Inflation, rising gas prices, and higher property taxes are placing burdens on American families. Those of you who are looking at an upcoming college bill are concerned about how to get the most for your money with the best return on your investment and the best earning potential.
The college education is a major purchase for families and as tuition rises, more and more students are vying for financial aid. It stands to reason that parents want to make sure their student is getting a degree in a field that will support them after graduation.
Payscale’s College Salary Report can help you and your student when you are researching colleges. The report is based on a comprehensive database. In 2022, their rankings come from the alumni salary data of 3.5 million respondents, representing more than 4,000 colleges and universities across the U.S.
When you are trying to get your child into college, getting a place seems like the be-all and end-all. However, the bigger picture is that college, while a formative time in a young person’s life, is a stepping stone to securing a role in their desired career field. Indeed, your child will still need support with this as they navigate their way through college. Read on to find out how you can help.
It’s seems unreasonable for us to think that our college-bound teens should know what they want to study in college. They haven’t had many career-related experiences other than part-time jobs while in high school or during summers and breaks. Knowing this, should we assume that our college-bound teens should be able to choose a major when they enter college?
Let’s consider some key points about college majors:
Today’s guest post is from Elliot Felix, author of “How to Get the Most Out of College”.
College can really feel like a maze. It’s complicated, expensive, and the future is at stake. It’s also a different maze than what we went through a generation ago, and so are today’s students. They are more diverse in terms of age, race, income, and experience. More transfer between colleges. More work during college, live off campus, and study part-time. Even before the pandemic, about one in six studied fully-online and about one in three took at least one online class. Compared to 30 years ago and adjusted for inflation, private colleges are twice as expensive and public colleges are three times as expensive. Students today have only a 50% chance of making a better living than their parents compared to an 80% chance 30 years ago. Is it any wonder why today’s students and families are more career-focused, more value-conscious, and need more support?
A recent study found that 76% of parents want their children to end up in STEM-related careers. And with an ever-growing number of jobs requiring knowledge of new technologies, it isn’t very hard to see why. From manufacturing to marketing, most jobs today are dependent on computers for their success. And computers are dependent upon code. That’s probably why so many parents are hoping to get their kids into coding.
As many as 85% of parents are encouraging their children to learn to code, according to one study. But despite wanting their kids to learn, many parents are at a loss about the best resources available to help kids to code. Where can a parent start when they want to help their child dive into this new field, especially if they don’t know much about coding themselves? We’re here to help! We’ll help you narrow down the options by explaining the different categories of resources out there. Then, you can decide which resources best meet your needs.
Research shows that parents have a strong influence over their child’s college or career path. That influence may be subtle, and beyond the conscious awareness of the child, or often not so subtle. Parents have been known to push a child into a career path for numerous reasons, most have nothing to do with the child’s interests.
Parents are the number one influence in the career and college major choices made by their children.
Growing up, my parents had some friends who insisted their children and even their son-in-laws follow the father’s career path as a doctor. They all attended college and medical school following in his footsteps. They all became doctors, but not all were happy in their careers. Most were miserable and floundered around until finally giving up and leaving the medical profession. Not only did they waste years on their education and a medical degree, but they have never recovered from what they perceived to be a failure.
You might think teenagers have it easy, after all, they have no real responsibilities – what could they possibly worry about?! However, teenagers actually feel a lot of pressure. They are expected to figure out what they want to do for the next X amount of years in their education, as well as have a good idea of what they would like to do in their professional lives once education is over. It’s a lot to think about for a brain that isn’t fully developed yet (and for a person that likely doesn’t 100% know themselves, and is not free from the pressures/expectations of friends/family) to handle.
It can be really difficult for them to figure out what it is they want to do, but as their parent, you can help them. Remember that no matter if they want to become a Massage Therapist, chef or a writer, it is your job to support and guide them wherever you can. Below, we’ll go through some of the things you can do to help them figure it all out.
Making the most of a college degree requires a knowledge of the career path your student will be pursuing. This post is one of many I have provided to help parents and students make an informed college major choice.
