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Apprentice School: An alternative to college

July 11th, 2016

As discussed in last week’s blog post, many young people are faced with higher university tuition rates and student loan debt than ever before. After graduating college, students are confronted with a highly competitive job market, sometimes forcing them to take jobs that they are over-qualified for, or in some instances, leaving them in what feels like perpetual job-hunting mode.

A long time ago, a high school education used to allow for decent wages and a place in the workforce. However, today students need a degree or specialized training. If students are not suited for a four-year university, where do they go to gain experience and the education needed to land a job with decent pay that doesn’t require a degree?

Jeffrey J. Selingo, author of “There Is Life After College: What Parents and Students Should Know About Navigating School to Prepare for the Jobs of Tomorrow,” has just the place. In the article posted below, Selingo writes about a school in Virginia that offers an alternative to college.

Article published June 22, 2016

Written by:  Jeffrey J. Selingo

Nearly 40 percent of American workers hold a bachelor’s degree. College graduates are found in virtually every profession: 15 percent of mail carriers have a four-year degree, as do one in five clerical and sales workers and 83,000 bartenders.

Getting a bachelor’s degree is what going to college means to most Americans and is so ingrained in our culture that students who do not march along are often admonished, questioned and considered — or consider themselves — failures.

Read more at The New York Times >>

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