College Search Process Research Paper

It’s March. The college search process is getting started for millions of students across the nation. An annual occurrence, it’s almost tradition for intellectual families to push 16 and 17 year olds into the coming-of-age ritual that is higher education. Universities and collegiate institutions promote a promising future in exchange for just 4 years of a student’s time. However, the data proves otherwise; the discrepancy between students who enter a higher-learning institution and those who leave is outstanding. Surveys have shown that “by the time [young adults] get to their late 20s, only 30 percent of young people have actually gotten a four-year degree” (“A 21st-century Vocational School”). It is true, college is not for everyone, …show more content…
It is estimated that “53 percent of skilled-trade workers in the U.S. were 45 years and older, according to EMSI, and 18.6 percent were between the ages of 55 and 64” (Wright 1). This data is disparaging, because not only does it show that a majority of workers are expected to retire by the time they are 55 to 64 years old because of the difficulty of the jobs, but that not enough people are taking their place. In other words, many skilled trades could lose more than 50% of its experienced working class. In an already high-demand market, this decline would lead to an unwanted and unmanageable labor deficit unless a new, eager workforce enters the trades - all the more reason for the youth to take up these …show more content…
The most beneficial vocational programs should begin earlier. Specialized vocational programs such as those in vocational and career tech high schools would allow students with an interest in niche fields to be able to pursue them early on in the development of their knowledge; and yes, the popularity of vocational high schools is already tested and known. At Monty Vocational Tech School in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, “more than 700 students applied for about 350 spots” and “at least 3,500 students have been placed on waiting lists for entrance into public vocational schools in Massachusetts in the past two years” (Pannoni). Educators can treat schools like Monty Tech as pilot programs for vocational learning, and their success has been high in the statistics. The model that Monty Tech may propose should be implemented on a smaller scale in public schools, similar to that of a work-study job in a university, but for trades. These programs would allow students to explore options beyond that of STEM or business fields that public high schools tend to offer, and thus allow more students to experience and enter the fields they register