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Discussion: 3 Choices After High SchoolReported This is a featured thread

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virtualclassroom
3 Choices After High School
May 2 2008, 4:38 PM EDT | Post edited: May 2 2008, 4:38 PM EDT
Let’s face it – standardized schooling is not for everyone. I was never good at tests, but I was certainly both smart and capable, and ready to enter the workforce. Therefore, I had three options when I left high school:

1) Go to a standard College/University
2) Find a job
3) Go to a Career College and Learn a Trade/Profession

The problem with regular colleges and universities is that they force you to take classes unrelated to your goals. In my case, I wanted to work, but at the same time I know that it is tough to get a good job without post high school education. Career colleges gave me that option.

I wanted to be a dental assistant. So I found a college that trained me to become a dental assistant. I did not waste time learning mathematical equations I wouldn’t need, taking art classes I didn’t want, or taking English classes I couldn’t use. I knew I had to go to college in order to secure a real job, but I did not want to waste 4 years and 40,000 dollars at a school that may or may not teach me the tools I need to succeed. Career colleges gave me that way out. 1  out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?    

virtualclassroom
1. Paper, Plastic or Massage Therapy?
May 2 2008, 4:43 PM EDT | Post edited: May 2 2008, 4:43 PM EDT
For over 20 years, I’ve been working in the food service industry. I’ve changed jobs a bit, moving from cashiering to bakery, to the deli – but in general I have been working in grocery stores for most of my adult life.

That is why I recommend that if you are considering working at a grocery store for the rest of your life, don’t. Every day I came home late, too tired to do anything. I slept in, had about 2 hours to make lunch, and it was off to work again, working 12-8:30 not including the extra hour of travel time by bus.

My shoulder muscles feel as though they were cut in half and stretched out to cover the same distance. My back feels as though several giant men in abnormally high heels are jumping simultaneously on my spine.

So soon I will be leaving my job. It is too late for me to go a university – universities are made for kids. Instead, I’ll be attending a career college that specializes in massage therapy. They have smaller classes, many of the students are around my age, and they will help me find a job immediately after I graduate in the field in which I studied.

I have a feeling that my back is beyond repair. But with any luck, I can help fix the backs of others that were in my position – except in this case it will be when I want to work, not when I’m “scheduled.”
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