/10
OF STUDENTS WHO A
TECHNICAL OR COMMUNITY COLLEGE GRADS HAVE
COLLEGE DRO
$0 DEBT AT GRADUATION
WISCONSIN TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM
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TO THE 2ACCORDING 4
NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION
Section 4
W I S C O N S I N T E C H NMaking I C A L C O financial L L E G E S Y Ssense TEM |
59
%
OF UNDERGRADS IN 4-YEAR PROGRAMS ACTUALLY GRADUATE IN YEARS
6
*U.S. Department of Education, 201416
SPEND LESS
25
ONLY
two-year public institutions
four-year public institutions
private four-year colleges
$3,440 $9,410 $32,410 *The College Board, 201517
our
associate degree graduates
.
$37,000
Resources Guide Paying for College (US News and World Report) http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college
FA FS A & Fi nancial AI D https://fafsa.ed.gov/ https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/ Financial Aid Calculators http://www.finaid.org/calculators/ Net price calculator https://collegecost.ed.gov/netpricecenter.aspx
$
Career Exp loration Career Questionnaires http://www.wistechcolleges.org/explore-careers/career-interest-questionnaire Explore Careers – Career One Stop http://www.careeronestop.org/explorecareers/explore-careers.aspx Big Future https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/explore-careers My Next Move https://www.mynextmove.org/ Career Cruising https://public.careercruising.com/en/ Career Pathways https://wicareerpathways.org/
J o b s i n D em and http://www.wistechcolleges.org/explore-careers/jobs-demand Making Futures Blog http://www.wistechcolleges.org/your-education/making-futures-blog
WISCONSIN TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM
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2 “Career indecision: A family systems perspective.” Lopez, F. G. & Andrews, S. (1987). Journal of Counseling and Development, 65, 304-307. 3 “Choosing a college: Let go and let your student decide.” Suzanne Shaffer, January 27, 2012, http://blog.youvisit.com/virtual-tours/blog/choosing-a-college-let-go-let-yourstudent-decide/ 4 “Occupational employment projections to 2022.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Monthly Labor Review, December 2013. 5 “Do the benefits of college still outweigh the costs?” Abel, J. R. & Deitz, R. Current Issues in Economics and Finance, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 20, 3, 2014.
7 Other Ways to Win: Creating Alternatives for High School Graduates. Gray, K. C. & Herr, E. L. 3rd Edition, 2006. 8 “Reflections on the underemployment of college graduates.” Washington Monthly, October 2014. http://educationbythenumbers.org/content/underemploymentcollege-grads_1589/ 9 “Class of 2015 has the most student debt in history.” May 9, 2015 MarketWatch, Jillian Berman. https://www.edvisors.com/ask/faq/average-amount-student-loan/ 10 Repayment Estimator, Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education, 2016, https://studentloans.gov. 11 “Community college grads out-earn bachelor’s degree holders,” Jon Marcus, The Hechinger Institute, February 26, 2013. 12 “How American Pays for College.” Sallie Mae, National Study of College Students and Parents, 2015. 13 Project on Student Debt. The Insititute for College Access & Success, 2015. http://ticas.org/posd/map-state-data-2015 14 “Should community college students earn an associate degree before transferring to a four-year institution?” Crosta, P. M. & Kopko, E. Community College Research Center, 2014. 15 Project on Student Debt. The Insititute for College Access & Success, 2015. http://ticas.org/posd/map-state-data-2015 16 Fast Facts: Graduate Rates. National Center for Education Statistics, 2016. https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=40 17 “College Costs: FAQs.” Big Future by The College Board, August 2016. https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/college-costs/college-costs-faqs
27
6 “College graduates struggle to find employment worth a degree.” Janet Loren and Jeanna Smialek, Bloomberg, June 5, 2014. http://www.bloomberg.com/newsarticles/ 2014-06-05/college-graduates-struggle-to-find-employment-worth-a-degree
Section 5
1 “Separation difficulties between parents and young adults.” Wechter, S. L. (1983). The Journal of Contemporary Social Work, 4, 97-104.
W I S C O N S I N T E C H NResources/works I C A L C O L L E G E S Y S Tcited EM |
Works Cited
wistechcolleges.org
WI S CON SIN ’ S
TECHNICAL TEC HN
COLLEGES
16 Colleges, ONE System.
SURPRISING FACTS: Technical colleges have small classes and low student-to-instructor ratios.
GET SOCIAL facebook.com/wistechcolleges
Technical college instructors are not only experts in their fields but have
flickr.com/wistechcolleges
graduate degrees as well.
twitter.com/wistechcolleges
Financial aid is available to qualifying technical college students.
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Technical colleges are accredited by the same governing body as the University of Wisconsin System Schools. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 444 Castro Street, Suite 900, Mountain View, California, 94041, USA.
Š2017