Do your research using the Bureau of Labor Statistics website: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/

 

Median Employment Annual Salary. (“k” means x1000)

Range   >$80,000                        $60k – 80k                  $40k – 60k           30k – 40k                 <$30k                                        ?

Job Entry-Level Education degree

Doctoral or professional      Master, Bach., Assoc        Postsecondary     no degree                 High school grad           No ed. credential

On-the-job Training

Internship                              Apprenticeship                   Long term            Moderate-term          Short-term                               None

Number of New Jobs (Projected)

>50,000                                 10k – 50k                            5k – 10k                 1k – 5k                               0 – 1k                      Declining.

Salary Growth Rate (Projected)

Much faster than average   Faster than average           Average     Slower than average            Little or no change                Declining

 

Kinds of Jobs

Architecture and Engineering

Arts and Design

Building and Grounds Cleaning

Business and Financial

Community and Social Service

Computer and Info. Technology

Construction and Extraction

Education, Training, and Library

Entertainment and Sports

Farming, Fishing, and Forestry

Food Preparation and Serving

Healthcare

Installation, Maintenance, Repair

Legal

Life, Physical, and Social Science

Management

Math

Media and Communication

Military

Office and Administrative Support

Personal Care and Service

Production

Protective Service

Sales

Transportation / Material Moving

In highly technical fields (e. g. science, math, medicine, engineering, law, health sciences, education…) entry into careers requires an undergraduate or graduate degree as a minimum qualification.

 

All fields profit from the basics: Oral and Written Communications, Critical Reasoning, Confidence, Leadership Skills, Contacts, Internet & Presentation Skills, Effective Professional Interactions, Resumes and Interviews, Innovation, Analysis, Organization, Creativity, Competence, Experience… See Inequality, book by Galbraith.

 

For certain, education is a key to career mobility.  It is easier with excellent child-care, pre-schools, elementary schools, middle & high schools, colleges and graduate schools, good counseling, excellent internships, and summer programs.  Paying for these opportunities must be a national priority.  That is why college is free in other industrialized nations.  The cost of education to prepare for challenging careers is an investment in our citizens.  Our nation is best served by competent, self-supporting citizens.

 

The first step is to understand how the rules have changed.

 

1950’s: graduate, get a job (one for a lifetime), get married, have children, get a mortgage on a house, live.

 

2024: Take life seriously. Get help to plan ahead.

1. graduate from high school

2. live with parents while going to community college, …

3. (Some students spent time living in their cars?!)

4. develop a résumé and personal statement that shows (from internships, experiences, debate, volunteer work, entrepreneurial jobs, …) that you are ideal for your career goals. Get mentors and letters of recommendation.

5. save money for advanced credential/degree(s) while working in a lower-paying job 

6. delay getting married / having children / getting a mortgage

7. apply for fellowships/scholarships at many schools

8. rent/share an apartment (do not get embroiled in loans/mortgages)

9. be willing to move across the country many times

10. be willing to change career paths many times

11. develop a cadre of connections and friends (internet/career contacts)

12. knock on many doors (search the internet) to find opportunities

13. be ready for opportunities.  Have your résumé up-to-date. Check your email.

14. do not believe a fraction of offers/demands/info from internet/media.

 

Things youth need to know:

 

1. If younger than 26, you need to be included on your parent’s health care insurance.

2. If older than 26, apply for health care.  Your employer will provide options if there are hundreds of employees.  If your employer does not offer health care benefits, you still must apply. An unforeseen emergency can wipe you out.  Compare the difference between a $10-20 co-pay and one $400-1000 visit to a doctor, dentist, or optometrist.  The Affordable Care Act will provide options that negotiate with providers to make insurance affordable.

3. Initially, you can’t afford a car.  Cars cost as much as a person to fuel and maintain.  Choose to live near work or near the metro.  Don’t buy a house/condo yet.  There is too much fraud now… and apartments are more flexible for youth transitions. 

4. Renters have rights. Read the entire lease with care.  Inspect the apartment to see if it is habitable for winter.  Older buildings may not have adequate insulation (if any).  You have to pay the rent on time, and the landlord has to provide a live-able space.  Check your climate zone and the city code for apartment insulation, ordinances regarding rent-hikes, fees, …, timelines for the landlord to fix storm damage, …or fix sewer back-up.  The internet is a great resource for this.