Utility engineers are highly specialized professionals who usually work with public utilities that provide gas, water, power or sewer services to communities. Most utility engineers have a background in mechanical or civil engineering.
Utility engineering consultants work on how to improve the delivery of utility services to homes and businesses. They often are employed in public works activities that offer new utility services to communities. Utility engineers also work to improve current services with new technology and best practices.
Common utility engineer tasks include:
Devise plans, designs, and operations for utility systems, including gas, water, and sewage systems.
Identify and resolve any failures of utility systems and oversee preventative maintenance.
Direct utility project groups and offer guidance on how to install or improve utility systems
Gather data on utility processes, monitor utility system effectiveness and material usage.
Manage construction projects involving utilities, devise utility project scope, specifications, and budgets.
During times when there are utility outages, utility engineers are engaged in directing and managing work crews to restore services as quickly as possible.
Utility engineers also are involved in boosting service quality by reducing service interruptions. This is done by enhancing infrastructure and working to reduce any existing problems. For these types of projects, the utility engineer works in planning and execution.
Example of a Utility Engineer Project
For example, a utility engineer may determine that a plot of land with dozens of old trees is a high risk to power lines. He or she will design a project to run electric cabling underground or to reinforce current aerial lines and electric poles. He or she would collaborate with work crews to ensure these utility projects are properly carried out and thoroughly inspected for effectiveness and safety.
As a utility engineer, you may work on many different types of projects for different entities. Some may work for a city that is designing a new energy distribution grid. These utility engineers may act as consultants to provide guidance on the power requirements of a growing urban area. Others might work at smaller utilities that keep power going in all buildings, and also work in installing backup electrical generators for any power outages.
Some utility engineers also work at manufacturing plants and job sites outdoors overseeing the construction of electrical turbines and other types of equipment that produce power.
Utility engineers work on infrastructure projects that are vital to the continuing growth and viability of our society, and therefore are engaged in work of great importance.
We all have dreams in life, and these often start when we are young.
When you were at high school, you may have had visions for your future, of the places you wanted to get to, and of the person you wanted to be. Hopefully, your dreams were realized.
So, let’s think about your teen. What are their dreams? What do they want in the future? And what colleges are they considering to achieve their future ideals?
As the parent, you need to be in a supportive role – the person who encourages their dreams, and not the person who crushes them.
In your role, these are some of the things you need to focus on.
Don’t be dismissive of your teen’s choices
Remember that your teen’s dreams may not necessarily equate with your dreams for them. Too many kids end up in colleges and careers they didn’t want, and that is because their parents have pushed them in directions they didn’t want to go. So, don’t be that parent who forces them down a path they are resistant to. If you catch your teen looking at the preflight checklist for pilots on the pages of an aeronautical university website, or if you hear them talking to their friends about colleges for the performing arts, be supportive. Don’t tell your teen that such career choices are pipe dreams, unrealistic, and not for them. Show them you support their choices, and if the colleges they look at really aren’t beyond the realms of reality for them, encourage them to take the right courses at high school that will meet the requirements of the colleges in question.
Encourage them in their education
As we suggested above, help your teen make the right choices when it comes to high school courses, especially if getting grades in these courses will qualify them for admission into the colleges they like. And when they are taking these courses, encourage your teen to work hard. If they need to study for tests, and if they need to write essays, remind your teen of their college goals every time they slacken off. Help your teen with their courses when they are struggling too. Be there when they need your help to study for tests and exams. Be there when they need your advice on a paper they have written. And be there whenever an obstacle arises that could potentially cause them to fail their course. The more help you can give them at high school, the greater the chances of them getting the grades they need for college.
Make their dreams become a reality
You can do this in all kinds of ways, from helping them find the right colleges for them, to helping them fill out their college applications. Take a look at the advice we gave on our site about what you can do to coach your college-bound teen too, as there is much you can do to prepare them for the next stage of their academic life. You can teach them some of the skills they will need at college, for example, and you can help them prepare for the pre-college tests they might need to take during the application process. The more you can do to support your teen, the better, so while you shouldn’t be overbearing within your responsibilities, you should still steer, gently cajole, and encourage your teen to ensure their dreams can come true.
