Mar

Discover if you need to go back to college to get your dream job

By Sophie

Should you go to college?

Well that’s a very good question. In my experience with colleges over the past fifteen plus years; this is probably one of the toughest questions with no easy answer. But I know where to start…

If it were only so simple to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to this question I’d love to figure it out tell everyone what that easy answer is. This would streamline the process for everyone.

But when we are making such life changing decisions it’s so important to take a look at the small picture and the big one too.

So the only way I can really answer this question is to help you take a look at things perhaps you may not have thought of yet. This will allow you pull your resources and make an informed decision about your future.

One of the biggest concerns right now is graduating without having a great job waiting for you in a field you love. Unfortunately there is no guarantee because this economy has affected all of us.

Even those with bachelors and masters degrees are struggling to find work.

The good news is that this is getting better little by little, but by in large this is still a tough economy overall.

So what do you do?

Many colleges are encouraging students to go back to college and better themselves so that when things do turn around you’ll be ready be hired. And this is true if you are not skilled in the trade you’d love to be in.

However, before we get to that the most important thing you can do is to ask yourself questions. Grab a pen and let’s take a look at ways you can determine if whether going back to college is the best solution for you.

I cannot answer these questions for you but I can help you ask questions and provide resources where you can make a determination regarding what would be the best move for you.

I’m sure you’ve heard that research is so important, and it is so let’s begin with these.

What would your ideal job be? If you could dream or design any type of career what would it be?

This may seem like an easy question, but if you don’t really sit back and ask yourself, and give an honest response then you’ll continue to do something you feel that you should, rather than something you love.

When you answer this first question, jot down the first things which come to mind and keep putting together ideas until you have about 10 or so.

Take this list and do some research, find out how valuable the job will be in the future

Here are some articles to check that out as you make your decisions

If you fall in one of these three categories you’ll want to be sure to check these out.

Students:

http://www.careervoyages.gov/students-main.cfm

Are you changing a career?

http://www.careervoyages.gov/students-main.cfm

Parents helping students to make a great career choice

http://www.careervoyages.gov/parents-main.cfm

Once you’ve determined what the value of the careers you’re considering are next look into the colleges you’re considering.

Often it’s taken for granted that by deciding to go to college all we need to do is to simply choose a college.

One thing I didn’t understand when I began looking into my own college options years ago is that no all colleges, are created equal. I really didn’t know that there were and are differences in colleges, outside of Ivy League schools of course. I knew that these were in a class all their own.

But this is a huge myth!

Colleges, especially now have to run like a business. They have to be concerned with cost, accreditation, graduation rate, and much much more.

Gone are the days where as long as you have a bachelor’s or master’s degree you’re pretty much guaranteed a good career.

Now a lot of it has to do with what can you do with the information you’re learning, and what kind of placement rate the college has.

Colleges often have statistics of what their placement rate is, and this is good information to have. I’d recommend taking it one step further, find out who is hiring students from these schools.

Generally this is public information and you can find it on the college website, or get this information from their Career Advisors at the college.

Key: Ask what the attrition rate is, what is the rate of students who come into the college vs. those who graduate. If the Admissions Advisor or Career Advisor is not willing to share (or Get) this information then this is a Red Flag. Be wary of this college.

If you really want to set yourself apart…

Take the list and I’d contact the companies, find out what they look for in students they hire. Is it primarily the name of the college that they’re hiring for, the degree or what specifically they look for in employees they hire from this college?
Let them know you are considering attending the college and want to know what their experience has been. Ask if they would recommend a different college and why.
If it’s a company you could see yourself working at in the future let them know that, obviously you’d want to speak to someone in Human Resources for this.
Relate that you are looking to set yourself apart and are eager to work for them.

Warning! Don’t just talk to one company to tell them this have a list of several that you contact about this. It can be very bad putting all your eggs in one basket!

Once you’ve looked into the colleges and the companies, compare your experiences to what you would need to get the positions you’re interested in.

Consider the investment, is it going to be worth it for you in the long run, don’t just think about now and what you need to do today, keep this in mind, but don’t lose site of the big picture just because things are so tough right now.

How far are you from retirement?

What would you make with a job in this field? http://salary.com

I know this is so much easier to say than do… at least it has been for me. I have to make myself follow through on things when all I can see in front of me is the stress, and problems jumping out at me.

If you missed my post on what I’ve discovered about myself during this recession take a quick read on this post. http://www.sophiemaddox.com/2010/03/11/my-recession-gift/ I’m right there with you.

More important questions for you

Do you have what it takes to do the job you’re interested in.
If not how far off are you?
Find out if the company will hire you while you’re bridging the gap.
Ask if they have a tuition assistance program, some will help you with this especially if they see initiative from you first.
Look into a certificate verses a degree, would this help you get the additional training you need without breaking the bank?
Can you take classes a community college for the training?

In summary the important things are:

Find something you love
Research the future of a career in this
Research the college options if this is what you need
Look at the big picture and small one
Research hiring companies find out what you need to get into your dream job
Consider alternative education options

You may need to get a degree or you may just need to take a few classes or get a certificate to get into the career you’ve always wanted.

The recession is here and it will be with us for a while longer so let’s plan for right now, looking at what you can get into with the skills you have, and what kind of careers you can get into in the future.

This will help us put together an immediate picture and still plan for the future at the same time.

There are two books I’d recommend

One helps you determine what it takes to succeed as an Adult student

This next one gives you an insider’s perspective, by talking with students who’ve attended or are attending the colleges you’re considering.

Stop by my store and find other resources to help you as you make plans for now and the future.
Http://www.shop.sophiemaddox.com

Be sure to share this with your friends and family and let me know what you think, please re-tweet, Digg this and pass it on to others.

Oh, and don’t forget your free gift.

Sophie

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