Bachelor's or VoTech - My Father & I Debate

Just returned home from a great trip to Shiloh National Military Park/Corinth, MS. If you have never been, go there, especially if you are a Civil War junkie like me. Anyway, as I was scanning articles tonight I came across this one, Study examines vocational certificates' big rewards. Reading the article, I was reminded of a discussion that my father and I had a few weeks back. He is in economic development so he sees the other side of the work force. He commented that he thought we had pushed 4-year college degrees entirely too much and in doing so, had created an entire generation with no real skills. I thought about what he said and realized he was correct in many ways. Sometimes when I ask a student what they will do after high school, they lower their head and say they are not going to college but rather technical school. I quickly tell them to raise their head high; there is no reason to be embarrassed about that decision. It is sad that students feel this way. As the article states, very seldom is a certificate even recognized as "educational attainment." I remind my students that continuing their education is what is important. I also remind them that there are many folks that make twice the money that I do with only a 2-year degree. The article speaks of vocational certificates, not even actual degree programs. Should we continue to encourage students to pursue those pricey 4-year degrees or should we encourage them to enroll in a short certificate program at their local technical school? I tell my students that it is important to love what you do, some careers require a 4-year degree while many others do not. 

According to my father, the two most important things that companies require are for an employee to pass a drug test and show up to work on time. Most companies he works with will provide on-the-job training. Yet, he says, these same companies are scrambling to find people to work. These are good paying jobs, not minimum wage positions. How do we best prepare our students, do we teach them Algebra or do we teach them to come to class on time? Something to think about...