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New data tells an old story:  The more you learn, the more you earn and the less likely you are to be unemployed.  Earnings increase and unemployment decreases with additional years of education.  But completing a program is worth more than attending college without earning a degree.  Education pays, in part, because employers believe educated workers learn tasks more easily and are better organized.  However, the data here are averages; variations occur at all educational levels.  The biggest reason for the variety in earnings is the different occupations people enter as a result of their education.

Academic Preparation

According to Gates (2000), in the global economy (a) competition is growing, (b) the rate of technological change is advancing, and (c) international businesses employ multilingual workers situated in geographically distinct facilities (p. 4).  Gates remarks that the new economy offers opportunities for higher paying, information based jobs and reports 16 million jobs were created in the past decade (p. 4).  However, Gates notes, based on advanced technologies and globalization, the dawn of our new economy has created a skills disparity between job creation and need of a suitably educated staff (p. 3). Lerman (1998) concurs, and comments “upskilling” is taking place not only in the United States but also in other countries (p. 2).  Gates (2000) proposes skill requirements have risen in middle and lower level occupation and observes, presently, there is an increasing shortage of skilled workers to support the growing complication of technology, products and services, while job mobility and turnover rates make it more difficult to keep quality workers (p. 4).  Gates further reports the widening gap has left more than 350,000 jobs unfilled in the United States and adds, analysts predict that there will be a million new unfilled jobs over the next five to seven years (p. 4).  Gates quotes the National Association of Business Economists say, “the most serious problem the United States economy faces today is a poorly prepared labor force. . ." (p. 4). Gates proposes advanced training programs and delivery systems are greatly needed to close the discrepancy between jobs taken away by technology and those new jobs created because of new emerging technology (p. 4).  Accordingly, the environment analysis report in RSCCD's Master Plan (2000b) states employability will become a more realistic goal in the future rather than employment security (see Appendix D).

Gates (2000) refers to a study conducted by the American Society of Training and Development that found in the next seven to 10 years: (a) 74% of Americans working today will require retraining, (b) 15 million manufacturing jobs will require different skills than are required today, (c) 37 million people will need entry-level training and (d) technical skills need updating every four years (pp. 5-6).  Lerman (1998) concurs and comments too many younger people still lack the skills to perform well in the job market.  Lerman adds, only a little more than one of three people between the ages of 25 and 34 earned any degree beyond high school, 27 percent earned a bachelors degree (BA/BS), eight percent earned an associates degree (AA/AS), 20 percent earned some college credits but no degree, and six percent passed the general equivalency degree (GED) but did not earn a high school degree (p. 3).  Lerman affirms the importance of a college education when he reports among workers at all ages over 18, the college wage premium rose 41% in 1979 and 56% in 1995 (p. 3) and adds, “Unemployment rates of college graduates are at around 2%" (p. 2). 
Gates (2000) comments that colleges and schools offering continuing education and commerce training, especially community colleges are justly situated to facilitate economic changes to flow into new jobs and growth (p. 4).  Gates notes community colleges have succeeded in serving the needs of the business community by constantly changing their curriculum to better match the realities of the job market (p. 8).  Accordingly, he remarks, “Community colleges and technical schools play a growing role in the education and reeducation of today's workforce and states the challenge for community colleges will be to adopt learning methodologies tailored to the education needs of an emerging workforce" (p. 8).

Briscoe (2000) states jobs in non-professional, non- managerial are asking for increased levels of skill and training.  Briscoe proposes these jobs require skills beyond minimum competency levels, which are not emphasized in schools, such as having information of a system and unified procedures, reacting constructively to criticism, working well as a team member, using information systems, setting priorities and using good work habits.  Briscoe adds the tasks require skills and experience in the pertinent job as well as general skills, including writing and computer skills (p. 16).  Brown (1998) reports, “Worker-oriented, job-oriented, and cognitive task analyses have all been used as tools for closing the gap between what curriculum teaches and what workers do" (p. 1).

