A new academic year across the country is well underway. Young Juniors or sweet Little Missies embark on an educational journey in the hallowed halls of State College or Capital University, daydreaming of a diploma that’s sure to acquire a graduated student an instant $100K a year job.

Right?
According to a recent Christian Science Monitor article six other nations now surpass the US in the percentage of younger adults who have college degrees, reports the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education in "Measuring Up 2006: The National Report Card on Higher Education." The 2004 national report card concluded, "...the United States is underperforming in higher education." "Measuring Up 2006" maintains that this is still true. Commenting on the report's findings, the center's president, Patrick Callan, asserts: "What is at risk is America's future educational and economic leadership...."

The very idea parents are putting the next generation in jeopardy unless they go through college is may be a myth. The US social cloth mindset already encourages too many unmotivated students into college, where they learn little. There was a time when public schools offer auto shop classes, carpentry, welding and electrical enginreering.
It's no secret college is a business. College textbook and the griping students that purchase these can attest to that. Pressure to have college A list ball teams make the Final Four or the Citrus Bowl can be psychologically crushing. But, like the basics of supply and demand, what happens socially and economically when a glut of college grads flood the marketplace? All those grads can't get that $100K brass ring. When the lucky one raises the ring-clamped fist to victory punch the air, the other ninety-nne job seekers have to find income to face the looming Sallie Mae and Nellie Mae repayment deadlines somewhere. Anywhere.

The next time you stop in a nearby coffee hut, don't be surprised an educated barista's waiting to happily serve you a tall double latte with extra expresso. Remeber to smile and say hello. They really do mean for you to have a good day.

gMost vocations rightfully need a degre to complete the training for that career choice. Doctors, nurses, teachers, dentists, social workers, tree surgeons, forestry and almost all engineering vocations require these degrees. Other jobs won't consider an interviewee without a degree; military and law enrollment and some civil service jobs--specifically firefighters and EMTs (emergency medical techs)--are requiring new hires to come to their job with 60 college credits in tow.

But to have a degree in saving someone's life in a fire? I don't know about you, but if that fireman didn't pass a class over a failed Isaac Newton essay, time is of the essence in a backdraft torched building and if he's strong enough to carry me out of harm's way. Not understanding the intrical theories of Laws of Gravity won't be the first thing on my rescuer's mind as he's saving my life ... and trust me, it won't be on my mind to ask if he'd passed that course, either.

So if Junior or Little Miss aren't interested in another four years of school spirit, what's a parent to do? If a parent's child isn't academically prepared for college, the issue shouldn't be forced on that child. Many well-paying jobs--and multimillon dollar businesses--are in the trades industry. Homes and business still need indoor plumbing, homes and businesses still need bricklayers, glaziers, carpenters, electricians, contractors and landscaping artists. Water treatment plants need environmental engineers; locksmiths for homes and cars are always in great demand as are tow truck operators; each of us accumulate some 500 pounds of garbage annually and need trashman to haul that away for us; fishermen braving the Alaskan winters for the dungeness crab catches eventually wind up in your home and on your supper table; someone had to learn to construct that supper table for that crab dinner to sit atop; and cars are getting more high-tech savvy with each progressing model. Auto mechanics need more updating in computer and GPS technology than one does working at a desk pushing papers to get those rides gleaming under showroom halogens.

No longer is college a sure-fire course to a better salary--there's more importance in receiving high school diplomas than it is to earn a sheepskin--but remember: College is an investment on one's career path. If a child declines to go, it may be best to put that investment monies into what it is they'd really like to do: own a barber shop, start a concierge service, maybe give operating a coffee cut a try.

All in all, while a college eduction is a very good one to have, no one should be denied the opportunity to attain a 4 year degree. On that token, those who're more interested in becoming tradesmen shouldn't be denied that chance on the belief there's more money down a college-led career choice. Each individual has earned that right, after 12 years of school, to select their own destinies, whichever vocation this may be. Doing this ensures a healthier economy. Another good consequence emerges from this: the well-diverse workforce those stridently aiming for would've been acheived.

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