1.
Selecting a Good Post Secondary
Training or College Program
By
Dean Berry, Ed. D.
www.commoncorecurriculum.info

2.
Discuss
Should you enter a career training
program or college program after
graduating from high school?
Why?

3.
Continuing your education can
increase your lifetime earnings.

4.
Closely examine the information on this graph. About
how much more money does a bachelor’s degree
provide over a high school diploma?

5.
After leaving high school, selecting a career or
college program will be one of the most
important decisions of your life. Creating your
career path can take many different forms.

6.
As you contemplate making your career choice, you
will need to determine exactly what the training
requirements will be and how well you are prepared
to deal with the challenges necessary for
successful completion of the requirements. For
instance, if your career choice is in the science
field, have you completed the type of science
courses that are necessary? Do you understand the
daily tasks that may be involved in performing the
jobs you are preparing for? Would these types of
daily tasks be satisfying and rewarding for you?

7.
To help you answer these types of
questions you can evaluate your
own academic skills and determine
your interests and personality traits
by taking some of the assessments
available on the internet.

8.
Take a Career Inventory that can help you
match your abilities with a suitable
career(15 minutes).
• http://www.truity.com/test/holland-code-career-test
• After completing the survey, be sure to select the next
section(search for careers) which identifies the best
careers for you based on your survey results.

9.
Iseek Cluster Survey.org.
http://www.iseek.org/careers/clusterSurvey

10.
Career Inventory at Career Zone
https://www.cacareerzone.org/

11.
Job Quiz Aptitude Test
www.yourfreecareertest.com

12.
What do these categories mean to you?
Can you give an example of each one?

13.
Quick Write: Choose four of these values
and discuss why they are important to you.

14.
Share Pair
Turn to the person next to you
and share your four most
important career values.

15.
Think about a field of study
that might fit your values.

16.
Plan for your future and avoid a lifetime of boredom.

17.
How much time will you be willing to allocate
towards preparing for your future career?
• Would a one year certification program work for you?
• How about a two year associate of arts degree in a
specialty area?
• Could you manage a four year bachelor’s degree in
your field of study?
• In general, longer career preparation programs
provide larger financial rewards.

18.
Vocational training programs can launch your career
in one or two years with a certification program.

19.
Whether you choose a vocational
certification program or a longer college
degree program you will need to identify
potential obstacles and develop a
realistic plan for success.

20.
Quick Write: Discuss some of the
obstacles that can get in the way of
achieving career goals. Which of these
issues might present a challenge for you?

21.
Money can become a serious problem for
students seeking preparation for a career.

22.
Students with good grades and special skills may
be able to qualify for certain scholarships offered
by organizations and corporations. Some
students will qualify for government grants that
support low income students as they enter and
complete successful semesters of career or
college programs. However, many students will
need to obtain student loans in order to pay for
college tuition, books, and personal needs.

23.
Discuss
What is the difference between a
college grant and a college loan?
Are some college loans better than
other college loans? Why?

24.
Grants can come from a variety of sources.

25.
Students from lower income families often qualify
for Pell Grants offered by the federal government.

26.
This year Pell Grants provide about $6,000 per school
year to cover tuition, books, mileage, food, or other
financial needs. Completing a federal(FAFSA) application
will determine which grants students will receive.

27.
The FASFA application is completed online and
must be submitted by required deadlines.

28.
How many 2 year public college students
qualified for Pell Grants in 2012-2013?

29.
Some states such as California offer
additional grants for students who qualify.

30.
Why should anyone borrow thousands of dollars
to pay for career and college programs?

31.
Use your paper and calculate how much more a
person with an associates (2 year) degree would
make compared to a high school graduate earning
$30,000 per year. Multiply your answer by 45 years.

32.
How much more would a person with a 2 year degree
earn than a high school graduate during a lifetime?

33.
What is the difference in the unemployment
rate for a high school graduate and a
graduate with a four year degree?

34.
• Since we have established that people with more years
of college make significantly more money that those
who only have a high school diploma, we need to
explore the cost of getting a degree from different kinds
of colleges.
• Some students begin college at a local community
college because community colleges are much less
expensive, closer to home, and meet all requirements
needed to transfer to a four year college without
missing a beat. Some students prefer to go directly into
a four year college because they have the necessary
grades and financial resources. However, sometimes
students choose private colleges.

35.
Why might a community college be a smart choice
for many students?

36.
Discuss
• What is the difference between a public
and a private college?
• Why might someone choose to attend a
private college?

37.
Quick Write: Explain the financial differences
between a public 2 year college, a public 4 year
college, and a private 4 year college.

38.
Vocational training programs are offered by
community colleges and private colleges.

39.
Beware
Not all private colleges
are created equally!
What is the difference between a
nonprofit and a for profit private
college?

40.
The following for profit colleges are in
business primarily to make as much
profit as possible for their investors.

41.
Discuss
• Do you think that the quality of
teachers at a for profit college would
probably be the same as the quality of
teachers at a nonprofit college? Why?
• In what ways might the staff at a for
profit college be similar to the staff at
an automobile dealership?

42.
According to this graph, what are the important
differences between a for profit and nonprofit college?

43.
What does default mean? Which type of school has
the most defaults? Which has the least defaults?

44.
Why does this university spend over a billion
dollars to advertise? Are most students
successful at this university?

45.
What does our government say
about for-profit colleges?

46.
Can you be cheated by a college?

47.
Corinthian Colleges operated hundreds of colleges under
various names and was accused by the federal
government of lying to and cheating students. Many of
the colleges closed in the middle of the semester.

48.
Who did Corinthian College target
according to the government?

49.
When a private college closes
its doors students lose.

50.
Marinello School of Beauty has 56 Locations in the United States and
has served thousands of student for many years. However, when
authorities discovered that students were being short changed
financially, all 56 schools were shut down. Over 4,300 students were
displaced in the middle of their programs. Many students had their
futures disrupted or damaged by a for profit private school.

51.
Beware of For-Profit Colleges
with Poor Track Records

52.
What is a diploma mill? Why is a diploma
from such a college worth less.

53.
Student loans for college can be a very
important way to improve future career
choices for students. When loans are
arranged, students need expert advice
about the amount they should incur and
the value of the degree or certificate
they will receive.

54.
Unfortunately, many students
underestimate the large debt that they
will need to pay back over a period of ten
years or more.

55.
Students can never escape the debt created by
college loans and interest. They will have to pay
their loans before they pay their rent.

56.
What does this cartoon suggest
about college loans?

57.
Deciding to pay for vocational training or college is a major
decision that requires a total commitment to working hard
every day in order to be successful. Fifty percent of students
who begin programs drop out and owe money even though
they have no certificate or degree.

58.
Only 38% of students graduate within 6 years!

59.
Most graduates find jobs and are able to pay back
their college loans. However, some graduates do
not find employment in their field of preparation.

60.
27% of college graduates end up working
outside of their college major

61.
If you make a commitment to attend a
career or college program you will need to
set personal goals and organize your daily
schedule so that class and homework are
your top priorities. Allowing yourself to be
distracted by immediate gratification or
other less important activities will lead to
academic failure and financial loss. The
rest of your life depends on hard work now.

62.
Hard work on a regular basis
pays off in the future.

63.
Successful students learn how to remain focused
on the most important tasks at hand.

64.
Think about what you want most from life.

65.
Quick Write: Identify your long term goals first.
Then identify a couple of important short term goals
that will help you achieve your long term goals.

66.
Plan and organize your short term
goals to ensure completion.

67.
Prioritize your short term and long term goals on a
regular basis. Learn to keep your eyes on the prize.