5. Utilities are yours to pay, gas, electric, internet, and often water.   Schedule payments.

6. You need a bank account to follow your finances on the internet.

7. Keep your usernames and passwords in a safe place, not on the cloud, not in your computer, or desk, or phone. Assume that your personal financial information at Experion, Equifax, or Transunion will be stolen by foreigners (again), and you will be without credit for at least a year, if they ever fix it.  Identity theft of information: Social Security, Medicare, bank accounts, addresses, is currently endemic.  Ask your cell phone provider to freeze your phone number so a secret password must be provided before the carrier will make changes to the account.  Otherwise, if thieves get your personal information they could ask the cell-phone company to reassign your phone number to the SIM card in the criminal’s phone… and steal all the money in your bank account.  Your private information must be kept confidential.  Don’t store it in your phone.

8. Do not ever give personal data over the phone.  If a fraudulent phone call announces that you have won the sweepstakes, or owe money, just hang up.  Otherwise, they’ll phone back.  Avoid identity fraud.

 

Rural Rules vs City Rules

 

Question for Rural Youth:  Will you inherit the farm/business?  If so, train to take over the farm.

 

If not, train to succeed in the big city.  No youth can buy land in the country and compete against monopoly mega-farms that handle 98% of U.S. agri-business.  Leave the farm after high school.  Attend a community college in a city that has opportunity and promise. 

 

Teach your home rural family that diversity is ok.  Living in a big city is different, but many people, who respect each other’s differences, live in peace together.  You will have your space, while sharing access to public facilities: government agencies, medical care, universities, museums, transportation, and opportunities.  It works.  Make the transition to the big city with a local friend as guide.  Become internet savvy.  How does the metro work?  Ask questions about personal safety: can you take the metro to that part of town after dark?  Which bank will not abuse the customer with fees, fake accounts, and penalties?  Which stores have reasonable prices?  Where to vote?

 

If offered drugs or alcohol, refuse.  It is not grown-up to do those things.  It is a cop-out for those who feel hopeless, everywhere.  It puts your career and life at risk. Don’t go that route.  Successful transitions require a clear head. 

 

Choose your friends wisely.  They will be transitioning into successful adults with well-planned career goals.  Keep up with your studies and your goals.

 

Draft an expected budget: rent/shelter 29%, food 18%, taxes 15-22%, transportation 15%, Health care 9%, clothing 6%, applications, books, computer, internet/phone, gas, electric, savings 7%.  Total ~ 104%...  Note that tuition & fees in a public college ~2024 could add an extra $26,000/yr.  Convince parents/sponsor to save over decades to pay for tuition and fees.  There is no way a student can study and pay tuition while working part time.  Identify which items you have to borrow or get second-hand, or work for.  Get an extra part-time job if necessary.  Get scholarships.

 

You Think You’re in Deep DooDoo?

 

In the city, watch out for “city rattlesnakes”.   Learn the lingo:

 

What is a subprime loan? 

It is a hand grenade with the pin pulled.  Explosive “adjustable” rates:  the loan cost goes up dramatically ~after the first month or so; causing the customer to lose the house/condo.  A subprime loan, payday loan, or other predatory, high-interest loans are: legally sanctioned corporate plans to steal from minorities, the gullible, and the poor.

Head Bank Honcho: “We have no interest in cutting back on our predatory lending to (Blacks, Hispanics, … single women…). They are the ones who provide most of our profits.”

 

Privatization: GOP personally taking federal assets for pennies on the dollar.  Making huge profits while providing little of value.  Don’t play the stock market, or try to make a fast buck… you will get played.

 

What if the sky falls (illness, financial woes) and you haven’t the funds to recover?  In ~ 2018, the number of U.S. citizens residing in their vehicles because they couldn't find affordable housing "exploded", particularly in cities with steep increases in the cost of living such as Los Angeles, Portland, and San Francisco. Wikipedia.

Who will stand up for the unlucky, the poor, the survivors?  Get community agencies to help.  Google for help. 

Apply for relief.

