Deciding on a career path at the age of 17 or 18 should not be a standard practice. At that age, young adults are not in a “10 years from now” mindset, and they really shouldn’t be.
There has been a roughly 3.1% decline in enrollment in the Fall of 2021 for undergraduate studies (Center, 2022). Gap years are becoming much more common than they used to be with students rejecting the idea of spending money for online classes that don’t deliver the substance of higher education that in person classes do and a number of additional logistical reasons. Our students are experiencing crisis after crisis with the pandemic, and the reality that is our American Economic environment. Students do not want to attend college and blatant burn out is another real problem as well.
After years of public education or private education, it can feel overwhelming to then have to decide essentially what you may plan on doing for the rest of your life. There is an overwhelming pressure to “choose a major” or “choose a school”. These teens don’t know what to do or what to study, find themselves settling, and later realizing they have spent the past 3 years dedicated to a topic that is not actually what they really want to continue doing, and racked up a bill of 100K or more while doing it.
Community colleges can help students avoid these issues, and provide a bridge to the path of either a success in a traditional bachelors degree in business or engineering or a certificate within a trade such as welding or becoming a vet tech. Austin Community College alone has over 100 degrees and certificate paths for students to explore. When students are limited to the idea that a bachelors degree is all that will provide them success, opportunities are missed.
Students should know there are careers and opportunities within fields that can align with a certain passion they may have. The ACC Vet Tech Program for example would be a great opportunity for an animal lover. The digital media program would serve a wonderful platform for a student interested in graphic design. There is room for exploration and growth at a community college that is not accessible within a traditional four year university. With a combination of affordable prices and scholarships, students could better dedicate those younger “lost” years to exploration into a career that won’t leave them with regret and burn out in their mid twenties. When you aren’t paying about 75% more for each class you’re taking, there is a flexibility and power in taking control of the future.
A four year university is not the only way to go, and it’s not the best option or most “successful” pathway to a life in a rewarding career. College is not for everyone and that is more than okay for our students to hear from their teachers, and their life influencers. Bachelors degrees do not come printed with a promise of a high paying job. That is the reality that cannot be hidden from younger generations any longer and community colleges have the responsibility of speaking the truth.
A. (2021, April 16). ACC Vet Tech Program – “Adopt Our Pets” Spring 2021. YouTube. Retrieved February 7, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51fDb1Q416Y&feature=youtu.be
Center, N. R. (2022, January 13). Current Term Enrollment Estimates. National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Retrieved February 7, 2022, from https://nscresearchcenter.org/current-term-enrollment-estimates/
Paying for College | Austin Community College District. (n.d.). Austin Community College District. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://www.austincc.edu/paying-for-college