Establishing an Educational Plan

Many students enroll in an academic institution without having a goal.  They complete their education with no other plans than to get a degree or diploma.  They take courses in what they love to learn and become more well rounded.  Then they are disappointed at graduation time to find that no employer wants to hire them because they don't have the knowledge or skills to be productive immediately on the job.  Unfair as that sounds, that is the reality that some students face.  Enjoying your studies is excellent.  Becoming more well rounded is excellent.  But you need to think about that third component:  your arsenal of marketable talents, abilities, skills, knowledge.  Is marketability important?  The initial question then is what do you want your university education to do for you. 

Additional Knowledge and Experience

List your  2-5 year, and 5 year goals into the sections below.  Refer to the three steps to the career/life planning process.

  Work I Would Like To Be Doing In Five Years

  Work I would like to be doing in 2-5 years

  Work I would like to be doing now

 For each objective, begin to think about the preparation required, in addition to your current credentials.

•      Courses - university, technical, marks required 
•      Skills - level of proficiency 
•      Training - equipment, procedures 
•      Personal Qualities - enhancement 
•      Other Experience or Activity - through summer, co-op, internship positions, by                volunteering, or by taking interim (or stepping stone) employment 

Most students will align themselves with one of the two following categories:

Category 1:  You have a career already picked out; you know where you are going and what you must do to get there; you may have  known for many years, and feel it is an advantage since it can save you a lot of turmoil.

Category 2:  You have no idea what you want to do; a lot of things cross your mind, but you can't get really excited about any one of them. 

In either  case, you would benefit from self-assessment.  In the first category you should get confirmation; in the second category you should be able to identify counseling issues that need to be resolved before you can get confirmation.  Getting confirmation is essential to being able to establish laser beam focus, where you can confidently focus all your engergies in one direction.
Do not allow such an important issue to drift - your career is important.  When you look back in later years you will realize what a very significant portion of your total time and energy is dedicated to your chosen work. 

  Here are some thoughts:

•  It is okay not to know.  It happens to many of us and need not be an impediment to long-term success, accomplishment and satisfaction. 

 
•  Sit down and start a list of possibilities.  You may want to evaluate them against at least two criteria: 

 
•  potential/security/compensation and reward 
•  satisfaction/challenge/interest/contribution 

• Imagine non-traditional careers (lots of them) and put them on your list.

 
• Do some research - worthwhile things generally require work. Talk to people who have succeeded in various areas to find out  what they are like. Call people in senior positions even if you don't know them, they will only rarely not agree to talk to you. This is very important, so put some energy into it.  Success in life comes at least as much from perseverance as ability.

• If all your effort to reach a decision fails, you may want to develop basic skills that will support success in most fields, such as sales (learn to promote yourself), computer related occupations (computer skills are a basic necessity for most occupations now), communications or public relations (public speaking or multimedia communications are helpful in many careers). 

 
• Much of what you will need to know is not taught formally at university.  It is important to  "learn how to learn".

 
• Even if you have a well defined career path and know exactly where you're going, make sure you get a broadly based "liberal" education.  Study philosophy or history or languages or mathematics, or, better yet, all of them. 

Finally, if you pursue what you want with enough focus, you are more likely to get it, so don't compromise.  You will learn with enough focus, determination, and perseverance you can make most anything happen.

Have you included both personal and career development points in developing your career/life plan?   Do you have a good balance so that you will enjoy your program?  Three, four, or more years can be a long time when you have no passion or interest in what you are studying.  It is important to take some time each year to monitor your progress.  However, make every effort to complete your program to earn a certificate or a degree.  You can always take a certificate or an advanced degree in another field to achieve the focus you desire.  Not completing programs can leave you with a feeling of disappointment and frustration due to lack of rewards.

Census
http://www.census.gov/

California Employment Development Department:  Wages
http://www.calmis.ca.gov/htmlfile/subject/occup$.htm

Prevailing Wage Program for Temporary H-1B Visas 
http://www.calmis.ca.gov/htmlfile/programs/pwdescrip.htm