 

Be aware that GOP distain anyone who is not in the top 1% of wealth.  GOP wipe their hands of the unlucky, labeling them as bad, arresting them for sleeping in the street.  GOP are now rubbish. 

 

Give the poor a hand so they can work their way back up to functional.  They are just like us, but need assistance to reach their goals.  We 99% stick together.

 

The Early Bird Gets the Scholarship

 

Overview: Students residing in or attending school know the hardships associated with paying for a college education. There are competitive scholarships that will pay for four years of college.  There are also scholarships that are not given because no one applied for them.   How can students find scholarships?

 

First, find out who you are and what career directions would help you toward your career goals.

 

Plan to apply for summer programs and volunteer activities that introduce you to the working world in your chosen career.

https://www.philasd.org/collegeandcareer/resources/parents/enrichment-summer-programs/

 

Your high school and college programs and activities add to your experiences and honors you list in your résumé.  These show forethought, planning, engagement, and dedication.

 

Example of résumé planning. (see sample Google résumés, e. g. below)

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resume-samples

https://careernetwork.msu.edu/resources-tools/resumes/sample-resumes.html

Junior and senior year of high school:  participate in summer programs

September of senior year:

Draft a résumé.

Identify colleges/universities you’d like to attend after graduating high school,

Talk to a school advisor.  Would these schools act as a bridge to a planned career?

Tabulate requirements and deadlines.

Get applications.  Draft personal statements, and complete applications.

 

Polishing

Put your draft résumé and applications through a spell-checker and polish them.  Send copies of your résumé and applications to 2-3 mentors (teachers, parents, trusted friends) for polishing.  Ask them all to “red-line” the pages, suggesting better format, résumé action words, cutting out lengthy paragraphs about personal hardships (short is better), focusing on good writing and clear choices.  Rewrite and send a final (draft) to the best responder for a final-final polish.

 

Timing

Often colleges make a “first-choice” of candidates in October/November of the student’s senior high school year.   Yes, that is a full nine months before you begin college.  Some campuses will still accept more candidates in January, and some will still accept applications later… in April.  The earlier you apply, the better you are viewed by the committees.  If you apply very late, you may not be able to register for the courses you’d prefer, because classes may be filled already.

 

Sometimes your preferred courses will be “adjusted” because your score on standardized entry tests (e.g. Math and English) is insufficient and your progress in your major (e.g. engineering) will be delayed until you show a passing grade, e. g. algebra.  This is a timing problem on small campuses because their early courses are often prerequisites for the next courses that are taught in sequence.  Junior and senior courses may be scheduled only once every two years.  If you miss them because of delayed entry into the sequence, you may have to wait for the next time the courses are taught.  Students may have to work for years while waiting to take courses to finish off their degrees.

 

Talk to a high school advisor to get the grades necessary to pass the entry tests before applying for college or university.  Don’t let your four years in college be extended to five or six years.  While in university, go over your 4-year schedule at least annually with your advisor to make sure you can graduate on time.

​

Apply for as many scholarships as you can—it’s free money for college or career school!

Apply for as many scholarships as you can—it’s free money for college or career school!

Try these free sources of information about scholarships:

• the financial aid office at a college or career school

• a high school or TRIO counselor

• the U.S. Department of Labor’s FREE scholarship search tool

• federal agencies

• your state grant agency

• your library’s reference section

• foundations, religious or community organizations, local businesses, or civic groups

• organizations (including professional associations) related to your field of interest

• ethnicity-based organizations

• your employer or your parents’ employers

 

What kinds of scholarships are available?
How do I find scholarships?
When do I apply for scholarships?
How do I apply for scholarships?
How do I get my scholarship money?
How does a scholarship affect my other student aid?

 

Some scholarships for college are merit-based. You earn them by meeting or exceeding certain standards set by the scholarship-giver.  Merit scholarships might be awarded based on academic achievement or on a combination of academics and a special talent, trait, or interest.

 

Other scholarships are based on financial need.

 

Many scholarships are geared toward particular groups of people; for instance, there are scholarships for women or athletes, or graduate students. And some are available because of where you or your parent work, or because you come from a certain background (for instance, there are scholarships for military families).

A scholarship might cover the entire cost of your tuition, or it might be a one-time award of a few hundred dollars.  Either way, it’s worth applying for, because it’ll help reduce the cost of your education.

