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A correlation between aspiration and achievement is not necessarily a causation. Indeed, there could be causation in the opposite direction--those who have achieved the best in elementary and high school are likely to have the highest aspirations for post-secondary education. (If you get Ds, are you going to want to go through 7, 8, or m…
A correlation between aspiration and achievement is not necessarily a causation. Indeed, there could be causation in the opposite direction--those who have achieved the best in elementary and high school are likely to have the highest aspirations for post-secondary education. (If you get Ds, are you going to want to go through 7, 8, or more years of school to become a doctor or lawyer, quite aside from the fact that everyone's going to tell you it's out of reach?)
So while it's great to encourage kids to aim high, we also have to give them the tools to make those aims achievable, though quality education and emphasizing that effort will be rewarded.
And/or recognize that not everyone is cut out for a career that requires college and then post-graduate studies. Destigmatize the alternatives.
Yep. Consider the shortage of (for example) HVAC technicians. Someone entering the field at this point could easily go from entry level to running their own successful shop in a handful of years...while their peers are still racking up higher ed debt to get the terminal PhD and end up making less. The trades are a prime example of an area where someone can aim high without mortgaging their financial future. The only stigma in those areas is an artificial one created by some parents and the higher ed business model (I used to work in a university system, and the hostility we saw directed at any form of vocational or trades education was unbelievable).
We also need to understand how higher ed degrees have snuck into areas that didn't used to require them (accounting used to be an apprenticeship career, for one example).
I agree with you. It's unfortunate that the trades have fallen out of favor. I spent 10 years of my life as a silver and goldsmith in between academic careers. My brother was a master carpenter. There is little that is more satisfying than working with your hands which, by the way, also requires you to work with your brain!
That, too, is very true. There are a lot of wonderful alternatives to getting a traditional college degree. And everyone would be better served if they were pursuing a future for which they were realistically prepared.
That is a very good point. I agree with you.