By Desiree Cardenas and Cordet Gula Posted March 2, 2011
The end of my high school career is almost here. I’ve been pondering whether or not I want to follow my thirteen years of schooling with two-to-eight more. With the economy in its current state, many young people cannot afford to attend college. The standard rate for a four-year tuition plan will cost around $9,000 a year. The tuition to attend a private school, or out-of-state school will cost roughly jump to $35,000 a year. For me, that’s a pretty hefty price tag to pay, especially when I’m not sure what I want to do. To go to a junior college or community college, the price drastically drops to $3,000 a year.
Many high school grads choose to stay in their current state so they are able to save money on tuition fees. However, there are also many who choose to leave their state for college. Terrell Messerly and Brandon Eldodt ventured off to Utah, while David Eastman attends Upper Iowa. The standing rate for the University of Utah is $31,000 a year.
I am from Sacramento, so naturally, that’s where I want to attend college. The tuition fees to attend CSUs are not too expensive, if I were still a resident of California. Since I’m not, however, I would have to pay an extra $372 per class, plus the appropriate tuition fees and campus fees. The other choice that I have, instead of paying that extra money, is to live in California for a year to claim residency.
The average person without a high school diploma is expected to earn about $16,000 a year, if a person does graduate from high school they can be expected to earn around $24,000 annually according to allbusiness.com. Don’t let the numbers seem bleak; there are many well-paying jobs out there that are available for people who choose not to follow the college path, these jobs include welding, mechanics, law enforcement, contracting, and of course all the various ranching occupations. Travelocity is even hiring but they require the typical reading, writing, and math skills. Some employers look for multitasking skills, and certain experiences depending on the type of job that is being sought after.
Although, a downfall in attaining these jobs is that it’s harder to get hired. With poor money circulation, fewer people are following higher education. Add the two together and that equals much competition for the same job. So, employers would most likely hire the applicant with education versus the one without education.
The Lowry CTE (vocational) teachers, such as, Mr. Luca Bernardi, Mr. John Aberasturi, Mr. Don Walton, and Mrs. Rebecca Hill, help students through their classes as they teach particular skills that could be helpful to students looking to get a job without attaining a college degree. These four teachers mentioned options that a student may take into account if they are looking to make money without spending it on college.
It’s not that I have no desire to go to college, because I do, but I simply can’t afford it. Yes, there are student loans, grants, and whatever other financial aid a person can think of; it just doesn’t cover everything. The cost of living is so high in California that there is no way I can go to college and live there. In San Francisco, the minimum wage is $11 an hour, while here in Nevada I only make $7.55 an hour. The apartments in the nicer parts of the city range from $685-$1,300 a month. Then factor in utilities and electricity. After that, I have my car to worry about, gas prices are much higher there, and I would have to pay over $100 a month on car insurance.
Mrs. Rebecca Hill said that people can become vet technicians, or they could work in the farming industry. Most ranches do not require their employees to have college degrees. Hill also mentioned the career choice of a florist. That one caught my attention very fast.
The US Census Bureau has predicted this job choice to be good through 2016. There is a need to replace the older workers in this field who are looking to retire. Florists with less than five years of experience can make between $24,502-$29,504 a year. When a florist has more than twenty years of experience in this field they can make around $49,132 a year. These numbers vary state-to-state and the current health of the economy.
If whatever I choose to do makes me happy, then the money shouldn’t be a concern. If I have to do something I know nothing about, or don’t truly love, that’s where the problem starts. I know absolutely nothing about mechanics. I know how to drive my car, where all the lights and blinkers are, and how to fill the car up. Beyond that I’m lost, so a career field working with cars will not be my expertise.
Mr. John Aberasturi has been teaching classes dealing with automotive for 19 years. When asked what jobs there are dealing with cars, this is what he gave us: “Auto technicians, obviously, there’s specialty shops, muffler shops, transmission shops, brake shops, and engine repair shops.” The pay for a mechanic depends on whether the employee is working for a corporation or if they’re working for a smaller or local shop. Mechanics in the big corporations will earn around $15 an hour, while mechanics in a smaller shop will earn $8-$10 an hour. The number of job openings for auto technicians is expected to get slower as the economy slows. Another point of interest in salary for mechanics is that they are paid for 12 minutes of work no matter if it takes him/her five minutes or five hours.
Actually, I think I’m just not the type of person that can fix things or build them. As I said Automotives is out, I’ve had a bum taillight since August that I haven’t fixed yet, but that’s a different story. Mr. Bernardi teaches classes that deal with building trades and welding.
“For those who have chosen not to go to college, they can start out as welders, auto mechanics, welders who go to ranches and work on certain types of equipment, typically in the welding program,” said Bernardi.
Bernardi mentioned jobs that are more or so based on welding. To go into this profession; high school classes in blueprint reading, shop mathematics, mechanical drawing, physics, chemistry, metallurgy, auto mechanics, and industrial arts are all helpful in your chances of getting hired. It is also preferred that the employee has good eye-sight and good hand-eye coordination. Good color vision is required for this job and so is being able to stand, stoop, and lower yourself in awkward positions for long periods of time. On average, a welder will earn around $9 to $22.50+ an hour. Over the next decade welding jobs are expected to remain steady.
There are two careers that have my attention torn right now. I have them down to a registered nurse or a Sacramento police officer. To become an RN I would have to go through four more years of schooling, that’s not terrible; when you look at the $70,000 a year earning. The police officer option gives me time to decide whether or not I want to spend the money on the police academy, considering the fact that they won’t even view your name if you’re not 21 or older. With the three-year dilemma, I will have that annual $80,000 hanging over my head that comes with being a police officer.
Those are the only two hands-on jobs that I will consider. Mr. Don Walton is another teacher that works in the CTE building. When asked what an out of high school student can do without a degree he had this to say, “Obviously we live in an area where there are jobs available in the mines, if a job is available, you have to find something that is entry-level. Entry-level means you’re on the end of a shovel for ten hours a day, you might be cleaning out ditches, pretty much labor jobs.”
Another question that weighs on my mind is if it’s harder to get a job without going to college.
“It depends on the atmosphere, I think a lot of students who are in college, think it’s a good time to be in college because it is a low economy, but there are choices out there,” Walton said.
There are also many questions that deal with the economy and if there is no requirement of a degree, then what is the requirement?
“Most certificates require a certain amount of experience in the field, like the A.S.E certification, that is Automotive Service Excellence, but they are not actually certified until they work at least two years in the field. They can take the written test, but they need the experience,” Aberasturi said.
So, there are so many options to choose from it may take awhile to figure it out.
