It is a tale of two families. And while the two families may have numerous similarities, they also have significant differences. Differences that were not necessarily apparent until the oldest child from each of those families headed off to their first year of college.
Family One. When their oldest son graduated from high school, the parents were already in their mid 50s. The son had a pretty good high school career, attending a private school simply because his father had gone to a private school. The son played club hockey, so he became pretty skilled at balancing a schedule of challenging classes as well as practice and game schedules. Although the father had never gone to college, he owned his own business and earned a really nice living. The mother had all but completed her four year college degree in psychology, but worked a well paying job at a government hospital. With both parents working, the children enjoyed a life full of travel and numerous advantages. Everyone assumed that the oldest son would go on to college.
Family Two. When their oldest son graduated from high school, the parents were already in their mid 50s. The son had a pretty good high school career, attending a private school simply because his father had gone to a private school. The son played club hockey, so he became pretty skilled at balancing a schedule of challenging classes as well as practice and game schedules. Both of her parents had completed their college degrees, and while the mom was staying at home with her daughters she had taught full time for 12 years before doing to. The father used his computer science degree and was working in the data storage industry. Although only one parent was working, the family still lived a comfortable lifestyle. They did not take many vacations beyond where their children’s activities took them, but they lived a comfortable life. The daughter was planning to continue her gymnastics in college, while she mainly focused on earning a degree in psychology and then planned to pursue some career in the medical field.
Fast forward two years after the high school graduations of these two oldest children in their family, and their stories show a significant difference. The girl from Family Two has had a great freshman and sophomore year in college. Her gymnastics has not gone as well as she would have hoped, but she has completed far more than half of her graduation requirements and carries a 3.97 GPA. The oldest son of Family One, however, has not had the same kind of success. Too much time with his fraternity brothers probably led to him ending up on academic probation after his freshman year. And while he promised his parents he would return and be more successful on year two, he never even enrolled in classes.
Have Your College Education Plans Gone as Expected?
At some point, however, the decision to earn a college degree is inevitable for most successful Americans. Statistics indicate that it is nearly impossible to raise a family and enjoy a satisfying life if you only work at a minimum wage job.
If your first attempt at college was not successful, however, it may be difficult to find a way back into the classroom. Fortunately, more and more colleges are offering programs that are attractive to first time adult college students, or students who have started, but failed at their first attempt. With flexible schedules, offering classes in a location that is easy to access from public transportation, many adults can find their way into a college program.
Finding a program that lets you apply credit from both previous working experience and earlier college classes can facilitate the degree process as well. whether you decide to earn a degree in psychology, secondary education, or a medical laboratory science degree, chances are you will find yourself earning a better income than those who do not go onto college.
- 6% of all college grads majored in psychology.
- 83% of all college attendees say earning their degree has paid off, whether they earned a degree in psychology, business administration, or communications.
- Americans with four-year college degrees made 98% more an hour than people without a degree in 2013.
- 21 million students attended college in 2014.