When do I apply for scholarships?

That depends on each scholarship’s deadline.  Some deadlines are as early as a year before college starts, so if you’re in high school now, you should be researching and applying for scholarships during the summer between your junior and senior years. But if you’ve missed that window, don’t give up!  Look at scholarship information to see which ones you can still apply for now.

How do I apply for scholarships?

Each scholarship has its own requirements. The scholarship’s website should give you an idea of who qualifies for the scholarship and how to apply. Make sure you read the application carefully, fill it out completely, and meet the application deadline.  

How do I get my scholarship money?

That depends on the scholarship. The money might go directly to your college, where it will be applied to any tuition, fees, or other amounts you owe, and then any leftover funds given to you. Or it might be sent directly to you in a check. The scholarship provider should tell you what to expect when it informs you that you’ve been awarded the scholarship.

If not, be sure to ask.

 

How does a scholarship affect my other student aid?

A scholarship will affect your other student aid because all your student aid added together can’t be more than your cost of attendance at your college or career school.

Additional Links:

Avoiding Student Aid Scams

Loans

Work-Study Jobs

Estimate Your Aid: FAFSA4caster

 

Scholarship Planning: Make a file with scholarship data of interest.

 

Scholarships.com can help students find scholarships by state:  e. g. PA:

https://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarships-by-state/pennsylvania-scholarships/

 

https://www.unigo.com/scholarships/by-state/pennsylvania-scholarships

 

https://phs.parklandsd.org/students/college-scholarships

 

https://www.philasd.org/search-results/?q=student%20scholarships

 

https://www.philasd.org/collegeandcareer/scholarships/scholarship-bank/

 

e. g. searches related to PA school system list of scholarships:

verizon pennsylvania scholarship fund

pennsylvania scholarships 2019

full ride scholarships in pa

scholarships in pa for high school seniors

scholarships in pa for high school juniors

pennsylvania scholarships 2020

pennsylvania house of representatives scholarship program

scholarships for trade schools in pa

http://www.collegescholarships.org/grants/states/pennsylvania.htm

 

For scholarships of interest, make a table listing the deadline for application, eligibility criteria, codes for references you would like sent (e. g. list initials of your potential references, e. g. from former teachers, from employers).

 

Check out the Eligibility Criteria of each scholarship. 

 

e. g. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

This example is for four years of university support:

1. Graduating High School Senior

2. Legal residency in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

3. Acceptance and attendance at a Pennsylvania college, university, or career school as a full-time student.

4. Academic achievement (minimum of 3.0 cumulative GPA in high school)

5. Commitment to community and demonstrated leadership qualities

6. Extracurricular activities

7. Financial need

 

Meanwhile, develop a responsible attitude as an adult.  If you don’t vote, your issues will not be heard.

Keeping track of politics is enlightening.

 

Rachel Maddow, MSNBC, is youthful, energetic, informed, active.  Her reactions and responses are fun & insightful. 

Zs & Millennials take special notice.

 

Your rights may change November, 5, 2024.  Checkout this website, elizabethwarren.com / Plans to find out about free college.  The issues on the site are totally clickable with clickable sources and references.  Of all the generations, you need to understand your issues and vote for your future. Register to vote months in advance of your 18th birthday.  It takes minutes to register on the internet.  You will be sent an acknowledgement and the location of your polling place where you vote. https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote

 

What do Zs Want?

Youth (Gen Z) are the most disenfranchised of our generations.

They have low money resources, poor opportunities, uncertain jobs. 

They do not believe they’ll make as much money as their parents.  They have no safety net.

They don’t have the opportunities their parents had, and on average are not educated as much as previous generations.

They may not be able to afford it.

 

Zs train to be aggressive in career planning.  Assertive won’t do it now. College degrees are required for the best opportunities in medicine, health, engineering, law, science, leadership, … Now is the time for Zs to ASK FOR HELP.

Without a college degree, Zs may lose cumulative competitive salaries that will support their families for life.  Great opportunities will be available if they fight for them.  Grab those great opportunities and get good mentors to focus efforts toward career goals.  Win every battle.  If not, rethink, re-mentor, re-fund and re-engage in a new battle, with better credentials and more support.