Larry on Careers: Gaining Occupational Skills

Too many people consider college or university education as the only way to prepare for a career.

I observed a high guidance counselor one day. The counselor helped the students prepare plans to cater their education to prepare them for their chosen occupations. Before I continue with my story I want to state how much I respect high school guidance counselors. The have too much work to help too many students with too few resources. Most find themselves with case loads of 400+ students. Most deal with behavior and discipline issues, in addition to career guidance. So, I do not fault the counselor. I fault the system.

One of the students she met with that day, came alone, because both parents could not get off work. This student failed most of his classes, with one exception. He received an "A" for every auto shop class he took (and he had taken a lot). In spite of this evidence, the counselor encouraged the student to "get your grades up so you can get into college". The "school to work guidelines" allowing this young man to enter an automotive apprenticeship sat on the shelf, unused.

Once again, I do not fault the counselor for stressing a college career. College may not be the best path for every student. Obviously, this young man excelled at a more hands-on or psycho motor training. Training that worked with real objects using his hands. He did not excel at theory based, cognitive learning.

Fortunately, other methods of gaining occupational skills exist. We will briefly explore them this week.

Formal school programs include state owned colleges & universities (University of Washington), private non-profit colleges and universities (Harvard or Brigham Young University), and private for-profit (or proprietary) colleges (University of Phoenix and ITT Technical). Universities, frequently called research institutions, focus their professors on research and "publish or perish". Community and junior colleges focus on education for students. Proprietary schools frequently charge more for the same degree. You must also ensure that their credits or degree are accepted by industry or other schools you wish to attend later.
Apprenticeship or On-the-Job training involves a combination of learning by working side-by-side with a master tradesman while also taking classroom based training. Formal apprenticeships must be certified through the Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship. Informal apprenticeships may provide the same experience, but do not grant a certificate recognized throughout the country, as does the formal apprenticeship. On-the-job training occurs when a company hires an inexperienced person and provides the training to do the job. Many times other companies will not recognize on-the-job training provided by one company.
Trade or technical schools specialize in classroom and work experience training within the school. One of the most common trade schools are cosmetology schools that teach how to cut, shape, and color hair; but also provide a work experience in the schools one salons. Trucking schools provide the same combination of classroom and on-the-road experience.
Workshops, conference, & seminars allow for continuing education. Many corporations now offer seminars and workshops that provide people with certifications. They also provide opportunities to establish foundation skills with a product like People Soft, C#, and other programs or products.
US Military provides great training for people out of high school. The training may include university degrees, technical training, and occupational skills. Plus, the military provides experience in a variety of fields.